Kubectl

The Kubernetes command-line tool, kubectl , allows you to run commands against Kubernetes clusters.

kubectl is available for Windows, macOS, Linux and supports the Arm architecture.

What should I consider before installing kubectl for Ubuntu on Arm?

General installation information is available which covers all supported operating systems, but it doesn’t talk about Arm.

This article provides a quick solution to install kubectl for Ubuntu on Arm.

Confirm you are using an Arm machine by running:

    

        
        
            uname -m
        
    

The output should be:

    

        
        aarch64

        
    

If you see a different result, you are not using an Arm computer running 64-bit Linux.

How do I download and Install kubectl for Ubuntu on Arm?

The easiest way to install kubectl for Ubuntu on Arm is to use curl and copy the executable to a common location.

To install curl, for example on ubuntu:

    

        
        
            sudo apt install -y curl
        
    

Download and install the latest version of kubctl. There is just 1 executable to copy to the desired location.

    

        
        
            curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/arm64/kubectl"
        
    

If you have sudo or root access, install the executable in a common location for all users.

    

        
        
            sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl
        
    

If you do not have sudo or root permission, add executable permission and add the location to the $PATH environment variable.

    

        
        
            chmod +x kubectl
export PATH=$PATH:$HOME
        
    

Confirm the executable is available and get the version of the client:

    

        
        
            kubectl version -o json --client
        
    

You are ready to use the Kubernetes command-line tool, kubectl