Kubeconfig

The kubeconfig file contains the credentials and API server endpoint needed to interact with your cluster using kubectl or any Kubernetes client.

Prerequisites

Before you can connect to your cluster, your IP address must be in the cluster’s API access allowlist. If you haven’t done this yet, go to your cluster’s detail page in the dashboard and add your IP in the API Access section. See Networking — API access firewall for details.

Download

1. Open the dashboard and select your cluster.
2. Click Download Kubeconfig.
3. Save the file to a convenient location (e.g., ~/.kube/kubestart-<cluster-name>).

The kubeconfig is available once your cluster reaches the Completed provisioning stage.

Use with kubectl

Set the KUBECONFIG environment variable to point at your downloaded file:

export KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/kubestart-my-cluster
kubectl get namespaces

Or use the --kubeconfig flag:

kubectl --kubeconfig ~/.kube/kubestart-my-cluster get pods

Manage multiple kubeconfigs

If you have several kubestart clusters (or other Kubernetes clusters), you can merge kubeconfigs:

export KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/config:~/.kube/kubestart-cluster-a:~/.kube/kubestart-cluster-b
kubectl config get-contexts
kubectl config use-context <context-name>

Alternatively, use a tool like kubectx to switch between contexts easily.

Security notes

• Your kubeconfig contains authentication credentials. Treat it like a password.
• Do not commit kubeconfig files to version control.
• Each kubeconfig is scoped to your tenant namespace — you cannot access other tenants’ resources.
• If you suspect your credentials are compromised, contact support to rotate them.