Connect with kubectl

Everything about reaching the cluster is on its Access tab (Compute › Kubernetes › the cluster › Access). Downloading the kubeconfig needs permission to manage Kubernetes.

Download the kubeconfig

1. Under Kubeconfig, select Download. The file gives admin access to the cluster: treat it like a password.
2. Follow the Quickstart:

# 1. Install kubectl (macOS shown; on Windows: winget install -e --id Kubernetes.kubectl)
brew install kubectl

# 2. Point kubectl at the cluster, using the file you downloaded
#    (the Quickstart shows your file's exact name)
export KUBECONFIG=~/Downloads/<your-cluster-kubeconfig-file>

# 3. Check the nodes: all of them should be Ready
kubectl get nodes

The card also shows the API endpoint and when the credentials expire.

Rotate the admin credentials

If a kubeconfig may have leaked, select Rotate credentials and confirm. Every kubeconfig downloaded so far stops working. Download the new file and share it with anyone who needs it.

Service account tokens

Tokens give CI, dashboards and scripts access to one namespace, with a role you pick:

1. Under Service account tokens, select Create token.
2. Enter a name, the namespace (default unless you change it), the role and when it expires (or never).
3. Copy the token now: it won't be shown again.

Revoke a token to cut its access straight away.

Related

• Node pools