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Okteto development container

An Okteto development container is a remote development environment powered by Kubernetes.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md] It allows developers to build and run applications directly on a Kubernetes cluster, effectively treating the cluster as a development workspace.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]

Workflow

Establishing a development environment typically involves a two-step process:

  1. Deploy Application Code: Deploy the application to the cluster using standard Kubernetes definitions or tools like Helm.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]
  2. Activate Development Container: Use the okteto up command to launch the interactive development container.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]

To facilitate this workflow, Okteto uses a configuration file named okteto.yml (the Okteto Manifest) to define build instructions and deployment rules.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md] This file can be automatically generated using the command okteto init.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]

CLI Management

The Okteto CLI is the primary interface for managing these environments and operates similarly to tools like kubectl.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md] Common operations include:

  • Context Management: Setting the target cluster with okteto context use and downloading credentials via okteto kubeconfig.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]
  • Namespace Operations: Creating, listing, or deleting namespaces (e.g., okteto ns list).^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]
  • Lifecycle Commands: Running okteto up to start the environment and okteto down to deactivate the development container.^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]

Sources

^[400-devops-01-concepts-of-software-development-okteto.md]