Headlamp Kubernetes Dashboard Guide

The official Kubernetes Dashboard has not kept up with modern Kubernetes. Headlamp is a CNCF Sandbox project that provides a fast, extensible web UI for managing Kubernetes clusters.

Why Not the Official Dashboard

The Kubernetes Dashboard: - Requires complex RBAC setup for multi-user access - Has limited CRD support - No plugin system - Slow development pace - No multi-cluster support

Headlamp addresses all of these with a modern React-based UI, plugin architecture, and OIDC authentication out of the box.

Installation

In-Cluster

helm install headlamp headlamp/headlamp \
  --namespace headlamp --create-namespace \
  --set config.oidc.clientID=headlamp \
  --set config.oidc.issuerURL=https://dex.myorg.com \
  --set config.oidc.scopes="openid profile email groups"

Desktop App

# macOS
brew install --cask headlamp

# Linux (Flatpak)
flatpak install flathub io.kinvolk.Headlamp

The desktop app connects to any cluster in your kubeconfig.

Features

Resource Management

Browse and manage all Kubernetes resources through a clean UI:

• Workloads: Deployments, StatefulSets, DaemonSets, Jobs, CronJobs
• Networking: Services, Ingresses, NetworkPolicies
• Config: ConfigMaps, Secrets, ResourceQuotas
• Storage: PersistentVolumes, PersistentVolumeClaims, StorageClasses
• RBAC: Roles, ClusterRoles, ServiceAccounts
• CRDs: Full support for custom resources

Log Viewer

Stream pod logs with filtering:

[order-api-7d8f9] 2026-03-01T10:00:00Z INFO Processing order 12345
[order-api-7d8f9] 2026-03-01T10:00:01Z ERROR Payment timeout for order 12345

Filter by container, search text, and follow real-time logs.

Terminal

Open a shell in any container directly from the UI — no kubectl exec needed.

Multi-Cluster

Switch between clusters in the sidebar. Compare resources across clusters side by side.

OIDC Authentication

config:
  oidc:
    clientID: headlamp
    issuerURL: https://dex.myorg.com
    scopes: "openid profile email groups"

Users authenticate with your identity provider. RBAC is enforced by Kubernetes — Headlamp passes through the user's token.

Plugins

Extend Headlamp with custom functionality:

// my-plugin/src/index.tsx
import { registerAppBarAction } from "@kinvolk/headlamp-plugin/lib";

function CostButton() {
  return (
    <button onClick={() => window.open("/cost-dashboard")}>
      💰 Cost Report
    </button>
  );
}

registerAppBarAction(CostButton);

# Build and install plugin
npx @kinvolk/headlamp-plugin create my-plugin
cd my-plugin && npm run build
# Copy to Headlamp plugins directory

Plugin ideas: - Cost dashboards (pull from Kubecost) - Deployment status badges - Custom resource editors - Team-specific views

Comparison

When to Use Headlamp

Good fit: - Teams that want a visual Kubernetes UI without vendor lock-in - Organizations needing OIDC-authenticated cluster access - Platform teams building custom dashboards with plugins - Developers who prefer a GUI over kubectl for exploration

kubectl is still better for: - Scripting and automation - Complex operations (rolling restarts, patch operations) - Power users who think faster in the terminal

Headlamp does not replace kubectl — it complements it for visual exploration, onboarding, and team workflows.

---

Ready to go deeper? Master Kubernetes management with hands-on courses at CopyPasteLearn.