Kube9 VS Code
Kubernetes Management in Your Favorite IDE
Overview
Kube9 VS Code is an extension that brings visual Kubernetes cluster management directly into your development environment. It provides a modern, intuitive interface for managing your Kubernetes resources without leaving your IDE.
Key Features
- 🌲 Tree view cluster navigation
- 📝 Resource detail viewer (form + YAML)
- ✏️ Edit and save resources to cluster
- 🚀 Launch workloads with freeform YAML
- 🔄 Multi-cluster support via kubeconfig
- 📦 ArgoCD integration with drift detection and application monitoring
- 📊 Enhanced metrics and monitoring with kube9-operator
Architecture
Kube9 VS Code provides a clean separation between local development tooling and cluster-side monitoring:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VSCode Extension │
│ - Generates HTML locally │
│ - Webviews for resource management │
│ - Direct kubectl operations │
│ - Uses your kubeconfig │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
│
↓ (kubectl API)
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Kubernetes Cluster │
│ - Your workloads and resources │
│ - Optional: kube9-operator │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
How It Works
Core Extension:
- Uses your kubeconfig to interact with clusters
- All UI is generated locally in VS Code webviews
- Direct kubectl operations for resource management
- Cluster credentials and API payloads are not uploaded for routine management; your kubeconfig stays on your machine
- Optional product telemetry (when enabled in the extension) is separate from cluster access and is limited to allowlisted, non-identifying events—see Privacy and product telemetry
Enhanced with kube9-operator (Optional):
- Install kube9-operator in your cluster for enhanced monitoring
- Operator collects metrics and cluster health data
- Extension automatically detects operator and provides enhanced views
- Sanitized metrics only (no secrets, credentials, or sensitive data)
- No cluster ingress needed
Getting Started
Installation
From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions (
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X)
- Search for "Kube9"
- Click Install
For Developers
git clone <repository-url>
cd kube9-vscode
npm install
npm run compile
# Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host
Quick Start
Open Kube9
- Look for the Kube9 icon in VS Code activity bar
- Extension automatically reads your
~/.kube/config
Navigate Your Cluster
- Expand clusters in tree view
- Click namespaces to view resources
- Click resources to view/edit details
Edit Resources
- Form view for common fields
- YAML view for advanced editing
- Save changes directly to cluster
Launch Workloads
- Use "Launch Workload" command
- Paste or write YAML manifests
- Apply to cluster with one click
Optional: Install kube9-operator for Enhanced Monitoring
The kube9-operator enhances the extension with cluster metrics and monitoring capabilities. It runs in your cluster and provides enriched data to the extension.
Install with Helm:
helm repo add kube9 https://charts.kube9.io
helm install kube9-operator kube9/kube9-operator \
--namespace kube9-system \
--create-namespace
Once installed, the extension automatically detects the operator and provides enhanced resource views with metrics and health data. See the kube9-operator documentation for configuration options.
ArgoCD Integration
Kube9 VS Code provides seamless ArgoCD integration for GitOps workflows. View and manage your ArgoCD Applications directly from VS Code.
Prerequisites:
- ArgoCD 2.5+ installed in your cluster
- kubectl configured and accessible
- RBAC permissions for ArgoCD CRD access
Quick Start:
- Ensure ArgoCD is installed in your cluster
- Open the Kube9 tree view - ArgoCD Applications will appear automatically when detected
- Expand "ArgoCD Applications" to see all applications with sync/health status
- Click any application to view details and drift information
- Right-click applications to sync, refresh, or perform hard refresh
For detailed setup instructions, usage guide, and troubleshooting, see ArgoCD Integration Documentation.
Features
Resource Management
- Tree view navigation (clusters → namespaces → resources)
- Resource detail viewer with form and YAML tabs
- Graphical
kubectl describe functionality for Pods, PVCs, PVs, Secrets, and more
- Edit common fields (replicas, image, labels, etc.)
- Save changes back to cluster
- Delete resources with confirmation
YAML Operations
- Syntax-highlighted YAML editor
- Apply arbitrary YAML manifests
- Dry-run validation
- Quick templates (Deployment, Service, Pod, ConfigMap)
Multi-Cluster Support
- Automatic kubeconfig parsing
- Switch between clusters and contexts
- Multiple kubeconfig file support
- Manage multiple clusters from one interface
ArgoCD Integration
- View ArgoCD Applications in tree view with sync/health status
- Monitor GitOps deployments and detect configuration drift
- Sync, refresh, and hard refresh applications directly from VS Code
- Application details webview with drift information
- Works with ArgoCD 2.5+ in both operated and basic modes
Enhanced Monitoring (with kube9-operator)
When the kube9-operator is installed in your cluster:
- Resource metrics and usage data
- Cluster health monitoring
- Enhanced resource views with real-time data
- Historical trend information
Project Structure
kube9-vscode/
├── src/
│ ├── extension.ts # Main entry point
│ ├── providers/
│ │ ├── ClusterTreeProvider.ts
│ │ └── NamespaceWebview.ts
│ ├── commands/ # Command implementations
│ ├── services/
│ │ └── KubernetesService.ts
│ ├── webviews/ # Local HTML generators
│ └── utils/
├── ai/ # LLMs context files
│ ├── contexts/
│ ├── decisions/
│ ├── features/
│ └── specs/
└── dist/ # Compiled output
Development
Prerequisites
- Node.js 22+ (LTS recommended)
- npm or yarn
- kubectl configured for testing
- VS Code 1.80.0+
Setup
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile
# Watch mode for development
npm run watch
# Run extension (opens Extension Development Host)
# Press F5 in VS Code
# Run tests
npm test
# Package extension
npm run package
Testing
Basic Extension Testing:
- Extension should show local webviews
- Verify resource navigation works
- Verify CRUD operations work
- Test ArgoCD integration if available
Testing with kube9-operator:
- Install kube9-operator in test cluster
- Extension should detect operator
- Verify enhanced metrics views appear
- Test operator-provided data display
Releasing
Versioning uses semantic-release when you run Cut Release (manual). This repo has no staging deploy; CI on main and PRs validates builds. Tags and GitHub Releases follow Conventional Commits.
