Originally reported by InfoQ (infoq.com). Published 2019-08-28.
What Is Octant?
VMware has open-sourced Octant, a developer-focused tool for understanding how applications run inside a Kubernetes cluster. Rather than positioning it as yet another web dashboard, Joe Beda, principal engineer at VMware, described Octant as “a visual complement to kubectl” — a GUI that sits alongside your terminal workflow rather than replacing it.
Octant runs entirely on the developer’s local workstation. It uses the local kubeconfig credentials and RBAC permissions to query the cluster, so Kubernetes administrators do not need to grant any extra in-cluster permissions or install any server-side components.
How Octant Differs from Other Kubernetes Dashboards
The Kubernetes ecosystem already includes several dashboard options — the official Kubernetes Dashboard, Kubernator, Kubernetic, and Kiali (for Istio service meshes). Octant’s key differentiators are:
- Client-side only: Nothing is installed in the cluster. Octant queries the Kubernetes API directly using your existing kubeconfig.
- Multi-cluster and multi-namespace: Supports multiple kubeconfig files and lets you switch context or namespace with a single click instead of chaining
kubectl config use-contextcommands. - Plugin system: Extensible via a Go plugin API, allowing teams to integrate custom tooling into the Octant UI.
Key Features
Resource Graph and Object Exploration
Octant lets you browse all standard Kubernetes object types — Pods, Deployments, DaemonSets, CronJobs, Jobs, Services, Ingresses, and more. A built-in resource graph visualizes the dependency relationships between objects: for example, which Pods belong to a given Service, which ServiceAccount a Pod uses, or which objects are owned by a particular Deployment.
Port Forwarding via the UI
Instead of manually running kubectl port-forward <pod> <local-port>:<pod-port>, Octant lets you initiate port forwarding directly from the dashboard with a single click. It also supports forwarding ports for multiple Pods across different namespaces simultaneously — something that would require opening multiple terminal sessions with raw kubectl.
Real-Time Log Streaming
Octant streams logs from Pods and individual containers in real time, removing the need to run kubectl logs -f in separate terminals. You can view logs from multiple containers side by side within the same dashboard session.
Custom Resource Definition (CRD) Support
Octant can discover and display any CRD running in the cluster. CRD authors can write Go plugins to enrich how custom resources are presented — adding custom columns, status indicators, or action buttons to the Octant UI.
Plugin System
Octant’s plugin API, written in Go, enables integration with CI/CD and release pipelines. For example, a plugin could highlight Kubernetes objects that were updated during the most recent deployment, making it easier to spot regressions without grepping through kubectl output. Plugins can add new components to existing views or surface entirely new panels.
Installation
Octant runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows 10. At the time of the original announcement, the following installation methods were available:
Windows
# Using Chocolatey
choco install octant --confirm
# Using Scoop
scoop install octantCode language: PHP (php)Linux and macOS
Download the appropriate binary from the Octant GitHub releases page, unpack the archive, and run the octant binary. Homebrew support was listed as in progress at the time of the original announcement.
Note: Octant has evolved significantly since 2019. Check the official Octant GitHub repository (vmware-tanzu/octant) for current installation instructions and release notes.
Roadmap (as of August 2019)
At the time of open-sourcing, the Octant team listed the following planned features:
- In-UI YAML editor for Kubernetes objects
- Embedded
kubectlterminal within the Octant interface - A Pod health heat-map to surface resource and error patterns at a glance
- Enhanced GUI elements including additional buttons, modal dialogs, and alert indicators
Summary
Octant fills a practical gap for developers who want cluster visibility without leaving their local environment or touching cluster RBAC. Its client-side architecture, multi-cluster support, integrated port forwarding, real-time logging, and Go plugin system make it a credible alternative — or complement — to both kubectl and heavier in-cluster dashboard solutions. Teams already using kubectl heavily will find the learning curve minimal, since Octant respects the same kubeconfig and permission model they are already accustomed to.
Source: InfoQ — Octant: a Local and Real-Time Dashboard for Kubernetes Workloads