kubectl context switching apps

• Setting kubectl context via env var

kubie

• Blog article
• GitHub
• Rust
• Arch package
• Installable from mise registry
• Config at ~/.kube/kubie.yaml
• Still no zsh completion
• Hook support for when a context is started and stopped
• Creates a new kubeconfig /tmp/kubie-config-*.yaml

Direnv/mise support

• Direnv support
• ❌ kubie creates a new shell whenever a new context is started. Only in this case hooks are executed, not then using kubie export in the context of direnv/mise. This makes it not work properly with direnv/mise.

Usage:

kubie ctx

kubeswitch

• Introduction
• GitHub
  • Very active and recent development
• Install
  • AUR package: kubeswitch-bin
• NOT installable from mise registry
• Supports multiple cloud provider authentication methods, i.e. the GKE store
• Supports hooks but hooks are only executed
  • before picking a context and/or on a regular schedule (every X hours i.e.)
  • FR: Support post-picking hooks Unfortunatly still open
• Direnv support

Usage:

Changes KUBECONFIG env var to i.e. ~/.kube/.switch_tmp/config.1692710140.tmp

Usage via env variable:

export KUBECONFIG=$(switcher $CONTEXT | sed 's/^__ //' | cut -d, -f1)

kubesess

• GitHub
• Rust, faster than kubectx
• NOT installable from mise registry
• No AUR package
• Allows setting namespace/context isolated per terminal (using KUBECONFIG) as well as global (using ~/.kube/config)
• No hook support !

Changes KUBECONFIG env var to i.e. KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/kubesess/cache/mastodon-dev:/home/varac/.kube/config

kubectx

• GitHub
• Slower than kubesess
• Warning: Changes context globally

Usage:

kubectx

Use shell aliases

• Warning: Changes context globally

Set namespace:

alias kcd='kubectl config set-context $(kubectl config current-context) --namespace'
kcd gitlab-nextcloud

kube-ps1

Kubernetes prompt info for bash and zsh

• GitHub