Cluster Manage

Switch between Docker and Kubernetes backends for Kurtosis.

Check current cluster

kurtosis cluster get

Returns docker or kubernetes.

List available clusters

kurtosis cluster ls

Switch cluster

# Switch to Docker
kurtosis cluster set docker

# Switch to Kubernetes (uses current kubectl context)
kurtosis cluster set kubernetes

After switching, restart the engine:

kurtosis engine restart

Kubernetes setup

When using Kubernetes:

1. Ensure kubectl is configured and can reach your cluster:

   kubectl cluster-info
   kubectl get nodes
   

2. Switch Kurtosis to Kubernetes:

   kurtosis cluster set kubernetes
   kurtosis engine start
   

3. Start the gateway (required for local CLI to reach the k8s-based engine):

   kurtosis gateway &
   

4. Verify:

   kurtosis engine status
   

Config file

The cluster setting is stored in the Kurtosis config file:

kurtosis config path

Typically at ~/Library/Application Support/kurtosis/kurtosis-config.yml on macOS.