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.
kubectl is installable on a variety of Linux platforms, macOS and Windows.
Find your preferred operating system below.
Like kind, minikube is a tool that lets you run Kubernetes
locally. minikube runs an all-in-one or a multi-node local Kubernetes cluster on your personal
computer (including Windows, macOS and Linux PCs) so that you can try out
Kubernetes, or for daily development work.
You can follow the official
Get Started! guide if your focus is
on getting the tool installed.
You can use the kubeadm tool to create and manage Kubernetes clusters.
It performs the actions necessary to get a minimum viable, secure cluster up and running in a user friendly way.
You must use a kubectl version that is within one minor version difference of
your cluster. For example, a v1.32 client can communicate
with v1.31, v1.32,
and v1.33 control planes.
Using the latest compatible version of kubectl helps avoid unforeseen issues.
Install kubectl on Linux
The following methods exist for installing kubectl on Linux:
Update the apt package index and install packages needed to use the Kubernetes apt repository:
sudo apt-get update
# apt-transport-https may be a dummy package; if so, you can skip that packagesudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg
Download the public signing key for the Kubernetes package repositories. The same signing key is used for all repositories so you can disregard the version in the URL:
# If the folder `/etc/apt/keyrings` does not exist, it should be created before the curl command, read the note below.# sudo mkdir -p -m 755 /etc/apt/keyringscurl -fsSL https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.32/deb/Release.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/kubernetes-apt-keyring.gpg
sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/keyrings/kubernetes-apt-keyring.gpg # allow unprivileged APT programs to read this keyring
Note:
In releases older than Debian 12 and Ubuntu 22.04, folder /etc/apt/keyrings does not exist by default, and it should be created before the curl command.
Add the appropriate Kubernetes apt repository. If you want to use Kubernetes version different than v1.32,
replace v1.32 with the desired minor version in the command below:
# This overwrites any existing configuration in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kubernetes.listecho'deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/kubernetes-apt-keyring.gpg] https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.32/deb/ /' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kubernetes.list
sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kubernetes.list # helps tools such as command-not-found to work correctly
Note:
To upgrade kubectl to another minor release, you'll need to bump the version in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kubernetes.list before running apt-get update and apt-get upgrade. This procedure is described in more detail in Changing The Kubernetes Package Repository.
Add the Kubernetes yum repository. If you want to use Kubernetes version
different than v1.32, replace v1.32 with
the desired minor version in the command below.
# This overwrites any existing configuration in /etc/yum.repos.d/kubernetes.repocat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/kubernetes.repo
[kubernetes]
name=Kubernetes
baseurl=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.32/rpm/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.32/rpm/repodata/repomd.xml.key
EOF
Note:
To upgrade kubectl to another minor release, you'll need to bump the version in /etc/yum.repos.d/kubernetes.repo before running yum update. This procedure is described in more detail in Changing The Kubernetes Package Repository.
Install kubectl using yum:
sudo yum install -y kubectl
Add the Kubernetes zypper repository. If you want to use Kubernetes version
different than v1.32, replace v1.32 with
the desired minor version in the command below.
# This overwrites any existing configuration in /etc/zypp/repos.d/kubernetes.repocat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/zypp/repos.d/kubernetes.repo
[kubernetes]
name=Kubernetes
baseurl=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.32/rpm/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.32/rpm/repodata/repomd.xml.key
EOF
Note:
To upgrade kubectl to another minor release, you'll need to bump the version in /etc/zypp/repos.d/kubernetes.repo
before running zypper update. This procedure is described in more detail in
Changing The Kubernetes Package Repository.
Update zypper and confirm the new repo addition:
sudo zypper update
When this message appears, press 't' or 'a':
New repository or package signing key received:
Repository: Kubernetes
Key Fingerprint: 1111 2222 3333 4444 5555 6666 7777 8888 9999 AAAA
Key Name: isv:kubernetes OBS Project <isv:kubernetes@build.opensuse.org>
Key Algorithm: RSA 2048
Key Created: Thu 25 Aug 2022 01:21:11 PM -03
Key Expires: Sat 02 Nov 2024 01:21:11 PM -03 (expires in 85 days)
Rpm Name: gpg-pubkey-9a296436-6307a177
Note: Signing data enables the recipient to verify that no modifications occurred after the data
were signed. Accepting data with no, wrong or unknown signature can lead to a corrupted system
and in extreme cases even to a system compromise.
Note: A GPG pubkey is clearly identified by its fingerprint. Do not rely on the key's name. If
you are not sure whether the presented key is authentic, ask the repository provider or check
their web site. Many providers maintain a web page showing the fingerprints of the GPG keys they
are using.
Do you want to reject the key, trust temporarily, or trust always? [r/t/a/?] (r): a
If you are on Ubuntu or another Linux distribution that supports the
snap package manager, kubectl
is available as a snap application.
snap install kubectl --classic
kubectl version --client
If you are on Linux and using Homebrew
package manager, kubectl is available for installation.
brew install kubectl
kubectl version --client
Verify kubectl configuration
In order for kubectl to find and access a Kubernetes cluster, it needs a
kubeconfig file,
which is created automatically when you create a cluster using
kube-up.sh
or 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:
kubectl cluster-info
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
Troubleshooting the 'No Auth Provider Found' error message
In Kubernetes 1.26, kubectl removed the built-in authentication for the following cloud
providers' managed Kubernetes offerings. These providers have released kubectl plugins
to provide the cloud-specific authentication. For instructions, refer to the following provider documentation:
The kubectl completion script for Bash can be generated with the command kubectl completion bash.
Sourcing the completion script in your shell enables kubectl autocompletion.
