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Kubernetes UI

Welkin recommends operations to be done via script -- if possible the GitOps way -- to improve repeatability and application developer productivity, as well as reduce human errors. That being said, User Interfaces (UIs) have their advantages. In particular, they have a reduced learning curve and make features more discoverable.

Welkin does not come with a UI for the sake of resource efficiency. However, you can run a locally-installed Kubernetes UI yourself. We have tested:

Both of these projects are installed locally, and have no cluster-side component. Both use the exact same permissions as your Welkin user has. This makes it a perfectly safe and secure user interface to use and does not compromise your cluster's stability or security posture.

Note for macOS and Linux users

If you followed the Install Prerequisites steps of this documentation, you have probably installed the oidc-login plugin to kubectl via krew. If so, a locally-installed Kubernetes UI might not be able to find it. That makes it fail to authenticate via Dex, the OpenID Connect provider in Welkin.

You have two options for making the oidc-login plugin findable by locally-installed Kubernetes UIs:

  1. Edit ~/.profile and add:

    if [ -d "$HOME/.krew/bin" ] ; then
  PATH="$HOME/.krew/bin:$PATH"
fi

  2. Run the following command:

    sudo ln -s ~/.krew/bin/kubectl-oidc_login /usr/local/bin

Monokle

To get started with Monokle:

  1. Make sure you performing the above changes.
  2. Install Monokle as instructed in the upstream documentation.
  3. Perform OpenID authentication via your browser.
  4. Make sure to select a valid namespace, since Welkin does not allow access to the default namespace.

Monokle should work out-of-the-box with Welkin.

Monokle with Welkin

Kubernetes Extension for Visual Studio Code

To get started:

  1. Make sure you performing the above changes.
  2. Install the Kubernetes extension as instructed in the upstream documentation.
  3. Perform OpenID authentication via your browser.

The Kubernetes extension should work out-of-the-box with Welkin.

Kubernetes extension for Visual Studio Code with Welkin