K9s vs Octant: What are the differences?

Key Differences between K9s and Octant

K9s and Octant are two popular Kubernetes management tools, each with its own unique features and capabilities. Below are the key differences between K9s and Octant:

1. User Interface Design: K9s offers a terminal-based user interface that is primarily command-line driven. It provides a text-based representation of the Kubernetes resources and allows users to interact with them using keyboard shortcuts. On the other hand, Octant provides a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) that offers a more visual and intuitive approach to managing Kubernetes resources. It leverages modern web technologies to provide an interactive and dynamic experience for users.

2. Resource Visualization: K9s focuses on providing a concise and compact visualization of Kubernetes resources in the terminal. It displays resource information in a tabular format with customizable columns and filters. It offers quick navigation and filtering options to efficiently explore the cluster's resources. In contrast, Octant offers a rich and comprehensive visualization of Kubernetes resources in the web interface. It provides detailed information about each resource, including the associated pods, logs, events, and configuration settings. Octant's visualizations help users understand the relationships and dependencies between resources more effectively.

3. Extensibility and Plugin Support: K9s allows users to extend its functionality by creating custom plugins. This extensibility enables users to add additional features or integrate with external tools and services. Octant, on the other hand, offers a plugin system that allows users to extend its functionality by developing custom plugins. Octant's plugin system provides a well-defined interface for adding new views, workflows, or integrations within the Octant interface.

4. Multi-Cluster Support: K9s supports managing multiple Kubernetes clusters from a single terminal session. It allows users to switch between clusters easily and view resources across different clusters simultaneously. Octant also supports managing multiple Kubernetes clusters but provides a more visual and intuitive approach to switch between clusters using its web-based interface.

5. Access Control and RBAC: K9s is designed to run within the context of a user who has sufficient privileges to interact with the Kubernetes API server. It does not enforce any access control or role-based access control (RBAC) policies. Octant, on the other hand, enforces RBAC policies defined on the Kubernetes cluster. It ensures that users can only view and modify resources for which they have appropriate permissions based on their assigned roles and role bindings.

6. Cross-Platform Support: K9s is a command-line tool that can be installed on a variety of operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. It provides consistent functionality and user experience across different platforms. Octant, on the other hand, is a web-based tool that can be accessed using a web browser. It is platform-independent and can be used on any operating system with a compatible web browser.

In summary, K9s and Octant offer different approaches to Kubernetes management. K9s provides a terminal-based interface with compact visualization and extensive customization options, while Octant offers a web-based GUI with rich visualization and comprehensive resource information. Each tool has its own strengths and is suitable for different use cases based on user preferences and requirements.