Try Kunobi

The Demo Cluster feature allows you to create a fully functional local Kubernetes environment with pre-configured applications. It's perfect for learning Kubernetes, testing Kunobi's features, or experimenting with GitOps workflows—all without requiring cloud infrastructure.

Getting Started

From the home page, click on Try in the sidebar to access the local cluster management page:

Prerequisites

Before creating a demo cluster, you'll need to install the following dependencies:

Docker - System dependency for running containers
mise - Tool version manager (install from mise.jdx.dev)
kind - Kubernetes in Docker (install via: mise use kind)
kubectl - Kubernetes command-line tool (install via: mise use kubectl)
helm - Kubernetes package manager (install via: mise use helm)

Kunobi will automatically check for these dependencies and guide you through installation if any are missing.

Navigating to Try Kunobi

Click on Try in the sidebar to open the Try Kunobi page. When all requirements are met and no clusters have been created yet, you'll see the empty state:

When Dependencies Are Missing

If you haven't installed the required dependencies, the page will show a requirements banner. Click on it to expand the dependency checker:

Click on Requirements to expand the dependency checker:

For mise and Kubernetes tools (kind, kubectl, helm):

Click the Install button next to each missing tool
Kunobi will install them automatically for you
No manual terminal commands needed!

For Docker:

Docker must be installed manually from docker.com
Restart Kunobi after installing Docker

After Installing Dependencies

Once all dependencies are installed, the Requirements panel shows a success message:

You can now collapse the Requirements panel to see the empty state:

Creating a Cluster

Click + Create new cluster in the top right corner to open the cluster creation dialog.

Quick Start (Defaults)

The fastest way to get started is accepting the defaults:

Click + Create new cluster
A pre-configured cluster will be created with:
- Cluster name: demo-cluster
- Metrics Server enabled
- FluxCD GitOps enabled
- Pre-deployed demo applications

Custom Configuration

For more control over the cluster setup:

Click + Create new cluster
The cluster creation dialog will appear:

Configure your cluster:
- Cluster Name: A unique name for your cluster (e.g., demo-cluster)
- Provider: Kind (currently the only supported provider)
- Kubernetes Version: Choose the K8s version (e.g., v1.32.8)
- Control Plane Nodes: Number of control plane nodes (1-3)
- Worker Nodes: Number of worker nodes (0-5)
- Actions (Optional):
  - ☑️ Deploy Metrics Server: Enables resource monitoring
  - ☑️ Bootstrap Flux: Sets up GitOps with demo applications

Click Create

Cluster Creation Process

Starting

After clicking Create Cluster, the cluster card appears with a "Starting" status:

Running with Actions

Once the cluster starts, the actions (Metrics Server and Bootstrap Flux) begin running:

Actions Complete

When all actions finish, you'll see:

The cluster is now fully operational! You can see:

✅ Deploy Metrics Server: Completed
✅ Bootstrap Flux: Completed

What Gets Created

When you create a demo cluster, Kunobi sets up:

Infrastructure

Local Kubernetes Cluster

Provider: Kind (Kubernetes in Docker)
Kubernetes Version: v1.32.8 (configurable)
1 control plane node (configurable 1-3)
1 worker node (configurable 0-5)
Cluster name: customizable

System Components

Metrics Server

Namespace: kube-system
Enables resource monitoring (CPU and memory usage)
Pre-configured for local Kind clusters
Allows you to view real-time pod and node resource consumption

FluxCD GitOps System

Namespace: flux-system
Automatically syncs applications from Git
Monitors the demo repository every 5 minutes
Source: github.com/Zondax/flux-demo

Demo Applications

The cluster automatically deploys two sample applications:

my-app1

Namespace: my-app1
Replicas: 2 pods
Image: Alpine Linux
Function: Logs timestamps every 30 seconds
Includes: Kubernetes Secret for configuration
Resources: Minimal (10m CPU / 8Mi memory per pod)

my-app2

Namespace: my-app2
Replicas: 3 pods
Image: Alpine Linux
Function: Logs timestamps every 30 seconds
Includes: Kubernetes Secret for configuration
Resources: Minimal (10m CPU / 8Mi memory per pod)

Managing Clusters

Cluster Actions

Each cluster card has three action buttons:

Hover over the buttons to see the available actions:

Stop cluster:

Connect to cluster:

Delete cluster:

Stopping a Cluster

Click the Stop button on the cluster card
The cluster status changes to "Stopping":

Once stopped, the status shows "Stopped":

The cluster metadata is preserved
You can restart it later with the same configuration by clicking the play button

Deleting a Cluster

To completely remove a cluster:

Click the Delete button on the cluster card
Confirm the deletion in the dialog:

The cluster, kubeconfig, and all metadata will be removed

Note: This action cannot be undone. Any work in the cluster will be lost.

Verifying in Docker Desktop

You can verify that your Kind cluster is running by checking Docker Desktop:

You should see containers running for:

demo-cluster-control-plane - The control plane node
demo-cluster-worker - The worker node

What You Can Do

Once your demo cluster is running and connected:

Explore Resources

View pods, deployments, services, and secrets across all namespaces
Inspect resource details and configurations
Watch real-time updates as Flux reconciles changes

Monitor Health

See CPU and memory usage via the Metrics Server
Track pod restarts and health status
Monitor node resource consumption

Experience GitOps

Observe Flux automatically deploying applications
Watch the reconciliation process in real-time
See how changes in Git propagate to your cluster

Learn Kunobi

Test all of Kunobi's features in a safe environment
Experiment with different views and workflows
Practice Kubernetes operations without affecting production systems

Managing Multiple Clusters

You can create multiple demo clusters simultaneously:

Click + Create new cluster
Choose a unique cluster name (e.g., demo-cluster-2)
Configure the cluster settings as needed
Select which actions to enable (Metrics Server and/or Flux)

All clusters can be connected and managed at the same time, allowing you to:

Compare different configurations
Test multi-cluster scenarios
Switch between clusters seamlessly

Troubleshooting

Dependencies Not Found

If you see missing dependencies in the Requirements panel, follow the installation guidance above. Kunobi will automatically install mise and Kubernetes tools (kind, kubectl, helm) for you.

Alternatively, you can install tools manually via terminal:

# Install mise
curl https://mise.run | sh

# Install Kubernetes tools
mise use kind kubectl helm

Cluster Won't Start

Check that Docker is running
Ensure no other services are using the required ports
Try deleting and recreating the cluster

Actions Failed

If Metrics Server or Flux installation fails:

Check the action logs in the cluster card
Verify internet connectivity (needed to download components)
Retry the action using the retry button

Connection Issues

If you can't connect to a running cluster:

Ensure the cluster status shows "Running"
Check that the kubeconfig file exists at ~/.kube/kubeconfig_kunobi_demo-cluster.yaml
Try disconnecting and reconnecting from Kunobi

Next Steps

Once you're comfortable with the demo cluster, you can:

Connect to your own Kubernetes clusters
Set up GitOps workflows for your applications
Explore advanced Kunobi features with production clusters

The demo cluster provides a perfect sandbox to learn and experiment before working with production infrastructure.