In this tutorial, you will learn how to install kubectl, helm, terraform, and kubectx on Linux, MacBook, and Windows. We will also guide you on setting up kubens for managing Kubernetes namespaces more efficiently. This guide includes alias setups for easy command usage, making your workflow more productive.

Before You Begin

Check if /usr/local/bin/ is in Your PATH:

• Run the following command on Linux to check if /usr/local/bin/ is in your PATH

echo $PATH
Code language: Bash (bash)

• If /usr/local/bin/ is not listed, you can use an alternative directory, such as $HOME/bin. You will also need to add this to your PATH:

mkdir -p $HOME/bin 
echo 'export PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc # For Bash source ~/.bashrc
Code language: Bash (bash)

1. Installing kubectl

kubectl is the Kubernetes command-line tool that allows you to manage Kubernetes clusters.

On Linux/MacOS

Install Kubectl

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg
curl-fsSL https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.31/deb/Release.key|sudogpg--dearmor-o/etc/apt/keyrings/kubernetes-apt-keyring.gpg
sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/keyrings/kubernetes-apt-keyring.gpg
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y kubectl

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/kubernetes.repo
[kubernetes]
name=Kubernetes
baseurl=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.31/rpm/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.31/rpm/repodata/repomd.xml.key
EOF

sudo yum update
sudo yum install -y kubectl

brew install kubectl

curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl" 
chmod +x kubectl 
sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/

On Windows:

1. Download the kubectl binary for Windows from the official Kubernetes website.
2. Add the binary to your PATH by editing system environment variables.

2. Installing helm

helm is a package manager for Kubernetes.

On Linux:

1. Download the script to install Helm:

curl -fsSL -o get_helm.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3
bash get-helm-3Code language: Bash (bash)

On MacBook:

1. Use Homebrew to install Helm:

brew install helmCode language: Bash (bash)

On Windows:

1. Download the helm binary from the official Helm website.
2. Extract and add it to your PATH.

3. Installing terraform

terraform is used for infrastructure as code to manage your cloud resources.

On Linux/MacOS

Install Terraform

wget -O- https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg] https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hashicorp.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install terraform

sudo yum install -y yum-utils
sudo yum-config-manager --add-repo https://rpm.releases.hashicorp.com/RHEL/hashicorp.repo
sudo yum -y install terraform

sudo yum install -y yum-utils shadow-utils
sudo yum-config-manager --add-repo https://rpm.releases.hashicorp.com/AmazonLinux/hashicorp.repo
sudo yum -y install terraform

brew tap hashicorp/tap
brew install hashicorp/tap/terraform

On Windows:

• Download the binary from the official Terraform website.
• Extract and add it to your PATH.

4. Installing kubectx and kubens

kubectx and kubens are tools to easily switch between Kubernetes contexts and namespaces.

On Linux and MacBook:

• Install via brew:

brew install kubectx

• Using apt on Debian/ubuntu

sudo apt install kubectxCode language: Bash (bash)

On Windows:

• Download the binary from the kubectx GitHub repository.
• Add the kubectx and kubens binaries to your PATH.

5. Setting Up Aliases

Creating aliases will allow you to use short commands for kubectx and kubens.

On Linux and MacBook:

• Open your shell configuration file (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.).
• Add the following aliases: alias kx='kubectx' alias kens='kubens'
• Source the file to apply changes: source ~/.bashrc # Or source ~/.zshrc

On Windows (PowerShell):

• Open your PowerShell profile ($PROFILE).
• Add the following aliases:

Set-Alias kx kubectx
Set-Alias kens kubensCode language: PowerShell (powershell)

6. kubectx and kubens Usage Tutorial

Once you have kubectx and kubens installed, you can easily switch between Kubernetes clusters and namespaces.

Switching Contexts with kubectx:

• List all available contexts: kubectx
• Switch to a different context: kx my-context

Switching Namespaces with kubens:

• List all namespaces in the current context: kubens
• Switch to a different namespace: kens my-namespace

Conclusion

You have now successfully installed kubectl, helm, terraform, kubectx, and kubens on your Linux, MacBook, or Windows machine. Additionally, setting up aliases like kx for kubectx and kens for kubens can save time when managing your Kubernetes clusters and namespaces.