Before you begin
You must use a kubectl version that is within one minor version difference of your cluster. For example, a v1.24 client can communicate with v1.23, v1.24, and v1.25 control planes.Using the latest compatible version of kubectl helps avoid unforeseen issues.
Install kubectl on macOS
The following methods exist for installing kubectl on macOS:
- Install kubectl binary with curl on macOS
- Install with Homebrew on macOS
- Install with Macports on macOS
Install kubectl binary with curl on macOS
Download the latest release:
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl"
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl"
Note:
To download a specific version, replace the $(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt) portion of the command with the specific version.
For example, to download version v1.24.0 on Intel macOS, type:
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/v1.24.0/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl"
And for macOS on Apple Silicon, type:
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/v1.24.0/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl"
Validate the binary (optional)
Download the kubectl checksum file:
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl.sha256"
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl.sha256"
Validate the kubectl binary against the checksum file:
echo "$(cat kubectl.sha256) kubectl" | shasum -a 256 --check
If valid, the output is:
If the check fails, shasum exits with nonzero status and prints output similar to:
kubectl: FAILEDshasum: WARNING: 1 computed checksum did NOT match
Note: Download the same version of the binary and checksum.
Make the kubectl binary executable.
Move the kubectl binary to a file location on your system PATH.
sudo mv ./kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectlsudo chown root: /usr/local/bin/kubectl
Note: Make sure /usr/local/bin is in your PATH environment variable.
Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:
Or use this for detailed view of version:
kubectl version --client --output=yaml
Install with Homebrew on macOS
If you are on macOS and using Homebrew package manager, you can install kubectl with Homebrew.
Run the installation command:
or
brew install kubernetes-cli
Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:
Install with Macports on macOS
If you are on macOS and using Macports package manager, you can install kubectl with Macports.
Run the installation command:
sudo port selfupdatesudo port install kubectl
Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:
Verify kubectl configuration
In order for kubectl to find and access a Kubernetes cluster, it needs akubeconfig file,which is created automatically when you create a cluster usingkube-up.shor successfully deploy a Minikube cluster.By default, kubectl configuration is located at ~/.kube/config.
Check that kubectl is properly configured by getting the cluster state:
If you see a URL response, kubectl is correctly configured to access your cluster.
If you see a message similar to the following, kubectl is not configured correctly or is not able to connect to a Kubernetes cluster.
The connection to the server <server-name:port> was refused - did you specify the right host or port?
For example, if you are intending to run a Kubernetes cluster on your laptop (locally), you will need a tool like Minikube to be installed first and then re-run the commands stated above.
If kubectl cluster-info returns the url response but you can't access your cluster, to check whether it is configured properly, use:
kubectl cluster-info dump
Optional kubectl configurations and plugins
Enable shell autocompletion
kubectl provides autocompletion support for Bash, Zsh, Fish, and PowerShell which can save you a lot of typing.
Below are the procedures to set up autocompletion for Bash, Fish, and Zsh.
Introduction
The kubectl completion script for Bash can be generated with kubectl completion bash. Sourcing this script in your shell enables kubectl completion.
However, the kubectl completion script depends on bash-completion which you thus have to previously install.
Warning: There are two versions of bash-completion, v1 and v2. V1 is for Bash 3.2 (which is the default on macOS), and v2 is for Bash 4.1+. The kubectl completion script doesn't work correctly with bash-completion v1 and Bash 3.2. It requires bash-completion v2 and Bash 4.1+. Thus, to be able to correctly use kubectl completion on macOS, you have to install and use Bash 4.1+ (instructions). The following instructions assume that you use Bash 4.1+ (that is, any Bash version of 4.1 or newer).
Upgrade Bash
The instructions here assume you use Bash 4.1+. You can check your Bash's version by running:
If it is too old, you can install/upgrade it using Homebrew:
Reload your shell and verify that the desired version is being used:
echo $BASH_VERSION $SHELL
Homebrew usually installs it at /usr/local/bin/bash.
Install bash-completion
Note: As mentioned, these instructions assume you use Bash 4.1+, which means you will install bash-completion v2 (in contrast to Bash 3.2 and bash-completion v1, in which case kubectl completion won't work).
You can test if you have bash-completion v2 already installed with type _init_completion. If not, you can install it with Homebrew:
brew install bash-completion@2
As stated in the output of this command, add the following to your ~/.bash_profile file:
export BASH_COMPLETION_COMPAT_DIR="/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d"[[ -r "/usr/local/etc/profile.d/bash_completion.sh" ]] && . "/usr/local/etc/profile.d/bash_completion.sh"
Reload your shell and verify that bash-completion v2 is correctly installed with type _init_completion.