However, the completion script depends on
bash-completion,
which means that you have to install this software first
(you can test if you have bash-completion already installed by running type _init_completion).
Install bash-completion
bash-completion is provided by many package managers
(see here).
You can install it with apt-get install bash-completion or yum install bash-completion, etc.
The above commands create /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion,
which is the main script of bash-completion. Depending on your package manager,
you have to manually source this file in your ~/.bashrc file.
To find out, reload your shell and run type _init_completion.
If the command succeeds, you're already set, otherwise add the following to your ~/.bashrc file:
source /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion
Reload your shell and verify that bash-completion is correctly installed by typing type _init_completion.
Enable kubectl autocompletion
Bash
You now need to ensure that the kubectl completion script gets sourced in all
your shell sessions. There are two ways in which you can do this:
If you have an alias for kubectl, you can extend shell completion to work with that alias:
echo'alias k=kubectl' >>~/.bashrc
echo'complete -o default -F __start_kubectl k' >>~/.bashrc
Note:
bash-completion sources all completion scripts in /etc/bash_completion.d.
Both approaches are equivalent. After reloading your shell, kubectl autocompletion should be working.
To enable bash autocompletion in current session of shell, source the ~/.bashrc file:
source ~/.bashrc
Note:
Autocomplete for Fish requires kubectl 1.23 or later.
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 compinit
compinit
Install kubectl convert plugin
A plugin for Kubernetes command-line tool kubectl, which allows you to convert manifests between different API
versions. 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
You must use a kubectl version that is within one minor version difference of
your cluster. For example, a v1.32 client can communicate
with v1.31, v1.32,
and v1.33 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:
Make sure /usr/local/bin is in your PATH environment variable.
Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:
kubectl version --client
Or use this for detailed view of version:
kubectl version --client --output=yaml
After installing and validating kubectl, delete the checksum file:
rm kubectl.sha256
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:
brew install kubectl
or
brew install kubernetes-cli
Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:
kubectl version --client
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 selfupdate
sudo port install kubectl
Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:
kubectl version --client
Verify kubectl configuration
In order for kubectl to find and access a Kubernetes cluster, it needs a
kubeconfig file,
which is created automatically when you create a cluster using
kube-up.sh
or 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:
kubectl cluster-info
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
Troubleshooting the 'No Auth Provider Found' error message
In Kubernetes 1.26, kubectl removed the built-in authentication for the following cloud
providers' managed Kubernetes offerings. These providers have released kubectl plugins
to provide the cloud-specific authentication. For instructions, refer to the following provider documentation:
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:
echo$BASH_VERSION
If it is too old, you can install/upgrade it using Homebrew:
brew install bash
Reload your shell and verify that the desired version is being used:
echo$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:
If you have an alias for kubectl, you can extend shell completion to work with that alias:
echo'alias k=kubectl' >>~/.bash_profile
echo'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.
Note:
Autocomplete for Fish requires kubectl 1.23 or later.
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 compinit
compinit
Install kubectl convert plugin
A plugin for Kubernetes command-line tool kubectl, which allows you to convert manifests between different API
versions. 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
You must use a kubectl version that is within one minor version difference of
your cluster. For example, a v1.32 client can communicate
with v1.31, v1.32,
and v1.33 control planes.
Using the latest compatible version of kubectl helps avoid unforeseen issues.
Install kubectl on Windows
The following methods exist for installing kubectl on Windows:
Install kubectl binary on Windows (via direct download or curl)
You have two options for installing kubectl on your Windows device
Direct download:
Download the latest 1.32 patch release binary directly for your specific architecture by visiting the Kubernetes release page. Be sure to select the correct binary for your architecture (e.g., amd64, arm64, etc.).
Append or prepend the kubectl binary folder to your PATH environment variable.
Test to ensure the version of kubectl is the same as downloaded:
kubectl version --client
Or use this for detailed view of version:
kubectl version --client --output=yaml
Note:
Docker Desktop for Windows
adds its own version of kubectl to PATH. If you have installed Docker Desktop before,
you may need to place your PATH entry before the one added by the Docker Desktop
installer or remove the Docker Desktop's kubectl.
Install on Windows using Chocolatey, Scoop, or winget
To install kubectl on Windows you can use either Chocolatey
package manager, Scoop command-line installer, or
winget package manager.
Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:
kubectl version --client
Navigate to your home directory:
# If you're using cmd.exe, run: cd %USERPROFILE%cd ~
Create the .kube directory:
mkdir .kube
Change to the .kube directory you just created:
cd .kube
Configure kubectl to use a remote Kubernetes cluster:
New-Item config -type file
Note:
Edit the config file with a text editor of your choice, such as Notepad.
Verify kubectl configuration
In order for kubectl to find and access a Kubernetes cluster, it needs a
kubeconfig file,
which is created automatically when you create a cluster using
kube-up.sh
or 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:
kubectl cluster-info
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
Troubleshooting the 'No Auth Provider Found' error message
In Kubernetes 1.26, kubectl removed the built-in authentication for the following cloud
providers' managed Kubernetes offerings. These providers have released kubectl plugins
to provide the cloud-specific authentication. For instructions, refer to the following provider documentation:
This command will regenerate the auto-completion script on every PowerShell start up. You can also add the generated script directly to your $PROFILE file.
To add the generated script to your $PROFILE file, run the following line in your powershell prompt:
kubectl completion powershell >> $PROFILE
After reloading your shell, kubectl autocompletion should be working.
Install kubectl convert plugin
A plugin for Kubernetes command-line tool kubectl, which allows you to convert manifests between different API
versions. 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