Kubernetes Tools Reference
This guide provides information on essential tools for Kubernetes cluster management, troubleshooting, and operations.
Core Tools
kubectl
The official Kubernetes command-line tool.
Installation:
# Linux
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"
chmod +x kubectl
sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/
# macOS
brew install kubectl
# or
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl"
chmod +x kubectl
sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/
# Windows
choco install kubernetes-cli
# or
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/windows/amd64/kubectl.exe"
Key Features:
- Manage Kubernetes resources
- View logs and execute commands in containers
- Forward ports and proxy connections
- Apply manifests and configurations
Useful Extensions:
Helm
Package manager for Kubernetes.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash
# Windows
choco install kubernetes-helm
Basic Usage:
# Add repository
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
# Search charts
helm search repo bitnami
# Install chart
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx
# List releases
helm list
# Upgrade release
helm upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx --values custom-values.yaml
# Uninstall release
helm uninstall my-release
Key Features:
- Package and distribute applications
- Version control for deployments
- Template-based resource generation
- Release management
k9s
Terminal-based UI for managing Kubernetes clusters.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
brew install derailed/k9s/k9s
# Linux
curl -sS https://webinstall.dev/k9s | bash
# Windows
choco install k9s
Key Features:
- Interactive UI for cluster management
- Resource filtering and navigation
- Log viewing and container shell access
- Resource editing and management
- Customizable views and shortcuts
Diagnostic Tools
kubectl-debug
Debug running pods with ephemeral containers.
Installation:
kubectl krew install debug
Usage:
kubectl debug <pod-name> -it --image=nicolaka/netshoot
Key Features:
- Debug pods without modifying them
- Access running pods with debug tools
- Network and filesystem troubleshooting
Stern
Multi-pod and container log tailing.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
brew install stern
# Using go
go install github.com/stern/stern@latest
Usage:
# Tail logs from all pods with name containing "app"
stern app
# Tail logs for specific containers
stern app -c container1 -c container2
Key Features:
- Tail multiple pod logs simultaneously
- Color-coding for different pods/containers
- Regex filtering for pods and containers
- Timestamp and output formatting
kubectx and kubens
Fast way to switch between contexts and namespaces.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
brew install kubectx
# Using Krew
kubectl krew install ctx
kubectl krew install ns
Usage:
# Switch context
kubectx <context-name>
# Switch namespace
kubens <namespace>
Key Features:
- Fast context switching
- Namespace management
- Interactive selection
Development Tools
Skaffold
Continuous development for Kubernetes applications.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
brew install skaffold
# Linux/Windows/macOS
curl -Lo skaffold https://storage.googleapis.com/skaffold/releases/latest/skaffold-linux-amd64
chmod +x skaffold
sudo mv skaffold /usr/local/bin
Key Features:
- Continuous build, push, and deploy
- File watching and hot reloading
- Multi-environment support
- Integration with CI/CD systems
Kustomize
Template-free way to customize Kubernetes configurations.
Installation:
# Built into kubectl
kubectl kustomize
# Standalone
brew install kustomize
Key Features:
- Overlay-based configuration management
- Resource patching without templates
- Environment-specific configurations
- Integration with kubectl
Monitoring and Visualization
Prometheus and Grafana
Monitoring and visualization stack.
Installation:
# Using Helm
helm repo add prometheus-community https://prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts
helm install prometheus prometheus-community/prometheus
helm install grafana grafana/grafana
Key Features:
- Time-series metrics collection and storage
- Alerting and notification
- Rich visualization dashboards
- Query language for metrics
Lens
Kubernetes IDE with rich features.
Installation: Download from Lens website
Key Features:
- Graphical cluster management
- Resource visualization and metrics
- Terminal access and log viewing
- Built-in Prometheus integration
Cluster Management
kubeadm
Tool for cluster bootstrapping.
Installation:
apt-get update && apt-get install -y kubeadm
Key Features:
- Bootstrap Kubernetes clusters
- Upgrade Kubernetes components
- Add/remove nodes
- Generate certificates and tokens
kops
Production-grade cluster installation, upgrade, management.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
brew install kops
Key Features:
- Create production-ready clusters on AWS
- Multi-master high availability
- Infrastructure as code
- Rolling updates and upgrades
Rancher
Complete container management platform.
Installation:
helm repo add rancher-latest https://releases.rancher.com/server-charts/latest
helm install rancher rancher-latest/rancher \
--namespace cattle-system \
--create-namespace \
--set hostname=rancher.example.com
Key Features:
- Multi-cluster management
- User management and RBAC
- App catalog and CI/CD
- Monitoring and logging integration
GitOps Tools
ArgoCD
Declarative GitOps continuous delivery tool.
Installation:
kubectl create namespace argocd
kubectl apply -n argocd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml
Key Features:
- GitOps workflow
- Application state visualization
- Multi-cluster deployment
- SSO integration
Flux
GitOps toolkit for Kubernetes.
Installation:
# Using Flux CLI
curl -s https://fluxcd.io/install.sh | sudo bash
flux bootstrap github \
--owner=<username> \
--repository=<repository> \
--personal
Key Features:
- Automated deployment
- Helm and Kustomize integration
- Notification controller
- Multi-tenancy support
Security Tools
Trivy
Container vulnerability scanner.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
brew install aquasecurity/trivy/trivy
# apt-based Linux
sudo apt-get install -y trivy
Usage:
trivy image nginx:latest
Key Features:
- Vulnerability scanning for containers
- Infrastructure as Code scanning
- Integration with CI/CD
- SBOM generation
kube-bench
Kubernetes CIS benchmark testing.
Installation:
kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aquasecurity/kube-bench/main/job.yaml
Key Features:
- CIS benchmark compliance testing
- Security best practice verification
- Detailed remediation guidance
- CI/CD integration
Network Tools
kubeshark
API traffic analyzer for Kubernetes.
Installation:
# Linux/macOS
brew tap kubeshark/kubeshark
brew install kubeshark
# Script install
sh <(curl -Ls https://kubeshark.co/install)
Key Features:
- Real-time API traffic visualization
- Protocol-level inspection
- Traffic replay and testing
- Service map visualization
Cilium
Advanced networking and security.
Installation:
helm repo add cilium https://helm.cilium.io/
helm install cilium cilium/cilium --namespace kube-system
Key Features:
- eBPF-based networking
- Network policy enforcement
- Transparent encryption
- Network performance monitoring
See Also
