Kubernetes is a container-orchestration system for automating deployment, scaling, and operations of application containers across clusters of hosts. It was designed by Google and is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. Kubernetes allows containers to run seamlessly over multiple computing nodes like Docker Swarm. Helm charts package multiple related Kubernetes resources into a single installable unit and help manage dependencies between packages. The basic Kubernetes objects include pods, replica sets, deployments, services, ingress, config maps, secrets, and persistent volumes. Helm commands are used to install, upgrade, and manage packaged Kubernetes resources.