Enable kubectl autocompletion
You now have to ensure that the kubectl completion script gets sourced in all your shell sessions. There are multiple ways to achieve this:
Source the completion script in your ~/.bash_profile file:
echo 'source <(kubectl completion bash)' >>~/.bash_profile
Add the completion script to the /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d directory:
kubectl completion bash >/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/kubectl
If you have an alias for kubectl, you can extend shell completion to work with that alias:
echo 'alias k=kubectl' >>~/.bash_profileecho 'complete -o default -F __start_kubectl k' >>~/.bash_profile
If you installed kubectl with Homebrew (as explained here), then the kubectl completion script should already be in /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/kubectl. In that case, you don't need to do anything.
Note: The Homebrew installation of bash-completion v2 sources all the files in the BASH_COMPLETION_COMPAT_DIR directory, that's why the latter two methods work.
In any case, after reloading your shell, kubectl completion should be working.
The kubectl completion script for Fish can be generated with the command kubectl completion fish. Sourcing the completion script in your shell enables kubectl autocompletion.
To do so in all your shell sessions, add the following line to your ~/.config/fish/config.fish file:
kubectl completion fish | source
After reloading your shell, kubectl autocompletion should be working.
The kubectl completion script for Zsh can be generated with the command kubectl completion zsh. Sourcing the completion script in your shell enables kubectl autocompletion.
To do so in all your shell sessions, add the following to your ~/.zshrc file:
source <(kubectl completion zsh)
If you have an alias for kubectl, kubectl autocompletion will automatically work with it.
After reloading your shell, kubectl autocompletion should be working.
If you get an error like 2: command not found: compdef, then add the following to the beginning of your ~/.zshrc file:
autoload -Uz compinitcompinit
Install kubectl convert plugin
A plugin for Kubernetes command-line tool kubectl, which allows you to convert manifests between different APIversions. This can be particularly helpful to migrate manifests to a non-deprecated api version with newer Kubernetes release.For more info, visit migrate to non deprecated apis
Download the latest release with the command:
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl-convert"
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl-convert"
Validate the binary (optional)
Download the kubectl-convert checksum file:
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl-convert.sha256"
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl-convert.sha256"
Validate the kubectl-convert binary against the checksum file:
echo "$(cat kubectl-convert.sha256) kubectl-convert" | shasum -a 256 --check
If valid, the output is:
If the check fails, shasum exits with nonzero status and prints output similar to:
kubectl-convert: FAILEDshasum: WARNING: 1 computed checksum did NOT match
Note: Download the same version of the binary and checksum.
Make kubectl-convert binary executable
chmod +x ./kubectl-convert
Move the kubectl-convert binary to a file location on your system PATH.
sudo mv ./kubectl-convert /usr/local/bin/kubectl-convertsudo chown root: /usr/local/bin/kubectl-convert
Note: Make sure /usr/local/bin is in your PATH environment variable.
Verify plugin is successfully installed
If you do not see an error, it means the plugin is successfully installed.
What's next
- Install Minikube
- See the getting started guides for more about creating clusters.
- Learn how to launch and expose your application.
- If you need access to a cluster you didn't create, see theSharing Cluster Access document.
- Read the kubectl reference docs
FAQs
Install kubectl convert plugin
- Install kubectl-convert. sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl-convert /usr/local/bin/kubectl-convert.
- Verify plugin is successfully installed. kubectl convert --help. If you do not see an error, it means the plugin is successfully installed.
Kubernetes is available in Docker for Mac for 18.06 Stable or higher and includes a Kubernetes server and client, as well as integration with the Docker executable. The Kubernetes server runs locally within your Docker instance and it is similar to the Docker on Windows solution.
How do I download a specific version of kubectl? ›
To download a specific version, replace the $(curl -s https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/stable.txt) portion of the command with the specific version. Make the kubectl binary executable. Move the binary in to your PATH.
How do you check if I have kubectl is installed? ›
NOTE: You can also install kubectl by using the sudo apt-get install kubectl command.
- Check that kubectl is correctly installed and configured by running the kubectl cluster-info command: kubectl cluster-info. ...
- You can also verify the cluster by checking the nodes.
Kubectl stands for “Kubernetes Command-line interface”. It is a command-line tool for the Kubernetes platform to perform API calls. Kubectl is the main interface that allows users to create (and manage) individual objects or groups of objects inside a Kubernetes cluster.
