Kubectl Web GUI

A local web-based GUI for kubectl.

Overview

This app provides a lightweight local interface to manage Kubernetes clusters via kubectl.

Features

• Choose Kubernetes context and namespace
• Search resources: pods, nodes, PVCs, configmaps, and others
• Perform actions: describe, delete, view logs, exec (non-interactive), and more

Tech Stack

• Backend: Python
• Frontend: Lightweight JavaScript

Plan by Phases

Phase 1: Prototype

• Basic Python backend with kubectl wrapper
• Lightweight frontend with context/namespace selectors
• List pods and nodes
• Basic describe and delete actions

Phase 2: Search & Actions

• Search/filter pods, nodes, PVCs, and other resources
• Add logs viewer
• Expand actions: describe, delete, logs, and more
• Improve error handling and feedback
• Session persistence for context/namespace defaults

Phase 3: More Resources & Actions

• Add configmaps and additional resource types
• Non-interactive exec into pods (with container selection)
• Additional kubectl actions and endpoints

Phase 4: UI Polish & Documentation

• Better UI/UX and responsive layout
• Documentation and setup instructions
• Confirmation dialogs for destructive actions

Phase 5: Error Handling & Advanced Features

• Improved error handling and feedback
• Possible features:
  • Authentication / access controls
  • Real-time updates / watch mode
  • Multi-cluster dashboard
  • Advanced filtering and sorting
  • Export reports (JSON/CSV)
  • Resource metrics / status indicators
  • Custom kubectl plugin integration

Roadmap / Checklist

• Add readme describing kubectl gui plan
• Phase 1: Prototype backend and basic frontend
• Phase 1: Context and namespace selection
• Phase 1: List pods and nodes
• Phase 2: Search pods, nodes, PVCs, and others
• Phase 2: Describe, delete, and logs actions
• Phase 2: Session persistence for context/namespace
• Phase 3: More resources (configmaps) and non-interactive exec
• Phase 4: UI polish and documentation
• Phase 5: Error handling and advanced features

Suggestions

• Use a lightweight Python framework (e.g., Flask or FastAPI) for the backend
• Keep frontend vanilla JS or minimal framework to stay lightweight
• Consider running kubectl via subprocess with proper input validation
• Add a simple status indicator for kubectl connectivity

Running Locally

To test the app locally:

1. Start the backend:

   cd backend
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
   

2. Serve the frontend (from the repo root or frontend folder):

   cd frontend
   python -m http.server 8080
   

3. Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser. The frontend connects to http://localhost:8000 (CORS is enabled in the backend).

Make sure kubectl is installed and configured with access to your cluster.