Headlamp is a Kubernetes web interface that runs as either a desktop application or a browser-based dashboard, providing a unified view for managing resources across multiple clusters. It supports authentication through OpenID Connect providers and kubeconfig files, and renders the UI according to the user's Kubernetes RBAC permissions, hiding or disabling actions that are not permitted.
The project distinguishes itself through a plugin system that allows extending the dashboard with custom views, components, and business logic without modifying the core code. Plugins can be installed from a catalog, developed from scratch, or run as sidecar containers alongside the main application. The interface also supports custom theming, UI component customization, and the creation of dedicated monitoring dashboards with specialized visualizations.
Headlamp includes an inline resource editor with built-in documentation and validation, terminal and log access for debugging pods, and the ability to discover clusters by watching custom resources. It can be deployed as a desktop application on Linux, Mac, and Windows, exposed through an ingress, or accessed via port forwarding. The project provides documentation for installation, plugin development, and configuration.
