install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install kops

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install kops

MacPorts ports tree · devel/kops/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#kops

nixpkgs package indexes · kops · source: raw.githubusercontent.com

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/kops

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/kops.json · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Production Grade K8s Installation, Upgrades, and Management

Project links

Commands and aliases

kops

history

Project history and usage

kOps, short for Kubernetes Operations, is one of the long-running Kubernetes cluster lifecycle tools. It is best known as a command-line way to create, upgrade, and maintain production-grade Kubernetes clusters while also provisioning the needed cloud infrastructure.

Project history

The kOps repository was created under the Kubernetes GitHub organization on 2016-06-27, during the period when Kubernetes operators were still building practical tooling around cluster creation and upgrades. The README describes kOps as `kubectl` for clusters, reflecting its role as a higher-level administrative CLI rather than an application deployment tool.

Early release metadata shows v1.4.0-alpha.1 on 2016-09-08, with 1.4-era releases following in late 2016. The project then tracked Kubernetes minor versions closely enough that official docs describe a release cadence tied to Kubernetes releases, typically about a month later, after Kubernetes issues from a new version have had time to settle.

Adoption history

kOps became important because it filled a gap before managed Kubernetes offerings covered every common operational need. Its official support matrix grew around cloud targets including AWS and GCP, with additional providers such as DigitalOcean, Hetzner, OpenStack, and Azure documented at different support levels.

GitHub repository metadata observed on 2026-07-01 reported 16,632 stars and 4,710 forks, unusually high for an infrastructure lifecycle CLI. Its presence in Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, and Scoop reflects a user base split across workstation operators and automation hosts.

How it is used

kOps is commonly used to create cluster specifications, store cluster state, provision cloud infrastructure, and perform Kubernetes upgrades. It also writes or relies on kubeconfig credentials, so package users tend to pair it with `kubectl` and cloud provider credentials.

For package-manager users, the value is that installing one CLI gives access to a whole cluster lifecycle workflow rather than only a client for an already-existing control plane.

Why package nerds care

kOps is a classic Homebrew infrastructure formula: a single statically distributed CLI that hides a lot of distributed-systems machinery behind repeatable commands.

It also marks an era of Kubernetes packaging before every cloud had a polished managed-cluster console. Package indexes that carried kOps made serious Kubernetes cluster creation available from a developer laptop with one install command.

Timeline

2016-06-27: GitHub repository created under kubernetes/kops.
2016-09-08: v1.4.0-alpha.1 appears in GitHub release metadata.
2016-12-21: v1.4.4 release published.
2026-07-01: GitHub repository metadata reported more than 16,000 stars and more than 4,700 forks.

Related projects

kOps is closely related to Kubernetes, kubectl, cloud provider CLIs, Terraform and CloudFormation workflows, and managed Kubernetes services.
Within Kubernetes tooling culture, it sits beside kubeadm, Cluster API, eksctl, and cloud-specific cluster provisioning tools.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: {state store}/config

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.kube/config

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`kops`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version1.35.1

manager updated2026-05-28

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.35.1

https://github.com/kubernetes/kops

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:kops
Version	1.35.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kops
Homepage	https://kops.sigs.k8s.io/
Repository	https://github.com/kubernetes/kops
Upstream docs	https://kops.sigs.k8s.io/
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/kubernetes/kops/archive/refs/tags/v1.35.1.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-28T18:47:52Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	kubernetes-cli
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	kops
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

kops

nix profile install nixpkgs#kops

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kops

nixpkgs package indexes · raw.githubusercontent.com · nixpkgs package indexes: kops from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix

MacPorts95%

kops

sudo port install kops

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kops

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: devel/kops/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Scoop95%

main/kops

scoop install main/kops

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kops

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/kops.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/kops.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install kops with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, scoop