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Kubernetes Dashboard Web UI

The Kubernetes Dashboard is the official web-based user interface for Kubernetes.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md] It serves as a general-purpose, web-based UI for Kubernetes clusters, designed to help users manage and troubleshoot their applications and the cluster itself without needing to interface directly with the command line.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md]

Overview

While the kubectl command-line tool is the standard method for interacting with the kube-apiserver, the Dashboard provides a graphical alternative that visualizes the status of all container services at a glance.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md] It transforms common command-line operations into UI-based actions, making it a valuable tool for local development and a common standard for managing Kubernetes environments, particularly for those who find the CLI learning curve steep.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md]

Installation and Access

To set up the Dashboard, the recommended resources must be applied to the cluster using kubectl.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md]

Once the application is running, it can be accessed locally by starting the Kubernetes API server proxy:

[kubectl proxy](<./kubectl-proxy.md>)

This command starts the proxy on 127.0.0.1:8001, allowing the Dashboard to be accessed via a specific URL path.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md]

Authentication and Authorization

Accessing the Dashboard interface requires authentication, typically via a Bearer Token.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md]

To generate a token for login, a ClusterRoleBinding is often created to grant necessary privileges (such as cluster-admin) to a service account, followed by the creation of an associated Secret.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md] The token can then be retrieved from the secret description or output to the terminal for use in the login screen.^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md]

Sources

^[400-devops__06-Kubernetes__k8s-ithelp__Day5__README.md]