# Cluster Access - Kubeconfig

## Cluster Access - Kubeconfig

<code class="expression">space.vars.product\_name</code> provides Kubernetes cluster access via kubeconfig — a YAML file containing cluster connection details and authentication configuration. For more information, refer to the [Kubernetes kubeconfig documentation](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/organize-cluster-access-kubeconfig/).

The kubeconfig file works with `kubectl`, Kubernetes client libraries (Go, Python, Java, etc.), and any tool that supports the standard kubeconfig format.

### Download Kubeconfig

In order to access your clusters outside of the <code class="expression">space.vars.product\_name</code> UI, you need a kubeconfig file that is properly configured for authenticating with your cluster.

The kubeconfig file can be obtained by following these steps:

1. In the <code class="expression">space.vars.product\_name</code> UI, navigate to the Kubernetes cluster you want to access.
2. Click the **Download Kubeconfig** button in the top right of the page.

The kubeconfig file will be downloaded to your system's default Downloads folder.

### Using kubeconfig

To connect to the cluster using the kubeconfig, follow these steps:

1. Download the kubeconfig (see above).
2. [Install `kubectl`](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/) on your machine.
3. Install [kubelogin](https://github.com/int128/kubelogin), the OIDC plugin for `kubectl`:

   ```bash
   # Homebrew (macOS and Linux)
   brew install kubelogin

   # Krew (macOS, Linux, Windows and ARM)
   kubectl krew install oidc-login

   # Chocolatey (Windows)
   choco install kubelogin
   ```

   Alternatively, you can install kubelogin manually by downloading the binary from the [releases page](https://github.com/int128/kubelogin/releases) and placing it in your `PATH` as a kubectl plugin:

   ```bash
   unzip kubelogin_linux_amd64.zip -d /tmp/kubelogin/
   mv /tmp/kubelogin/kubelogin /usr/local/bin/kubectl-oidc_login
   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kubectl-oidc_login
   ```

   Verify the plugin is detected:

   ```bash
   kubectl plugin list
   # Expected output:
   # The following compatible plugins are available:
   # /usr/local/bin/kubectl-oidc_login
   ```
4. Export the `KUBECONFIG` environment variable in your terminal:

   ```bash
   export KUBECONFIG=~/Downloads/<cluster-name>.kubeconfig
   ```
5. Use `kubectl` to access the resources on the cluster:
   * The first time you log in, you will be redirected to a browser page granting your <code class="expression">space.vars.product\_name</code> account access to the Kubernetes workloads.
   * Once authenticated, use `kubectl` normally. For example:

     ```bash
     kubectl get nodes
     ```

{% hint style="info" %}
To skip the browser-based login and authenticate directly in the terminal, add `--grant-type=password` as an argument to the `oidc-login` command in your kubeconfig. This will prompt for your username and password in the terminal instead.
{% endhint %}

### Troubleshooting

* **kubelogin not found** — Ensure `kubelogin` is installed and available on your `PATH`. See the [kubelogin installation guide](https://github.com/int128/kubelogin#setup).
* **Browser does not open for OIDC login** — Verify that your default browser is configured and that the redirect URI is reachable from your machine.
* **`KUBECONFIG` not set** — If `kubectl` cannot find your cluster, make sure the `KUBECONFIG` environment variable points to the correct file path.


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