Headlamp
App in the BluixApps catalog
What it is
Headlamp is the open-source Kubernetes web UI maintained by the CNCF — multi-cluster dashboard, customizable views, plugin system, Lens-compatible UX. Vendor-neutral alternative to Lens Desktop (commercial since 2024).
For K8s operators who want a powerful UI without commercial lock-in, Headlamp is the post-Lens-commercialization choice.
What it's for
- Kubernetes cluster mgmt — visual interface for kubectl operations
- Multi-cluster dashboard — manage many clusters from one UI
- Resource inspection — drill into pods, deployments, services
- Log + exec into pods — debugging UI
- Plugin extensibility — custom views per organization
Who it's for
- K8s operators wanting visual cluster mgmt
- DevOps teams moving off Lens post-commercialization
- Platform engineering teams building internal K8s portals
- K8s learners wanting visual aid alongside kubectl
- MSPs managing customer K8s clusters
Why teams pick Headlamp over alternatives
- Apache 2.0 — fully open
- CNCF Sandbox — vendor-neutral governance
- Multi-cluster — proper multi-context switching
- Plugin system — JavaScript plugin framework
- Self-hosted — keep K8s API access in-network
- Active development — backed by Microsoft (Kinvolk) + CNCF community
Integrations
- kubeconfig — standard K8s auth (any cluster with kubeconfig works)
- Multi-cluster — drop multiple kubeconfigs in
/config - K3s — auto-detects K3s kubeconfig on same VPS
- EKS / GKE / AKS — works with any K8s cluster
- OIDC — supports OIDC auth for cluster access
- Plugins — JavaScript plugin framework
- Headlamp Desktop — standalone Electron version available too
Notable users & community
- 4k+ GitHub stars (growing post-Lens commercialization)
- Backed by Microsoft (Kinvolk acquisition) + CNCF
- Active community on Slack
- Featured in modern K8s tooling guides
- Standard Lens replacement in OSS-only environments
Tips & operations
- kubeconfig location — Headlamp expects
/headlamp/.config/Headlamp/kubeconfigs - K3s auto-detection — installer auto-mounts K3s kubeconfig if present
- External K8s — copy
~/.kube/configto/opt/headlamp/config/ - Plugin development — JavaScript-based, see headlamp.dev/docs/latest/development/plugins
- No K8s cluster? — Headlamp installs but shows "no clusters"; works fine for evaluation
- Backup config dir — kubeconfigs + plugins
What we ship in BluixApps
- Docker image:
ghcr.io/headlamp-k8s/headlamp:latest - Persistent volumes:
/opt/headlamp/config+/opt/headlamp/plugins - Auto-detects K3s on same VPS — wires kubeconfig automatically
- Port 4466 exposed
- HTTPS via Let's Encrypt reverse proxy
- Multi-cluster ready — drop additional kubeconfigs in
/opt/headlamp/config - Backup hook covers kubeconfigs + plugins
Get this app — pick a BluixApps plan
Same catalog. Scaling tenant isolation, white-label and support tier.
| Tier | Tenants | Catalog | Support | White-label | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stacks | 1 | 19 curated stacks | Standard | — | $19/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Starter | 10 | Full catalog | Standard | +$15–25/mo | $49/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Pro | 25 | Full catalog | Priority bugfix | +$15–25/mo | $149/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Growth | 100 | Full catalog | Priority bugfix | +$15–25/mo | $349/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Scale | 500 | Full catalog | 7-day window | +$15–25/mo | $799/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Full catalog | Priority 7-day | Bundled | $1,499/mo | DetailDeploy |