lgs / kubectx

Fast way to switch between clusters and namespaces in kubectl – [✩Star] if you're using it!

This repository provides both kubectx and kubens tools.

kubectx helps you switch between clusters back and forth:

kubens helps you switch between Kubernetes namespaces smoothly:

kubectx(1)

kubectx is an utility to manage and switch between kubectl(1) contexts.

USAGE:
  kubectx                   : list the contexts
  kubectx <NAME>            : switch to context <NAME>
  kubectx -                 : switch to the previous context
  kubectx <NEW_NAME>=<NAME> : rename context <NAME> to <NEW_NAME>
  kubectx <NEW_NAME>=.      : rename current-context to <NEW_NAME>
  kubectx -d <NAME>         : delete context <NAME> ('.' for current-context)
                              (this command won't delete the user/cluster entry
                              that is used by the context)

Usage

$ kubectx minikube
Switched to context "minikube".

$ kubectx -
Switched to context "oregon".

$ kubectx -
Switched to context "minikube".

$ kubectx dublin=gke_ahmetb_europe-west1-b_dublin
Context "dublin" set.
Aliased "gke_ahmetb_europe-west1-b_dublin" as "dublin".

kubectx supports Tab completion on bash/zsh/fish shells to help with long context names. You don't have to remember full context names anymore.

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kubens(1)

kubens is an utility to switch between Kubernetes namespaces.

USAGE:
  kubens                    : list the namespaces
  kubens <NAME>             : change the active namespace
  kubens -                  : switch to the previous namespace

Usage

$ kubens kube-system
Context "test" set.
Active namespace is "kube-system".

$ kubens -
Context "test" set.
Active namespace is "default".

kubens also supports Tab completion on bash/zsh/fish shells.

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Installation

macOS

🎊 Use the Homebrew package manager:

brew install kubectx

This command will set up bash/zsh/fish completion scripts automatically.

• Running brew install with --with-short-names will install tools with names kctx and kns to prevent prefix collision with kubectl name.

• If you like to add context/namespace info to your shell prompt ($PS1), I recommend trying out kube-ps1.

Linux

Since kubectx/kubens are written in Bash, you should be able to instal them to any POSIX environment that has Bash installed.

• Download the kubectx, and kubens scripts.
• Either:
  • save them all to somewhere in your PATH,
  • or save them to a directory, then create symlinks to kubectx/kubens from somewhere in your PATH, like /usr/local/bin
• Make kubectx and kubens executable (chmod +x ...)
• Install bash/zsh/fish completion scripts.
  • For zsh:
    The completion scripts have to be in a path that belongs to $fpath. Either link or copy them to an existing folder.
    If using oh-my-zsh you can do as follows:

    mkdir -p ~/.oh-my-zsh/completions
    chmod -R 755 ~/.oh-my-zsh/completions
    ln -s /opt/kubectx/completion/kubectx.zsh ~/.oh-my-zsh/completions/_kubectx.zsh
    ln -s /opt/kubectx/completion/kubens.zsh ~/.oh-my-zsh/completions/_kubens.zsh

    Note that the leading underscore seems to be a convention.
    If not using oh-my-zsh, you could link to /usr/share/zsh/functions/Completion (might require sudo), depending on the $fpath of your zsh installation.
    In case of error, calling compaudit might help.
  • For bash:

    git clone https://github.com/ahmetb/kubectx.git ~/.kubectx
    COMPDIR=$(pkg-config --variable=completionsdir bash-completion)
    ln -sf ~/.kubectx/completion/kubens.bash $COMPDIR/kubens
    ln -sf ~/.kubectx/completion/kubectx.bash $COMPDIR/kubectx
    cat << FOE >> ~/.bashrc
    
    
    #kubectx and kubens
    export PATH=~/.kubectx:\$PATH
    FOE

  • For fish: Figure out how to install completion scripts and please document here

Example installation steps:

sudo git clone https://github.com/ahmetb/kubectx /opt/kubectx
sudo ln -s /opt/kubectx/kubectx /usr/local/bin/kubectx
sudo ln -s /opt/kubectx/kubens /usr/local/bin/kubens

Arch Linux

An unofficial AUR package kubectx is available. Install instructions can be found on the Arch wiki.

Debian/Ubuntu

Available as a Debian package for Debian Buster (testing), Sid (unstable) (note: if you are unfamiliar with Debian release process and how to enable testing/unstable repos, check the Debian Wiki):

sudo apt install kubectx

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Interactive mode

If you want kubectx and kubens commands to present you an interactive menu with fuzzy searching, you just need to install fzf in your PATH.

If you have fzf installed, but want to opt out of using this feature, set the environment variable KUBECTX_IGNORE_FZF=1.

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Customizing colors

If you like to customize the colors indicating the current namespace or context, set the environment variables KUBECTX_CURRENT_FGCOLOR and KUBECTX_CURRENT_BGCOLOR (refer color codes here):

export KUBECTX_CURRENT_FGCOLOR=$(tput setaf 6) # blue text
export KUBECTX_CURRENT_BGCOLOR=$(tput setaf 7) # white background

Colors in the output can be disabled by setting the NO_COLOR environment variable.

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Users

What are others saying about kubectx?
“Thank you for kubectx & kubens - I use them all the time & have them in my k8s toolset to maintain happiness :) ” – @pbouwer
“I can't imagine working without kubectx and especially kubens anymore. It's pure gold.” – @timoreimann
“I'm liking kubectx from @ahmetb, makes it super-easy to switch #Kubernetes contexts [...]” — @lizrice
“Also using it on a daily basis. This and my zsh config that shows me the current k8s context 😉” – @puja108
“Lately I've found myself using the kubens command more than kubectx. Both very useful though :-)” – @stuartleeks
“yeah kubens rocks!” – @embano1
“Special thanks to Ahmet Alp Balkan for creating kubectx, kubens, and kubectl aliases, as these tools made my life better.” – @strebeld

If you liked kubectx, you may like my kubectl-aliases project, too.

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Disclaimer: This is not an official Google product.

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