KSail CLI showing ASCII art banner and help output

KSail Documentation

KSail bundles Kubernetes tooling into a single CLI for cluster management and cloud-native operations.

Why KSail?

Setting up and operating Kubernetes clusters often requires juggling multiple CLI tools, writing bespoke scripts, and dealing with inconsistent workflows. KSail removes the tooling overhead so you can focus on your workloads.

Key Features

📦 One Binary — Embeds cluster provisioning, GitOps engines, and deployment tooling. No tool sprawl.
☸️ Simple Clusters — Spin up Vanilla, K3s, or Talos clusters with one command. Same workflow across distributions.
📄 Everything as Code — Cluster settings, distribution configs, and workloads in version-controlled files.
🔄 GitOps Native — Built-in Flux or ArgoCD support with bootstrap, push, and reconcile commands.
⚙️ Customizable Stack — Select your CNI, CSI, policy engine, cert-manager, and mirror registries.
🔐 SOPS Built In — Encrypt, decrypt, and edit secrets with integrated cipher commands.
🤖 AI Assistant — Interactive chat powered by GitHub Copilot for configuration and troubleshooting.
💻 VSCode Extension — Manage clusters from VSCode with wizards, sidebar views, and command palette.

Prerequisites

KSail works on all major operating systems and CPU architectures:

OS	Architecture
🐧 Linux	amd64, arm64
macOS	arm64
⊞ Windows (untested)	amd64, arm64

Docker is required for local clusters. Install Docker Desktop/Engine and ensure docker ps works.

Supported distributions run on different infrastructure providers:

Provider	Vanilla	K3s	Talos
Docker	✅ (Kind)	✅ (K3d)	✅
Hetzner	—	—	✅

Quick Start

# 1. Initialize a new project
ksail cluster init --name my-cluster --distribution Vanilla

# 2. Create and start the cluster
ksail cluster create

# 3. Add manifests to k8s/ directory

# 4. Deploy workloads
ksail workload apply -k ./k8s

# 5. Connect with K9s
ksail cluster connect

How It Works

Documentation

Features

Cluster provisioning, GitOps, secret management, VSCode extension, and more. Learn more →

Concepts

Kubernetes, CNI, CSI, GitOps, and related technologies. Learn more →

Use Cases

Workflows for learning, development, and CI/CD. Learn more →

Support Matrix

Supported platforms, distributions, and components. Learn more →

Configuration

Configuration Overview

Configuration sources, precedence, and when to use each. Learn more →

Declarative Configuration

Complete ksail.yaml reference. Learn more →

CLI Flags

Complete CLI flags for all commands. Learn more →

Help

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about KSail. Learn more →

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions when using KSail. Learn more →

Quick Links

Installing? See the Installation Guide
Issues? Open an issue in the repository
Questions? Start a discussion in the repository