K8sh

A Filesystem-like Shell for Kubernetes

Features • Installation • Commands • Navigation • Virtual Filesystem

🚀 Overview

K8sh is a powerful interactive shell for Kubernetes that provides a filesystem-like navigation experience. Navigate through your Kubernetes resources as if they were directories and files, making cluster management intuitive and efficient.

Say goodbye to lengthy kubectl commands and hello to a more natural way of interacting with your Kubernetes clusters.

📦 Installation

Requirements

• A working Kubernetes cluster
• kubectl configured and working on your system
• Python 3.11 or higher

Debian/Ubuntu Installation

1. Download the latest .deb package from the Releases page

2. Install the package:

   sudo dpkg -i k8sh_1.0.2_all.deb

3. Start the shell:

   k8sh

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify that K8sh can connect to your Kubernetes cluster:

# Start the shell
k8sh

# List available namespaces
ls /

If you see your Kubernetes namespaces listed, the installation was successful!

Troubleshooting

• If K8sh can't connect to your cluster, verify that kubectl works correctly
• Check that your kubeconfig file is properly configured
• Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access your cluster

✨ Features

• 📁 Filesystem-like Navigation - Browse Kubernetes resources using familiar concepts like directories and files
• 💻 Familiar Shell Commands - Use intuitive commands like ls, cd, pwd, and cat
• ⌨️ Tab Completion - Enjoy smart autocompletion for commands and resource paths
• 📜 Command History - Access previous commands with up/down arrow keys
• 🔍 Fuzzy Path Matching - Find resources even with typos in resource names

🛠️ Commands

Command	Description	Example
ls [path]	List resources at current or specified path	ls /default/pods
cd [path]	Change current path	cd deployments/nginx
cd -	Return to previous directory	cd -
pwd	Print current path	pwd
cat [resource]	Display YAML definition with syntax highlighting	cat configmap-name
edit [resource]	Edit resource using your preferred editor	edit deployment-name
exec [pod]	Execute a command in a pod	exec nginx-pod
logs [pod]	View logs from a pod	logs nginx-pod
restart [controller]	Restart a controller (deployment, statefulset, daemonset)	restart deployment-name
help [command]	Show help for all commands or specific command	help cat
exit	Exit the shell	exit

🧭 Navigation

K8sh makes navigating your Kubernetes cluster as intuitive as browsing files on your computer:

# List all namespaces
$ ls /
default
kube-system
kube-public

# Change to the default namespace
$ cd default

# List resource types in the namespace
$ ls
configmaps
deployments
pods
services
...

# Navigate to deployments
$ cd deployments

# List all deployments
$ ls
frontend
backend
database

# View details of a specific deployment
$ cat frontend

# Navigate to pods of a deployment
$ cd frontend
$ ls
frontend-7f5569bb7f-bcgjs
frontend-7f5569bb7f-xdp2w

# View logs of a pod
$ logs frontend-7f5569bb7f-bcgjs

# Execute a command in a pod
$ exec frontend-7f5569bb7f-bcgjs

# Restart a deployment
$ restart frontend

🗂️ Virtual Filesystem

K8sh organizes Kubernetes resources in a hierarchical structure:

• Level 0: Namespaces (directories)
• Level 1: Resource types (directories)
• Level 2: Resources (directories for workload controllers and pods, files for other resources)
• Level 3: Pods for workload controllers or containers for pods (directories for pods, files for containers)
• Level 4: Containers (files)

This structure provides a consistent mental model for navigating your cluster resources.

🔄 Resource Types

K8sh supports a wide range of Kubernetes resource types:

• ✅ Services
• ✅ Deployments
• ✅ DaemonSets
• ✅ StatefulSets
• ✅ ReplicaSets
• ✅ ConfigMaps
• ✅ Secrets
• ✅ Ingresses
• ✅ Pods
• 🤔 Custom Resources

🔧 Configuration

K8sh uses your existing kubectl configuration, so no additional setup is required. It will connect to whatever cluster is currently active in your kubeconfig.

📋 Requirements

• Kubernetes Cluster: A working Kubernetes cluster (local or remote)
• kubectl: Properly configured kubectl with access to your cluster
• Python 3.11+: The package includes all necessary Python dependencies

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Made with ❤️ for Kubernetes users