What is kubectl in Kubernetes? ›
The Kubernetes command-line tool, kubectl, allows you to run commands against Kubernetes clusters. You can use kubectl to deploy applications, inspect and manage cluster resources, and view logs. For more information including a complete list of kubectl operations, see the kubectl reference documentation.
How do I start a kubectl service? ›
Worked
- check status of your docker service. If stoped,start it by cmd sudo systemctl start docker . ...
- Make swap off by #swapoff -a.
- Now reset kubeadm by #kubeadm reset.
- Now try #kudeadm init after that check #systemctl status kubelet it will be working.
Part 2. An Easy Way to Completely Uninstall Kubectl on Mac
- Before you can use the PowerMyMac application, you must first download and install it. The software will show you the current state of your system when you first start it up.
- After picking App Uninstaller, click SCAN. Please wait once the scanning is complete.
Kubernetes uses a different tool called kubectl to manage apps - Docker Desktop installs kubectl for you too. You should see a single node in the output called docker-desktop . That's a full Kubernetes cluster, with a single node that runs the Kubernetes API and your own applications.
Does Apple use Kubernetes? ›
Over time, Apple will run the majority of its workloads on Kubernetes clusters, she said.
Running Kubernetes Locally via Docker
- Run it. Download kubectl. Test it out. Run an application. Expose it as a service.
- Deploy a DNS. Turning down your cluster. Troubleshooting. Node is in NotReady state.
- Further reading.
'kubectl': The definitive pronunciation guide - YouTube
Is Kubelet a pod? ›
The kubelet works in terms of a PodSpec. A PodSpec is a YAML or JSON object that describes a pod. The kubelet takes a set of PodSpecs that are provided through various mechanisms (primarily through the apiserver) and ensures that the containers described in those PodSpecs are running and healthy.
How do I add kubectl to my path? ›
Create a new directory for your command line binaries, such as C:\bin . Copy the kubectl.exe binary to your new directory. Edit your user or system PATH environment variable to add the new directory to your PATH . Close your PowerShell terminal and open a new one to pick up the new PATH variable.
What version of kubectl do I have? ›
The simplest way of checking a cluster's Kubernetes version is to use the kubectl version command. This command will output information for the kubectl client and the Kubernetes cluster. The Server Version is the version of Kubernetes your cluster is running.
How does cluster connect to kubectl? ›
Access from a node or pod in the cluster.
- Run a pod, and then connect to a shell in it using kubectl exec. Connect to other nodes, pods, and services from that shell.
- Some clusters may allow you to ssh to a node in the cluster. From there you may be able to access cluster services.
Regardless of where you install it kubectl is the client tool to interact with the Kubernetes API Server. Server version depends on what version of the kubernetes software was used while setting up the Kubernetes Cluster and downgrade/upgrade process depends on the tool used to set it up as well.
Why do we need kubectl? ›
Kubectl is a command line tool used to run commands against Kubernetes clusters. It does this by authenticating with the Master Node of your cluster and making API calls to do a variety of management actions. If you're just getting started with Kubernetes, prepare to be spending a lot of time with kubectl!
What happens if I run kubectl command? ›
After kubectl generates the runtime object, it starts to find the appropriate API group and version for it and then assembles a versioned client that is aware of the various REST semantics for the resource.
Can Kubernetes run without Docker? ›
Can Kubernetes Run Without Docker? The answer is both yes and no. Kubernetes, in itself, is not a complete solution. It depends on a container runtime to orchestrate; you can't manage containers without having containers in the first place.
kubelet: the component that runs on all of the machines in your cluster and does things like starting PODs and containers. kubectl: the command line until to talk to your cluster.
What are kubectl commands? ›
Kubectl controls the Kubernetes Cluster. It is one of the key components of Kubernetes which runs on the workstation on any machine when the setup is done. It has the capability to manage the nodes in the cluster. Kubectl commands are used to interact and manage Kubernetes objects and the cluster.
What is kubectl Run command? ›
As stated before, the kubectl run command helps you to run container images on your Kubernetes pods. The syntax for the command is simple: You can provide a name for the running instance of the image using the <name> field. Here's how you can create a pod with a basic nginx server: kubectl run nginx --image=nginx.
What kubectl command is used to add a service? ›
Create a Service with the command kubectl expose deployment hello-node --type=LoadBalancer --port=8080 . You specified the name of the Cluster, the type of Service, and the port for it to use.