Marketplace publish (VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX) is intentionally manual: GitHub Actions → Cut Release → Run workflow. The workflow runs semantic-release first, then publishes the VSIX from the new tag.
Local cluster (kube9-minikube)
Cluster creation and demo scenarios live in the kube9-minikube repository (not in this repo). Clone it next to kube9-vscode, then:
cd ../kube9-minikube
./scripts/start.sh
./scripts/populate.sh with-operator # or another scenario
export KUBECONFIG="$PWD/out/kubeconfig"
In VS Code, use Extension (Demo Cluster) — it sets KUBECONFIG to ../kube9-minikube/out/kubeconfig (sibling checkout). If your path differs, set KUBECONFIG yourself or adjust .vscode/launch.json.
That cluster uses a dedicated Minikube profile and is isolated from your default kubeconfig — suitable for feature work, screenshots, QA, and demos.
Technology Stack
- Framework: VS Code Extension API
- Language: TypeScript (ES2020)
- Runtime: Node.js 22+ (LTS)
- Kubernetes: kubectl CLI + @kubernetes/client-node
- Build: webpack + TypeScript compiler
- Package Manager: npm
Configuration
Settings
{
// Optional: Enable debug logging
"kube9.debugMode": false
}
Enhanced monitoring features are automatically enabled when the kube9-operator is detected in your cluster.
- kube9-minikube - Local Minikube cluster scripts and scenarios for developing this extension and kube9-operator.
- kube9-operator - Kubernetes operator for enhanced cluster monitoring and metrics collection. Install this in your cluster to unlock enhanced monitoring features in the VS Code extension.
- kube9-desktop - Desktop application for Kubernetes management with integrated development tools.
Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details on:
- How to set up your development environment
- Our code style and conventions
- How to submit pull requests
- Our development workflow
Quick Start for Contributors
# Fork and clone
git clone https://github.com/alto9/kube9-vscode.git
cd kube9-vscode
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run in development mode
npm run watch
# Press F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host
Privacy and product telemetry
Kube9 may collect optional product telemetry so we can understand which IDE features are used, coarse success vs failure of workflows, and error categories—for aggregate product insight, not per-cluster debugging. Telemetry is not required for core cluster management.
- Your consent: When telemetry is active, it follows VS Code and marketplace telemetry settings; your global IDE choices remain authoritative.
- What we allow: Only allowlisted semantic events (for example command or feature identifiers, webview or dashboard opens, and coarse outcomes where those can be derived without logging arguments). Error-related telemetry uses enumerated categories aligned with the extension’s error taxonomy—not raw cluster content.
- What we never send as telemetry: kubeconfig paths; cluster, context, namespace, or resource names or UIDs; manifest or YAML/spec content; log lines from clusters; Kubernetes API response bodies; or free-form strings from your workspace paths or documents. Cluster-identifying data is not included in product telemetry payloads (see
.ai/operations/observability.md and .ai/operations/security.md in this repository).
- Event catalog: The maintained list of telemetry events and fields is tracked with the M1.1 governance work—for example [issue #137](https://github.com/alto9/kube9-vscode/issues/137)—and will be linked here once published.
Until explicit telemetry is shipped in this extension, the above describes intended behavior under the project contracts; treat wording as “when enabled” if you are validating against a build that has not yet implemented instrumentation.
Security
For security concerns, please see our Security Policy.
Extension Security
- Local-first cluster access: kubeconfig and kubectl-driven operations stay on your machine
- Uses your kubeconfig for cluster access; it is not transmitted as part of optional product telemetry (see Privacy and product telemetry)
- No upload of manifests, resource names, or API bodies for product telemetry when instrumentation is enabled under the allowlisted rules above
- Sensitive operations require explicit commands and VS Code permission prompts where applicable
With kube9-operator (Optional)
When using the kube9-operator:
- Operator sends only sanitized metrics (no secrets, credentials, or sensitive data)
- Data sanitization at source (operator level)
- User controls what operator can access via RBAC
- All communication uses standard Kubernetes RBAC and authentication
To report a security vulnerability, please email security@alto9.com (do not open a public issue).
License
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details
Support
Built with ❤️ by Alto9 - Making Kubernetes management visual and intelligent
