Kube Inspector is a free desktop app for viewing and managing Kubernetes clusters on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It reads existing kubeconfig files and supports conformant local and managed clusters, including kind, minikube, k3s, EKS, GKE, and AKS. Users can inspect and manage Pods, Deployments, StatefulSets, Jobs, and CronJobs, and review or apply changes in a Monaco YAML editor with schema validation. The app shows CPU and memory use over time for clusters, nodes, pods, and workloads when metrics-server is installed. It also includes an interactive RBAC graph and Trivy image scanning. A separate terminal interface, kube-inspector-cli, offers the same features for terminal and SSH use. The project says cluster data travels between the user's machine and the cluster API server, and that the app has no telemetry, analytics, crash reporting, or usage statistics. It describes the release as beta, so bugs are expected. The software is free and open source, with no paid tier, account, or sign-in.
Who it is for
Kube Inspector suits Kubernetes users who want a graphical desktop client or terminal interface for inspecting clusters and managing workloads. It also offers cluster resource readings and security tools, subject to their stated requirements and limits.
What is good
- Free and open source, with no account or sign-in.
- Supports multiple local and managed Kubernetes clusters.
- YAML editor includes schema validation.
- Includes an interactive RBAC graph and Trivy scanning.
- CLI provides the same features for terminal and SSH use.
What to know first
- CPU and memory readings require metrics-server.
- macOS builds are Apple Silicon only and unsigned.
- Trivy scanning needs first-use network access and skips private registries.
- The project describes the release as beta; bugs are expected.
Verdict
Kube Inspector combines cluster management, YAML editing, resource monitoring, and security features in a free desktop app, with a matching CLI. Check the platform and scanning limitations, and expect a beta release without a support desk or guaranteed response times.
Kube Inspector plans and pricing
All plansCompared on local Kubernetes tools
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported operating systems
- Windows 10/11, macOS 11+ on Apple Silicon, Ubuntu/Debian, Fedora/RHEL-compatible Linux
- Graphical interface
- Yes
- Kubernetes version control
- Anything supported by the bundled client-go; in practice, currently supported Kubernetes releases
