install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install kubecfg

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#kubecfg

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ku/kubecfg/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Manage complex enterprise Kubernetes environments as code

Project links

Commands and aliases

kubecfg

history

Project history and usage

kubecfg is a Kubernetes configuration-management CLI built around Jsonnet. It lets teams describe Kubernetes resources as reusable code, render or diff them, and apply the resulting desired state to clusters.

Project history

The kubecfg/kubecfg repository was created on 2021-11-17, and the first GitHub release listed by the releases API, v0.23.0, was published on 2021-12-21. The README describes kubecfg as a tool for managing Kubernetes resources as code and notes its similarity to a similarly named internal Google tool.

The project is intentionally thin around Jsonnet. Its README says kubecfg relies heavily on Jsonnet to describe Kubernetes resources and acts as a Kubernetes-specific wrapper around Jsonnet evaluation.

Adoption history

kubecfg's adoption is concentrated in teams that want Kubernetes manifests in version control but need stronger abstraction and reuse than plain YAML. Its documentation and README emphasize reviewable configuration changes, reproducible desired state, and disaster-recovery-friendly infrastructure-as-code practices.

The Homebrew formula gives macOS and Linuxbrew users a package-manager path, while GitHub releases provide precompiled binaries for direct installation.

How it is used

Users write Jsonnet, JSON, or YAML inputs, then use kubecfg show, diff, update, and delete against Kubernetes resources. The README quickstart demonstrates rendering YAML, applying objects, comparing local desired state with the server, updating the cluster, and deleting the demo resources.

Features such as dependency-aware sorting, extra Jsonnet builtins, and optional garbage collection make kubecfg fit repositories where Kubernetes configuration is treated as code rather than as hand-edited deployment YAML.

Why package nerds care

kubecfg is interesting to package nerds because it represents the Jsonnet branch of Kubernetes configuration tooling. In the package ecosystem it sits beside Helm and Kustomize, but its core bet is a general-purpose data-templating language rather than chart packages or patch overlays.

Its small CLI shape also makes it a classic infrastructure-as-code package: installable by Homebrew, runnable in CI, and tied closely to the Kubernetes and Jsonnet release surfaces.

Timeline

2021-11-17: GitHub repository created.
2021-12-21: GitHub release v0.23.0 published.
2021-12-22: GitHub release v0.24.0 published.
2026-05-28: GitHub release v0.37.0 published.

Related projects

Jsonnet is the data-templating language kubecfg relies on.
Kubernetes is the target resource API.
Helm and Kustomize solve adjacent Kubernetes configuration packaging and customization problems with different models.

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 6 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
`kubecfg`	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 version0.37.0

manager updated2026-05-28

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.37.0

https://github.com/kubecfg/kubecfg

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:kubecfg
Version	0.37.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kubecfg
Homepage	https://github.com/kubecfg/kubecfg
Repository	https://github.com/kubecfg/kubecfg
Upstream docs	https://github.com/kubecfg/kubecfg#readme
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/kubecfg/kubecfg/archive/refs/tags/v0.37.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-28T18:48:01Z
Pulse	updated
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	kubecfg
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%

kubecfg

nix profile install nixpkgs#kubecfg

normalized package name match
Matched by: Kubecfg

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ku/kubecfg/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/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/kubecfg.yml

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

Install kubecfg with Homebrew, Nix