kubectl-config

manage kubeconfig files: clusters, users, and contexts

TLDR

View the merged kubeconfig

$ kubectl config view

View raw kubeconfig including secrets

$ kubectl config view --raw

Show current context

$ kubectl config current-context

List contexts

$ kubectl config get-contexts

Switch context

$ kubectl config use-context [context-name]

Set default namespace for the current context

$ kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=[namespace]

Add a cluster entry

$ kubectl config set-cluster [name] --server=[https://api.example.com]

Delete a context

$ kubectl config delete-context [context-name]

SYNOPSIS

kubectl config SUBCOMMAND [options]

kubectl config manages kubeconfig files, which store the connection details, credentials, and preferences needed to interact with Kubernetes clusters. A kubeconfig defines three list-shaped sections: clusters, users, and contexts, where each context binds a cluster, a user, and an optional default namespace.By default kubectl reads `~/.kube/config`. The loading order is the explicit --kubeconfig flag, then the colon-separated paths in the KUBECONFIG environment variable, then `~/.kube/config`. When KUBECONFIG lists multiple files, they are merged in order, with earlier files winning conflicts.The subcommands let you inspect the merged view, switch between contexts to target different clusters, set per-context defaults such as the namespace, and add or remove cluster, user and context entries.

PARAMETERS

view

Display the merged kubeconfig. Use --raw to include credentials, --minify to show only the current context, -o for a different output format.

current-context

Print the current-context.

use-context NAME

Set the current-context in the kubeconfig.

get-contexts [NAME]

List one or all contexts.

set-context NAME | --current

Create or modify a context. Use --current to update the active context (commonly with --namespace).

rename-context OLD NEW

Rename a context.

delete-context NAME

Remove a context.

get-clusters

List clusters defined in the kubeconfig.

set-cluster NAME [--server=URL] [--certificate-authority=FILE] [--insecure-skip-tls-verify]

Create or modify a cluster entry.

delete-cluster NAME

Remove a cluster entry.

get-users

List users defined in the kubeconfig.

set-credentials NAME [--token=BEARER] [--client-certificate=FILE] [--client-key=FILE] [--username=USER --password=PASS]

Create or modify a user entry.

delete-user NAME

Remove a user entry.

set PROPERTY VALUE

Set an individual value in the kubeconfig (dotted path).

unset PROPERTY

Unset an individual value.

--kubeconfig FILE

Operate on a specific kubeconfig file instead of the default chain.

--help

Display help information.

CAVEATS

kubectl config view redacts credentials by default; use --raw when you actually need the secret material (and handle the output carefully). kubectl config is a subcommand of kubectl: it edits the kubeconfig file, it does not talk to the cluster. For interactive context and namespace switching many users prefer kubectx and kubens.

HISTORY

kubectl config has shipped with kubectl since early Kubernetes releases and codifies the kubeconfig format used across the ecosystem (kubectl, client-go, Helm, kustomize, ...).