# Install kwok with Homebrew, Nix, winget Kubernetes WithOut Kubelet - Simulates thousands of Nodes and Clusters. Version 0.8.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-23. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:kwok ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install kwok ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#kwok ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/kw/kwok/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Windows - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id Kubernetes.kwok -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: Kubernetes.kwok from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:kwok - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.8.0 - **Source summary:** Kubernetes WithOut Kubelet - Simulates thousands of Nodes and Clusters - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-23T10:35:17Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - kwok (cli) - kwokctl (cli) - kwok (alias) - kwokctl (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.8.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-23 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kwok - Upstream latest detected: v0.8.0 (current) ## Project history and usage KWOK, short for Kubernetes WithOut Kubelet, is a Kubernetes SIG project for simulating nodes, pods, and cluster behavior without running kubelets on real machines. The package ships the kwok simulator and kwokctl cluster-management CLI. ### Project history KWOK was introduced publicly on the Kubernetes blog on 2023-03-01 by contributors from DaoCloud and Apple. The announcement framed it as a toolkit for creating clusters with thousands of simulated nodes in seconds, aimed at controller development, scale testing, and Kubernetes learning without large infrastructure bills. The project lives under kubernetes-sigs, which makes it part of the Kubernetes community's SIG-governed tooling rather than a vendor-only simulator. Its release process uses Kubernetes-style release issues, staging images, GitHub releases, and registry.k8s.io promotion. ### Adoption history KWOK's adoption is strongest in test and simulation workflows. The official site emphasizes compatibility with Kubernetes API clients such as kubectl and Helm, and the docs show fake nodes and pods represented as ordinary API objects that kwok keeps in plausible states. ### How it is used Users install kwok to maintain fake node and pod status, and kwokctl to create or delete local simulated clusters. Package-manager users care about having both binaries available for fast CI jobs, controller load tests, scheduler experiments, and demos that need Kubernetes API behavior without worker-node cost. ### Why package nerds care KWOK is interesting because it packages a fake kubelet world as normal CLI tooling. It turns what used to require heavyweight test clusters or bespoke mocks into a reproducible binary install, making it a neat inhabitant of the Kubernetes testing toolbox. ### Timeline - 2022-09-27: The v0.0.1 release issue was opened in the kubernetes-sigs/kwok repository. - 2023-03-01: The Kubernetes blog published the public KWOK introduction. - 2023-08-15: The node and pod management guide was updated with examples for keeping fake nodes ready and running fake pods. ### Related projects - KWOK relates to Kubernetes, kubelet, kubemark, controller testing, scheduler testing, kubectl, Helm, and registry.k8s.io image promotion workflows. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal. - **Geiger risk:** orange / medium - infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** kwok - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - kwok: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/kw/kwok/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget - Kubernetes.kwok: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: Kubernetes.kwok from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix - winget - Kubernetes.kwokctl: installed executable or alias match | Windows Package Manager source index: Kubernetes.kwokctl from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Cloud CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/cloud-clis/) - Belongs to a cloud or infrastructure command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [eksctl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/eksctl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, clusters, kubernetes. - [cdk8s](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cdk8s/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. - [chaoskube](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chaoskube/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. - [click](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/click/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. - [cloud-provider-kind](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cloud-provider-kind/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. - [clusterawsadm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clusterawsadm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. - [clusterctl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clusterctl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes. - [container-structure-test](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/container-structure-test/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, testing. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/kwok.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/kwok.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph