---
title: "Quick Start"
menu:
  main:
    parent: "user"
    identifier: "user-quick-start"
    weight: 1
toc: true
description: |-
  This guide covers getting started with the `kind` command.

  **If you are having problems please see the [known issues] guide.**

  [known issues]: /docs/user/known-issues
---
## Installation

> **NOTE**: `kind` does not require [`kubectl`](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/overview/),
> but you will not be able to perform some of the examples in our docs without it.
> To install `kubectl` see the upstream [kubectl installation docs](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl/).

You can either install kind with `GO111MODULE="on" go get sigs.k8s.io/kind@{{< stableVersion >}}` or clone this repo
and run `make build` from the repository.

Please use the latest Go when installing KIND from source, ideally go 1.14 or greater.

`go get` will put `kind` in `$(go env GOPATH)/bin`. You may need to add that directory to your `$PATH` as
shown [here](https://golang.org/doc/code.html#GOPATH) if you encounter the error
`kind: command not found` after installation.

> **NOTE**: `go get` should not be run from a Go [modules] enabled project directory,
> as go get inside a modules enabled project updates dependencies / behaves differently. Try for example `cd $HOME` first.

Without installing Go, kind can be built reproducibly with docker using `make build`,
the binary will be in `bin/kind`.

Stable binaries are also available on the [releases] page.
Stable releases are generally recommended for CI usage in particular.
To install, download the binary for your platform from "Assets" and place this
into your `$PATH`.

On Linux:

{{< codeFromInline lang="bash" >}}
curl -Lo ./kind https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/dl/{{< stableVersion >}}/kind-linux-amd64
chmod +x ./kind
mv ./kind /some-dir-in-your-PATH/kind
{{< /codeFromInline >}}

On macOS via Homebrew:

{{< codeFromInline lang="bash" >}}
brew install kind
{{< /codeFromInline >}}

On macOS via MacPorts:

{{< codeFromInline lang="bash" >}}
sudo port selfupdate && sudo port install kind
{{< /codeFromInline >}}

On macOS via Bash:

{{< codeFromInline lang="bash" >}}
curl -Lo ./kind https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/dl/{{< stableVersion >}}/kind-darwin-amd64
chmod +x ./kind
mv ./kind /some-dir-in-your-PATH/kind
{{< /codeFromInline >}}

On Windows:

{{< codeFromInline lang="powershell" >}}
curl.exe -Lo kind-windows-amd64.exe https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/dl/{{< stableVersion >}}/kind-windows-amd64
Move-Item .\kind-windows-amd64.exe c:\some-dir-in-your-PATH\kind.exe
{{< /codeFromInline >}}

On Windows via Chocolatey (https://chocolatey.org/packages/kind)
{{< codeFromInline lang="powershell" >}}
choco install kind
{{< /codeFromInline >}}


## Creating a Cluster

Creating a Kubernetes cluster is as simple as `kind create cluster`.

This will bootstrap a Kubernetes cluster using a pre-built
[node image][node image]. Prebuilt images are hosted at[`kindest/node`][kindest/node], but to find images suitable for a given release currently you should check the [release notes] for your given kind version (check with `kind version`) where
you'll find a complete listing of images created for a kind release.

To specify another image use the `--image` flag -- `kind create cluster --image=...`.

Using a different image allows you to change the Kubernetes version of the created
cluster.

If you desire to build the node image yourself with a custom version see the
[building images](#building-images) section.

By default, the cluster will be given the name `kind`.
Use the `--name` flag to assign the cluster a different context name.

If you want the `create cluster` command to block until the control plane
reaches a ready status, you can use the `--wait` flag and specify a timeout.
To use `--wait` you must specify the units of the time to wait. For example, to
wait for 30 seconds, do `--wait 30s`, for 5 minutes do `--wait 5m`, etc.

More usage can be discovered with `kind create cluster --help`.

## Interacting With Your Cluster

After [creating a cluster](#creating-a-cluster), you can use [kubectl][kubectl]
to interact with it by using the [configuration file generated by kind][access multiple clusters].

By default, the cluster access configuration is stored in ${HOME}/.kube/config
if $KUBECONFIG environment variable is not set.

If $KUBECONFIG environment variable is set, then it is used as a list of paths
(normal path delimiting rules for your system). These paths are merged. When a value
is modified, it is modified in the file that defines the stanza. When a value is created,
it is created in the first file that exists. If no files in the chain exist,
then it creates the last file in the list.

You can use the `--kubeconfig` flag when creating the cluster, then only that file is loaded.
The flag may only be set once and no merging takes place.

To see all the clusters you have created, you can use the `get clusters`
command.

For example, let's say you create two clusters:
```
kind create cluster # Default cluster context name is `kind`.
...
kind create cluster --name kind-2
```

When you list your kind clusters, you will see something like the following:
```
kind get clusters
kind
kind-2
```

In order to interact with a specific cluster, you only need to specify the
cluster name as a context in kubectl:
```
kubectl cluster-info --context kind-kind
kubectl cluster-info --context kind-kind-2
```

## Deleting a Cluster

If you created a cluster with `kind create cluster` then deleting is equally
simple:
```
kind delete cluster
```

If the flag `--name` is not specified, kind will use the default cluster
context name `kind` and delete that cluster.

## Loading an Image Into Your Cluster

Docker images can be loaded into your cluster nodes with:

`kind load docker-image my-custom-image-0 my-custom-image-1`

> **Note**: If using a named cluster you will need to specify the name of the
> cluster you wish to load the images into:
> `kind load docker-image my-custom-image-0 my-custom-image-1 --name kind-2`

Additionally, image archives can be loaded with:
`kind load image-archive /my-image-archive.tar`

This allows a workflow like:
```
docker build -t my-custom-image:unique-tag ./my-image-dir
kind load docker-image my-custom-image:unique-tag
kubectl apply -f my-manifest-using-my-image:unique-tag
```

> **NOTE**: You can get a list of images present on a cluster node by
using `docker exec`:
> ```
> docker exec -it my-node-name crictl images
> ```
> Where `my-node-name` is the name of the Docker container (e.g. `kind-control-plane`).

> **NOTE**: The Kubernetes default pull policy is `IfNotPresent` unless
the image tag is `:latest` or omitted (and implicitly `:latest`) in which case the default policy is `Always`.
`IfNotPresent` causes the Kubelet to skip pulling an image if it already exists.
> If you want those images loaded into node to work as expected, please:
>
> - don't use a `:latest` tag
>
> and / or:
>
> - specify `imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent` or `imagePullPolicy: Never` on your container(s).
>
> See [Kubernetes imagePullPolicy][Kubernetes imagePullPolicy] for more information.


See also: [Using kind with Private Registries][Private Registries].

## Building Images

> **NOTE**: If you're using Docker Desktop, be sure to read [Settings for Docker Desktop](#settings-for-docker-desktop) first.

kind runs a local Kubernetes cluster by using Docker containers as "nodes".
kind uses the [`node-image`][node image] to run Kubernetes artifacts, such
as `kubeadm` or `kubelet`.
The `node-image` in turn is built off the [`base-image`][base image], which
installs all the dependencies needed for Docker and Kubernetes to run in a
container.

Currently, kind supports one default way to build a `node-image`
if you have the [Kubernetes][kubernetes] source in your host machine
(`$GOPATH/src/k8s.io/kubernetes`), by using `docker`.

> **NOTE**: Building Kubernetes node-images requires everything building upstream
> Kubernetes requires, we wrap the upstream build. This includes Docker with buildx.
> See: https://git.k8s.io/community/contributors/devel/development.md#building-kubernetes-with-docker

### Settings for Docker Desktop

If you are building Kubernetes (for example - `kind build node-image`) on MacOS or Windows then you need a minimum of 6GB of RAM
dedicated to the virtual machine (VM) running the Docker engine. 8GB is recommended.

To change the resource limits for the Docker on Mac, you'll need to open the
**Preferences** menu.
<img src="/docs/user/images/docker-pref-1.png"/>

Now, go to the **Advanced** settings page, and change the
settings there, see [changing Docker's resource limits][Docker resource lims].
<img src="/docs/user/images/docker-pref-2.png" alt="Setting 8Gb of memory in Docker for Mac" />


To change the resource limits for the Docker on Windows, you'll need to right-click the Moby
icon on the taskbar, and choose "Settings". If you see "Switch to Linux Containers", then you'll need
to do that first before opening "Settings"

<img src="/docs/user/images/docker-pref-1-win.png"/>

Now, go to the **Advanced** settings page, and change the
settings there, see [changing Docker's resource limits][Docker resource lims].

<img src="/docs/user/images/docker-pref-build-win.png" alt="Setting 8Gb of memory in Docker for Windows" />


You may also try removing any unused data left by the Docker engine - e.g.,
`docker system prune`.

## Advanced


### Configuring Your kind Cluster

For a sample kind configuration file see [kind-example-config][kind-example-config].
To specify a configuration file when creating a cluster, use the `--config`
flag:

```
kind create cluster --config kind-example-config.yaml
```

#### Multi-node clusters

In particular, many users may be interested in multi-node clusters. A simple
configuration for this can be achieved with the following config file contents:
```yaml
# three node (two workers) cluster config
kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
nodes:
- role: control-plane
- role: worker
- role: worker
```

#### Control-plane HA
You can also have a cluster with multiple control-plane nodes:
```yaml
# a cluster with 3 control-plane nodes and 3 workers
kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
nodes:
- role: control-plane
- role: control-plane
- role: control-plane
- role: worker
- role: worker
- role: worker
```

#### Mapping ports to the host machine
You can map extra ports from the nodes to the host machine with `extraPortMappings`:
```yaml
kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
nodes:
- role: control-plane
  extraPortMappings:
  - containerPort: 80
    hostPort: 80
    listenAddress: "0.0.0.0" # Optional, defaults to "0.0.0.0"
    protocol: udp # Optional, defaults to tcp
```
This can be useful if using `NodePort` services or daemonsets exposing host ports.

Note: binding the `listenAddress` to `127.0.0.1` may affect your ability to access the service.

You may want to see the [Ingress Guide] and [LoadBalancer Guide].

[Ingress Guide]: /docs/user/ingress
[LoadBalancer Guide]: /docs/user/loadbalancer

#### Setting Kubernetes version
You can also set a specific Kubernetes version by setting the `node`'s container image. You can find available image tags on the [releases page](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases). Please use the `sha256` shasum for your desired kubernetes version, as seen in this example:

```yaml
kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
nodes:
- role: control-plane
  image: kindest/node:v1.16.4@sha256:b91a2c2317a000f3a783489dfb755064177dbc3a0b2f4147d50f04825d016f55
- role: worker
  image: kindest/node:v1.16.4@sha256:b91a2c2317a000f3a783489dfb755064177dbc3a0b2f4147d50f04825d016f55
```

### Enable Feature Gates in Your Cluster

Feature gates are a set of key=value pairs that describe alpha or experimental features. In order to enable a gate you have to [customize your kubeadm configuration][customize control plane with kubeadm], and it will depend on what gate and component you want to enable. An example kind config can be:

{{< codeFromInline lang="yaml" >}}
kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
featureGates:
  FeatureGateName: true
{{< /codeFromInline >}}

### Configure kind to use a proxy
If you are running kind in an environment that requires a proxy, you may need to configure kind to use it.

You can configure kind to use a proxy using one or more of the following [environment variables][proxy environment variables] (uppercase takes precedence):

* `HTTP_PROXY` or `http_proxy`
* `HTTPS_PROXY` or `https_proxy`
* `NO_PROXY` or `no_proxy`

> **NOTE**: If you set a proxy it would be passed along to everything in the kind nodes. `kind` will automatically append certain addresses into `NO_PROXY` before passing it to the nodes so that Kubernetes components connect to each other directly, but you may need to configure
> additional addresses depending on your usage.

### Exporting Cluster Logs
kind has the ability to export all kind related logs for you to explore.
To export all logs from the default cluster (context name `kind`):
```
kind export logs
Exported logs to: /tmp/396758314
```

Like all other commands, if you want to perform the action on a cluster with a
different context name use the `--name` flag.

As you can see, kind placed all the logs for the cluster `kind` in a
temporary directory. If you want to specify a location then simply add the path
to the directory after the command:
```
kind export logs ./somedir
Exported logs to: ./somedir
```

The structure of the logs will look more or less like this:
```
.
├── docker-info.txt
└── kind-control-plane/
    ├── containers
    ├── docker.log
    ├── inspect.json
    ├── journal.log
    ├── kubelet.log
    ├── kubernetes-version.txt
    └── pods/
```
The logs contain information about the Docker host, the containers running
kind, the Kubernetes cluster itself, etc.

[go-supported]: https://golang.org/doc/devel/release.html#policy
[known issues]: /docs/user/known-issues
[releases]: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases
[node image]: /docs/design/node-image
[base image]: /docs/design/base-image
[kind-example-config]: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/main/site/content/docs/user/kind-example-config.yaml
[kubernetes]: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes
[kindest/node]: https://hub.docker.com/r/kindest/node/
[kubectl]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/overview/
[Docker resource lims]: https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-mac/#advanced
[install docker]: https://docs.docker.com/install/
[proxy environment variables]: https://docs.docker.com/network/proxy/#use-environment-variables
[CGO]: https://golang.org/cmd/cgo/
[Kubernetes imagePullPolicy]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/containers/images/#updating-images
[Private Registries]: /docs/user/private-registries
[customize control plane with kubeadm]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/setup/independent/control-plane-flags/
[access multiple clusters]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/access-application-cluster/configure-access-multiple-clusters/
[release notes]: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases
