kubernetes/docs/DASHBOARD_SETUP.md

🖥️ Kubernetes Dashboard Setup

There are several ways to view and manage your Kubernetes cluster. Here are the best options:

Option 1: Kubernetes Dashboard (Web UI) ⭐ Recommended

The official Kubernetes Dashboard provides a web-based UI for viewing and managing your cluster.

Install Dashboard

cd kubernetes
kubectl apply -f manifests/dashboard.yaml

Access Dashboard

Method 1: Using kubectl proxy (Recommended for local access)

# Start proxy
kubectl proxy

# Dashboard will be available at:
# http://localhost:8001/api/v1/namespaces/kubernetes-dashboard/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy/

Method 2: Port Forward (Direct access)

# Port forward to access dashboard
kubectl port-forward -n kubernetes-dashboard service/kubernetes-dashboard 8443:443

# Or use HTTP port (9090)
kubectl port-forward -n kubernetes-dashboard service/kubernetes-dashboard 9090:9090

# Then visit: http://localhost:9090

Method 3: Expose via Service (For remote access)

# Change service type to NodePort or LoadBalancer
kubectl patch svc kubernetes-dashboard -n kubernetes-dashboard -p '{"spec":{"type":"NodePort"}}'

# Get the port
kubectl get svc -n kubernetes-dashboard

Login to Dashboard

The dashboard is configured with --enable-skip-login, so you can skip the login screen. However, if you need to authenticate:

1. Get the token:

kubectl -n kubernetes-dashboard create token admin-user

2. Copy the token and paste it in the dashboard login screen.

What You Can See

• ✅ All pods, services, deployments
• ✅ Resource usage (CPU, memory)
• ✅ Logs from pods
• ✅ Events and errors
• ✅ Namespaces
• ✅ ConfigMaps and Secrets
• ✅ Persistent volumes
• ✅ And much more!

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Option 2: k9s (Terminal UI) 🚀 Fast & Lightweight

k9s is a terminal-based UI that's super fast and doesn't require a browser.

Install k9s

On Linux:

wget https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/latest/download/k9s_Linux_amd64.tar.gz
tar xvf k9s_Linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv k9s /usr/local/bin/

On Windows (using Chocolatey):

choco install k9s

On macOS:

brew install k9s

Use k9s

# Just run k9s - it will connect to your current kubectl context
k9s

# Or specify namespace
k9s -n nats-backend

k9s Keyboard Shortcuts

• :pods - View pods
• :svc - View services
• :deploy - View deployments
• :ns - Switch namespace
• d - Describe resource
• l - View logs
• e - Edit resource
• Ctrl+D - Delete resource
• ? - Help
• q - Quit

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Option 3: Lens (Desktop App) 💻

Lens is a powerful desktop application for Kubernetes management.

Install Lens

Download from: https://k8slens.dev/

• Windows: Download installer from website
• Linux: Download AppImage or .deb/.rpm
• macOS: Download .dmg

Connect to k3s

1. Open Lens
2. Click "Add Cluster"
3. Paste your kubeconfig (from /etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml on server)
4. Or Lens can auto-detect k3s if running locally

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Option 4: Rancher UI (For k3s)

Since you're using k3s (from Rancher), you can also use Rancher UI.

Install Rancher

# Install Rancher (optional - adds overhead)
helm repo add rancher-latest https://releases.rancher.com/server-charts/latest
helm repo update
kubectl create namespace cattle-system
helm install rancher rancher-latest/rancher \
  --namespace cattle-system \
  --set hostname=rancher.yourdomain.com

Note: Rancher is heavier and more complex. Only use if you need advanced features.

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Quick Comparison

Tool	Type	Best For	Resource Usage
Kubernetes Dashboard	Web UI	Visual overview, beginners	Medium
k9s	Terminal	Fast operations, CLI lovers	Low
Lens	Desktop	Full-featured, professional	Medium
Rancher	Web UI	Multi-cluster, enterprise	High

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Recommended Setup

For your use case, I recommend:

1. Kubernetes Dashboard - For web-based viewing and monitoring
2. k9s - For quick terminal-based operations

Both can be used together!

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Troubleshooting

Dashboard not loading?

# Check if dashboard is running
kubectl get pods -n kubernetes-dashboard

# Check logs
kubectl logs -n kubernetes-dashboard deployment/kubernetes-dashboard

# Restart dashboard
kubectl rollout restart deployment/kubernetes-dashboard -n kubernetes-dashboard

Can't access dashboard?

• Ensure kubectl proxy is running (for Method 1)
• Check firewall rules if accessing remotely
• Verify port-forward is working: kubectl get svc -n kubernetes-dashboard

Permission denied?

The dashboard has full cluster access via the admin-user service account. If you see permission errors, check:

kubectl get clusterrolebinding admin-user
kubectl get serviceaccount admin-user -n kubernetes-dashboard

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Next Steps

1. Deploy the dashboard: kubectl apply -f manifests/dashboard.yaml
2. Access it: kubectl proxy then visit the URL
3. Explore your nats-backend namespace!

Enjoy your Kubernetes UI! 🎉