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Kubernetes Dashboard

Updated Mar 11, 2022 ·

Kubernetes Dashboard​

The Kubernetes Dashboard is a web-based UI for managing and troubleshooting Kubernetes clusters.

  • View workloads, Pods, Deployments, and other resources
  • Explore resources across namespaces
  • Manage Services, Nodes, and Storage
  • Display usage metrics (requires Heapster or similar monitoring tools)
  • Secure access via HTTPS and Bearer tokens
  • Granular access control through RBAC

The dashboard runs in a Pod and includes:

  • A REST endpoint with SSL and authentication
  • Metrics add-ons like Heapster or InfluxDB for resource usage tracking

To access the dashboard from your terminal, use:

kubectl proxy

For more information, please see official Kubernetes Dashboard Github page.

Access to the Kubernetes Dashboard​

By default, the Kubernetes Dashboard is exposed via ClusterIP, making it accessible only within the cluster. To access it externally:

  1. Use kubectl proxy and port forwarding.

  2. From a laptop or external device, launch a proxy for secure access.

Changing Service Types​

Exposing the dashboard via LoadBalancer makes it accessible outside the cluster but poses security risks.

NodePort​

This exposes the Kubernetes Dashboard to a port in the nodes. This is a viable solution if you are sure that your cluster is secured.

Auth Proxy​

Configure an authentication proxy to validate requests and securely route traffic to the dashboard. For more information, please see Oauth2 Proxy.

Logging In​

When we access the Kubernetes Dashboard, we are asked to provide a token or kubeconfig file. To provide the token, we must first create a user and then provide it role-based permissions.

For more information, please see the official Kubernetes Dashboard Github page.

Resources​