Cluster

Start a local k3d cluster or import an existing kubeconfig to manage any Kubernetes environment.

Start a local k3d cluster or import an existing kubeconfig, then manage the cluster from the same Kubernetes section.

Start a local cluster with k3d

Use k3d when you want a disposable local cluster for development and testing.

Open the Kubernetes section

If no cluster is configured, Dockerman shows a Start a Cluster button.

Click Start a Cluster

Dockerman downloads the k3d binary on first use.

Wait for the cluster to come up

The local cluster usually starts in about 10 seconds on a modern machine.

Start using Kubernetes

The namespace switcher populates and workload lists become available.

Dockerman downloads the k3d binary on first use. Allow outbound HTTPS or install the binary yourself before you start.

Import an existing cluster

Import a kubeconfig when you already have a cluster and want Dockerman to manage it directly.

Click Import Cluster

Open the import flow from the Cluster page.

Select a kubeconfig file

Dockerman parses the file and auto-detects every context in it. Pick the context you want to import; Dockerman pre-fills cluster name, server URL, and user binding for you.

Verify the connection

Dockerman probes the API server before it saves the cluster.

Switch clusters

Use the cluster switcher at the top of the Kubernetes section to move between imported clusters and any local k3d cluster.

Cluster selection is independent of the active Docker host. Switching to a different K8s context does not touch your Docker connection, and vice versa.
Your current Kubernetes page is preserved when switching clusters where the same resource exists; the namespace selector syncs with the new cluster.
After an app restart Dockerman reconnects to the last cluster and restores deep pages such as the YAML editor or a CRD instance you were viewing.

Delete a cluster

Use the action that matches the cluster type.

Delete from Dockerman to forget an imported kubeconfig while leaving the remote cluster running.
Tear down the local k3d cluster to remove the cluster and its data.

Tearing down a k3d cluster is irreversible. You lose every workload and persistent volume created inside it.

The Cluster page shows the server version, the current status, and the node list, including each node's kubelet and kube-proxy versions, so you can spot version drift or a broken connection at a glance.

Nodes, PersistentVolumes, and Namespaces

Each of these gets a dedicated in-app page under the Kubernetes section. Reach them from the K8s sidebar:

Nodes — node list with conditions, capacity, allocatable resources, and labels. Open a node to see kubelet/kube-proxy versions, container runtime, and pods scheduled on it.
PersistentVolumes — cluster-scoped PV list with phase, claim binding, reclaim policy, and capacity. See Config & Storage → PersistentVolumes for the full reference.
Namespaces — create, delete, and inspect namespaces directly. The sidebar namespace selector syncs with this page.

Cluster events

Open the dedicated Events browser to filter by namespace, type (Normal/Warning), reason, and involved object. Useful for triaging issues without scoping to a specific resource first.