kind – Quick Start

kind Quick Start Guide

• Overview: kind (Kubernetes in Docker) allows you to run local Kubernetes clusters using Docker containers as "nodes."
• Installation:
  • Release Binaries: Download from the official releases page and add to your $PATH.
  • Go: Install via go install sigs.k8s.io/kind@v0.31.0 (requires Go 1.16+).
  • Make: Use make build for a reproducible build without requiring a local Go installation.
  • Package Managers: Community-supported packages are available for Homebrew, MacPorts, Chocolatey, Scoop, and Winget.
• Cluster Management:
  • Create: kind create cluster (defaults to name kind). Use --image to specify a Kubernetes version and --wait to block until the control plane is ready.
  • List: kind get clusters.
  • Delete: kind delete cluster (idempotent; no error if the cluster doesn't exist).
• Interaction:
  • kind automatically manages ~/.kube/config.
  • Use kubectl with the --context flag (e.g., kind-kind) to target specific clusters.
• Image Handling:
  • Load local images into the cluster using kind load docker-image <image-name>.
  • Important: If using :latest tags, ensure imagePullPolicy is set to IfNotPresent or Never to prevent the cluster from attempting to pull the image from a remote registry.
• Node Images:
  • kind uses pre-built node images from kindest/node.
  • Custom node images can be built from Kubernetes source, official release tarballs, or local files using kind build node-image.
• Runtime Support: kind auto-detects Docker, Podman, or nerdctl. You can force a specific runtime using the KIND_EXPERIMENTAL_PROVIDER environment variable.