K9s - Kubernetes Terminal UI¶

Docs

K9s is a terminal-based UI for managing Kubernetes clusters. It provides real-time monitoring and interactive navigation that's faster than using kubectl alone.

Getting Started¶

K9s is already installed in your lab environment. Simply launch it with:

k9s

Additional Launch Options¶

# Launch in specific namespace
k9s -n <namespace-name>

# Launch in readonly mode
k9s --readonly

Main Interface¶

When you launch K9s, you'll see:

┌─ K9s - Pods [default] ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Context: my-cluster | Cluster: v1.28.0 | User: admin                           │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ NAME                    READY STATUS   RESTARTS AGE   IP          NODE         │
│ ●nginx-deployment-abc   1/1   Running  0        5m    10.1.1.10   worker-1     │
│ ●postgres-xyz           1/1   Running  0        10m   10.1.1.11   worker-2     │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ <pod> [l]ogs [d]escribe [e]dit [s]hell [y]aml [/]filter [:]cmd                │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Essential Shortcuts¶

Key	Action
`:`	Enter command mode
`/`	Filter resources
`ESC`	Go back
`q`	Quit current view
`CTRL+C`	Exit K9s
`?`	Show help

Command	Description
`:pods`	View pods
`:svc`	View services
`:deploy`	View deployments
`:nodes`	View nodes
`:ns`	View namespaces
`:events`	View events

Working with Pods¶

Pod Operations¶

Key	Action
`ENTER`	Describe pod
`l`	View logs
`s`	Shell into pod
`d`	Delete pod
`y`	View YAML

Log Viewing¶

Press l on any pod to view logs:

┌─ Logs [nginx-deployment-abc] ──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2024-01-15 10:30:01 [INFO] Starting nginx server                               │
│ 2024-01-15 10:30:01 [INFO] Listening on port 80                               │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [f]ollow [w]rap [s]ave [/]search [ESC]back                                    │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key	Action
`f`	Follow logs
`/`	Search logs
`w`	Toggle wrap
`ESC`	Go back

Filtering and Context¶

# Filter by name
/nginx

# Filter by labels
/app=nginx

# Switch namespace
CTRL+N

# View all namespaces
0

Run:AI Specific Usage¶

Monitor Run:AI System¶

# View Run:AI components
:pods
/runai-system

# Check GPU nodes
:nodes
# Press ENTER on node to see GPU details

Debug Workloads¶

# Find your workload
:pods
/runai-<project>

# View workload logs
l

# Check events
:events
/your-workload

Quick Tips¶

Start with overview: :pods to see all running workloads
Use filters: / to focus on specific resources
Follow logs: l then f for real-time log monitoring
Check events: :events when troubleshooting issues
Shell access: s to debug inside containers

Comparison with kubectl¶

Task	kubectl	K9s
List pods	`kubectl get pods`	`:pods`
Pod logs	`kubectl logs <pod>`	Select pod + `l`
Shell access	`kubectl exec -it <pod> -- bash`	Select pod + `s`
Describe	`kubectl describe pod <pod>`	Select pod + `ENTER`
Delete	`kubectl delete pod <pod>`	Select pod + `d`

K9s provides the same functionality as kubectl but with real-time updates, interactive navigation, and visual context that makes cluster management much faster.