How do I get the IP for Kubernetes cluster? ›
To find the cluster IP address of a Kubernetes pod, use the kubectl get pod command on your local machine, with the option -o wide . This option will list more information, including the node the pod resides on, and the pod's cluster IP. The IP column will contain the internal cluster IP address for each pod.
How many types of services are there in Kubernetes? ›
There are four types of Kubernetes services — ClusterIP , NodePort , LoadBalancer and ExternalName . The type property in the Service's spec determines how the service is exposed to the network.
How do I upgrade my kubectl? ›
Upgrading Kubernetes: A Step-by-Step Guide
- 1Login into the first node and upgrade the kubeadm tool only: ...
- 2Verify the upgrade plan: ...
- 3Apply the upgrade plan: ...
- 4Update Kubelet and restart the service: ...
- 5Apply the upgrade plan to the other master nodes: ...
- 6Upgrade kubectl on all master nodes:
To open About This Mac, choose Apple menu > About This Mac. On Mac computers with an Intel processor, About This Mac shows an item labeled Processor, followed by the name of an Intel processor. A Mac with an Intel processor is also known as an Intel-based Mac.
How do I uninstall kubectl client? ›
How do I uninstall Kubectl? |
- sudo rm /usr/local/bin/kubectl; sudo rm /usr/local/bin/kubectl; sudo rm /usr/local/bin/kubectl; sudo rm /usr.
- gcloud components uninstall kubectl is available as part of the Google Cloud SDK.
- Snap uninstall kubectl to install on Ubuntu (as Gparmar suggested).
Although Docker Swarm is an alternative in this domain, Kubernetes is the best choice when it comes to orchestrating large distributed applications with hundreds of connected microservices including databases, secrets and external dependencies.
The primary options you can choose instead of Kubernetes are: Container as a Service (CaaS)—services like AWS Fargate and Azure Container Instances, which allow you to manage containers at scale without the complex orchestration capabilities provided by Kubernetes.
Does Kubernetes have a GUI? ›
Kubernetes Dashboard is the most popular and mature for Kubernetes GUI client. This web UI dashboard gives an overview of applications running on your cluster, as well as for creating or modifying individual Kubernetes resources. Compared to other clients like Lens and Octant, its filtering ability is limited.
Does Apple use AWS? ›
– Apple has a major multi-year agreement with Amazon Web Services. – Apple spends way more on Amazon's cloud than any other company. Starting right back in 2011, iCloud has been based on AWS and Azure.
Does Apple Hire cloud engineers? ›
At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming ... The Apple Cloud Engineering team is looking for an outstanding security engineer with experience architecting and developing low-level secure software. We are a team at the forefront of developing secure software that will power the next generation of data centers.
Does Apple have its own cloud infrastructure? ›
iCloud is a cloud-storage and cloud-computing service from Apple Inc. launched on October 12, 2011. As of 2018, the service had an estimated 850 million users, up from 782 million users in 2016.
Where is the best location to install Kubernetes? ›
You can download Kubernetes to deploy a Kubernetes cluster on a local machine, into the cloud, or for your own datacenter. Several Kubernetes components such as kube-apiserver or kube-proxy can also be deployed as container images within the cluster.
Can you run Kubernetes on a single machine? ›
Kubernetes is not a single machine but rather a platform. When you deploy Kubernetes, you will get a cluster. A cluster consists of a set of master and worker machines, called nodes, that run containerized applications. Every cluster has at least one worker node.
Why is Kubernetes called K8s? ›
The name Kubernetes originates from Greek, meaning helmsman or pilot. K8s as an abbreviation results from counting the eight letters between the "K" and the "s". Google open-sourced the Kubernetes project in 2014.
How do you say k8? ›
How to Pronounce Kubernetes? (CORRECTLY) Meaning ... - YouTube
What is Kubernetes cluster? ›
A Kubernetes cluster is a set of nodes that run containerized applications. Containerizing applications packages an app with its dependences and some necessary services. They are more lightweight and flexible than virtual machines.
No more than 5000 nodes. No more than 150000 total pods. No more than 300000 total containers.
Is Kubernetes pod a VM? ›
Pods always run on Nodes. A Node is a worker machine in Kubernetes and may be a VM or a physical machine, depending on the cluster. Each Node runs Pods and is managed by the Master. On a Node you can have multiple pods.
Does Kubelet run on master? ›
Therefore, the master node also runs the standard node services: the kubelet service, the container runtime and the kube proxy service.
