macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install kube-scorelocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install kube-score with Homebrew, Nix
Kubernetes object analysis recommendations for improved reliability and security. Version 1.20.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#kube-scorenixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ku/kube-score/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Kubernetes object analysis recommendations for improved reliability and security
Project links
Commands and aliases
- kube-score
history
Project history and usage
kube-score is a Kubernetes manifest analysis CLI that scores object definitions and recommends reliability and security improvements. It is aimed at the pre-deployment stage, where YAML, Helm output, or Kustomize output can still be changed cheaply.
Project history
The kube-score repository was created on 2018-09-16, and its first beta release, v0.1.0-beta1, was published on 2018-09-26. The README presents it as static code analysis for Kubernetes object definitions, with checks for resources, network policy coverage, pod disruption budgets, probes, security contexts, and stable APIs.
Unlike cluster-side policy systems, kube-score kept a developer-tool shape: a single CLI that reads manifests, prints human or machine-readable findings, and exits with a CI-friendly status code.
Adoption history
The project documents several distribution paths: GitHub release binaries for macOS, Linux, and Windows, a Docker image, Homebrew, and Krew as the kubectl score plugin. Its website also hosts an online demo backed by the kube-score/web repository, giving users a low-friction way to try the checks without installing the CLI.
How it is used
Typical usage pipes rendered Kubernetes resources into kube-score, for example from helm template or kustomize build. The tool can also read static YAML files or resources exported from a live cluster, then produce recommendations in human, JSON, CI, or SARIF-oriented formats.
Annotations such as kube-score/ignore and kube-score/enable let users suppress or opt into checks on individual objects, which keeps the linter usable in repositories where not every workload has the same operational constraints.
Why package nerds care
kube-score matters in package-manager culture because it is a small, composable quality gate for Kubernetes manifests. It turns a broad operational checklist into a command that can live in a Makefile, pre-commit hook, GitHub Action, or CI job.
It also illustrates a common Kubernetes packaging pattern: one Go binary, release artifacts for multiple platforms, a Docker image for containerized CI, Homebrew for local developer machines, and Krew for kubectl-plugin users.
Timeline
- 2018-09-16: GitHub repository created.
- 2018-09-26: First GitHub release, v0.1.0-beta1, published.
- 2018-10-08: v0.1.0 published.
- 2025-04-28: GitHub release v1.20.0 published.
Related projects
- Helm and Kustomize are common input producers for kube-score.
- Krew distributes kube-score as a kubectl plugin named score.
- kube-score/web provides the browser demo linked from the README.
- KubeLinter occupies a related manifest-linting space with a stronger production-readiness and security-check branding.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- text:kubernetes
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
- 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
kube-score | 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 version1.20.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/zegl/kube-score
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/zegl/kube-scorenone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:kube-score |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.20.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kube-score |
| Homepage | https://kube-score.com |
| Repository | https://github.com/zegl/kube-score |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/zegl/kube-score#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/zegl/kube-score.git |
| Build dependencies | go |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, 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 | kube-score |
| 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 |
|
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%
kube-score
nix profile install nixpkgs#kube-score- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Kube Score
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment