ibmcloud-ks
Manage IBM Cloud Kubernetes clusters
TLDR
View the details of a cluster
View the rotation status of Cluster Authority certificates for a cluster
View worker pools of a cluster
Delete a worker node and replace it with a new one in the same worker pool
List all actions available under this command
SYNOPSIS
ibmcloud ks <subcommand> [<options>]
PARAMETERS
clusters
List all Kubernetes clusters in the current region
cluster-create
Create a new Kubernetes cluster
cluster-delete
Delete a specified cluster
cluster-get
Retrieve details of a specific cluster
cluster-config
Download kubeconfig file for kubectl access
cluster-update
Update cluster configuration or version
worker-pools
Manage worker pools (list, create, resize, etc.)
workers
List, add, remove, or update worker nodes
versions
List available Kubernetes versions
vlans
List available VLANs for networking
backup
Manage cluster backups and restores
--help
Show help for the command
DESCRIPTION
The ibmcloud ks command is a plugin for the IBM Cloud CLI that enables users to create, configure, scale, and delete Kubernetes clusters on IBM Cloud. It provides comprehensive management capabilities for worker pools, nodes, networking (VLANs), logging, monitoring, and backups.
Key operations include listing clusters with ibmcloud ks clusters, generating kubeconfig files via cluster-config for kubectl integration, upgrading Kubernetes versions, and handling resource pools. Designed for enterprise workloads, it supports both classic and VPC infrastructure, ensuring high availability and security features like Calico networking and hardware security modules.
This tool is vital for DevOps workflows, allowing automation via scripts and CI/CD pipelines. It requires the KS plugin installed and an active IBM Cloud account with Kubernetes entitlements.
CAVEATS
Requires IBM Cloud login and KS plugin. Operations may incur costs, have quotas, and vary by region/datacenter. VPC clusters require separate entitlements.
INSTALLATION
Install via ibmcloud plugin install ks --download after IBM Cloud CLI setup.
EXAMPLES
ibmcloud ks clusters to list clusters.
ibmcloud ks cluster-config <cluster-name> to setup kubectl.
HISTORY
Launched in 2017 alongside IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service. Evolved to support Kubernetes 1.28+, VPC Gen2 migration, and integration with IBM Cloud Pak for Data. Actively maintained by IBM.