How do I download kubectl for Mac? ›
If you are on macOS and using Homebrew package manager, you can install kubectl with Homebrew.
- Run the installation command: brew install kubectl. or. brew install kubernetes-cli.
- Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date: kubectl version --client.
Install kubectl convert plugin
- Install kubectl-convert. sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl-convert /usr/local/bin/kubectl-convert.
- Verify plugin is successfully installed. kubectl convert --help. If you do not see an error, it means the plugin is successfully installed.
Step 1 − Logon to the machine. Step 2 − Update the package index. Step 3 − Install the Docker Engine using the following command. Step 4 − Start the Docker daemon.
Where is my kubectl installed? ›
By default, kubectl configuration is located at ~/. kube/config . If you see a URL response, kubectl is correctly configured to access your cluster.
How do I remove kubectl from my Mac? ›
Part 2. An Easy Way to Completely Uninstall Kubectl on Mac
- Before you can use the PowerMyMac application, you must first download and install it. The software will show you the current state of your system when you first start it up.
- After picking App Uninstaller, click SCAN. Please wait once the scanning is complete.
Worked
- check status of your docker service. If stoped,start it by cmd sudo systemctl start docker . ...
- Make swap off by #swapoff -a.
- Now reset kubeadm by #kubeadm reset.
- Now try #kudeadm init after that check #systemctl status kubelet it will be working.
The default location of .kube/config file is:
- ~/.kube/config.
- %USERPROFILE%\.kube\config.
- ~/.kube/config.
Kubernetes uses a different tool called kubectl to manage apps - Docker Desktop installs kubectl for you too. You should see a single node in the output called docker-desktop . That's a full Kubernetes cluster, with a single node that runs the Kubernetes API and your own applications.
What is kubectl in Kubernetes? ›
The Kubernetes command-line tool, kubectl, allows you to run commands against Kubernetes clusters. You can use kubectl to deploy applications, inspect and manage cluster resources, and view logs. For more information including a complete list of kubectl operations, see the kubectl reference documentation.
How do I run Kubernetes locally? ›
Running Kubernetes Locally via Docker
- Run it. Download kubectl. Test it out. Run an application. Expose it as a service.
- Deploy a DNS. Turning down your cluster. Troubleshooting. Node is in NotReady state.
- Further reading.
Access from a node or pod in the cluster.
- Run a pod, and then connect to a shell in it using kubectl exec. Connect to other nodes, pods, and services from that shell.
- Some clusters may allow you to ssh to a node in the cluster. From there you may be able to access cluster services.
The kubelet works in terms of a PodSpec. A PodSpec is a YAML or JSON object that describes a pod. The kubelet takes a set of PodSpecs that are provided through various mechanisms (primarily through the apiserver) and ensures that the containers described in those PodSpecs are running and healthy.
How do I upgrade my kubectl? ›
Upgrading Kubernetes: A Step-by-Step Guide
- 1Login into the first node and upgrade the kubeadm tool only: ...
- 2Verify the upgrade plan: ...
- 3Apply the upgrade plan: ...
- 4Update Kubelet and restart the service: ...
- 5Apply the upgrade plan to the other master nodes: ...
- 6Upgrade kubectl on all master nodes:
Create a Service with the command kubectl expose deployment hello-node --type=LoadBalancer --port=8080 . You specified the name of the Cluster, the type of Service, and the port for it to use.
How many types of services are there in Kubernetes? ›
There are four types of Kubernetes services — ClusterIP , NodePort , LoadBalancer and ExternalName . The type property in the Service's spec determines how the service is exposed to the network.
How do I know if Kubernetes is running? ›
Using kubectl describe pods to check kube-system
If the output from a specific pod is desired, run the command kubectl describe pod pod_name --namespace kube-system . The Status field should be "Running" - any other status will indicate issues with the environment.
Where is Kubelet config file? ›
The file containing the kubelet's ComponentConfig is /var/lib/kubelet/config.
This command lists pods on the Kubernetes cluster. This command works for all types of Kubernetes resources: pods, services, deployments, cronjobs, events, ingresses, etc.
...
- Kubectl get pods.
- Kubectl describe pod.
- Kubectl logs [-f] POD [-c CONTAINER]
- Kubectl top pod POD_NAME --containers.
Kubernetes automates operational tasks of container management and includes built-in commands for deploying applications, rolling out changes to your applications, scaling your applications up and down to fit changing needs, monitoring your applications, and more—making it easier to manage applications.
