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Accessing a Cluster using the Command Line

Kubernetes clusters can be accessed and controlled from the command line using the kubeconfig manifest for the cluster. Each cluster has a unique manifest which is required to identify and target the cluster using the kubectl utility.

The manifest for a cluster can be downloaded using the DOWNLOAD KUBECONFIG button in the Access section of the cluster details.

Access tab

Using kubectl​

On the CLI, the following command can be used to access the cluster:

kubectl --kubeconfig /custom/path/kube.conf {COMMAND}
List pods kubectl --kubeconfig /custom/path/kube.conf get pods --all-namespaces  
  
List nodes kubectl --kubeconfig /custom/path/kube.conf get nodes --all-namespaces  
  
List services kubectl --kubeconfig /custom/path/kube.conf get services --all-namespaces  
  
Download kubeconfig for the cluster using the above button. The kubectl command-line tool uses kubeconfig files to find the information it needs to choose a cluster and communicate with the API server of a cluster.

Downloading kubectl​

The kubectl utility can be downloaded for the correct Kubernetes version for any of these operating systems: