Kubetail CLI is a real-time logging dashboard for Kubernetes designed to simplify log management across multi-container workloads. It enables users to view logs from all containers in a workload (e.g., Deployment or DaemonSet) merged into a single, chronological timeline, delivered directly to your browser or terminal.
Key Features:
Real-time log viewing with the ability to filter by workload type, time range, and node properties.
Integration with Kubernetes API for seamless tracking of container lifecycle events.
Support for both web dashboard access (via CLI) and direct terminal streaming.
Cross-platform compatibility, available on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for Kubernetes operators managing complex, multi-container environments. Kubetail provides a unified view of logs across containers, enabling faster troubleshooting, monitoring, and maintaining application health in real-time.
Available via winget for easy installation on Windows systems.
README
Kubetail
Kubetail is a real-time logging dashboard for Kubernetes (browser/terminal)
Kubetail is a general-purpose logging dashboard for Kubernetes, optimized for tailing logs across multi-container workloads in real-time. With Kubetail, you can view logs from all the containers in a workload (e.g. Deployment or DaemonSet) merged into a single, chronological timeline, delivered to your browser or terminal.
The primary entry point for Kubetail is the kubetail CLI tool, which can launch a local web dashboard on your desktop or stream raw logs directly to your terminal. Behind the scenes, Kubetail uses your cluster's Kubernetes API to fetch logs directly from your cluster, so it works out of the box without needing to forward your logs to an external service first. Kubetail also uses your Kubernetes API to track container lifecycle events in order to keep your log timeline in sync as containers start, stop or get replaced. This makes it easy to follow logs seamlessly as user requests move from one ephemeral container to another across services.
Our goal is to build the most powerful, user-friendly logging platform for Kubernetes and we'd love your input. If you notice a bug or have a suggestion please create a GitHub Issue or send us an email (hello@kubetail.com)!
Features
Clean, easy-to-use interface
View log messages in real-time
Filter logs by:
Workload (e.g. Deployment, CronJob, StatefulSet)
Absolute or relative time range
Node properties (e.g. availability zone, CPU architecture, node ID)
First, create a namespace for the Kubetail resources:
kubectl create namespace kubetail-system
Next, choose your authentication mode (cluster or token) and apply the latest manifest file:
# For cluster-based authentication use kubetail-clusterauth.yaml:
kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubetail-org/helm-charts/releases/latest/download/kubetail-clusterauth.yaml
# For token-based authentication use kubetail-tokenauth.yaml:
kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubetail-org/helm-charts/releases/latest/download/kubetail-tokenauth.yaml
To access the web dashboard you can use your usual access methods such as kubectl port-forward:
To install Kubetail using Glasskube, you can select "Kubetail" from the "ClusterPackages" tab in the Glasskube GUI then click "install" or you can run the following command:
glasskube install kubetail
Once Kubetail is installed you can use it by clicking "open" in the Glasskube GUI or by using the open command:
This is our high-level plan for the Kubetail project, in order:
Step
Status
1
Real-time container logs
✅
2
Real-time search and polished user experience
🛠️
3
Real-time system logs (e.g. systemd, k8s events)
🔲
4
Basic customizability (e.g. colors, time formats)
🔲
5
Message parsing and metrics
🔲
6
Historic data (e.g. log archives, metrics timeseries)
🔲
7
Kubetail API and developer-facing client libraries
🔲
N
World Peace
🔲
And here are some additional details:
Real-time container logs
Users can view the container logs from the pods currently running inside their clusters quickly and easily using a web dashboard. Users can view container logs organized by workloads and follow log messages as ephemeral containers get created and deleted. They can also narrow their viewing window by timestamp and filter logs by source properties such as region, zone and node.
Real-time search and polished user experience
Users can install Kubetail easily on their desktops and in their clusters. By default, Kubetail will use only the Kubernetes API to fetch basic data such as running workloads and container logs. If a user wants more advanced functionality they can install Kubetail custom services in their cluster (i.e. "Kubetail Cluster API" and "Kubetail Cluster Agent", collectively known as the "Kubetail API") and gain access to features such as log search, log file sizes and last event timestamps. The entire experience of installing, upgrading and uninstalling the Kubetail API is very polished and users are able to view their logs with equally powerful tools in the browser and the terminal using the Kubetail web dashboard and CLI tool.
Real-time system logs
Users who install the Kubetail API gain immediate access to their node-level logs (e.g. systemd) and cluster-level logs (e.g. kubernetes events) and view them in an integrated interface that shows their container logs in context with other system information such as CPU utilization, memory usage and disk space. System logs are viewable in real-time, in the same merged timeline with other logs. Users can filter system logs by timestamp and source properties.
Basic customizability
Users can fully customize their Kubetail experience when using the web dashboard and CLI tool by modifying their user settings. The user settings are modifiable by hand using a config file or via the dashboard UI. The experience is very polished and works seamlessly across upgrades that may add/remove/modify user settings. Users have the option to sync their settings across multiple devices.
Optimize Development Environment for Rust (Optional)
By default, the dev environment compiles "release" builds of the Rust components when you run run tilt up. If you want to iterate more quickly, you can have Tilt compile the rust code locally using "debug" builds instead.
We're building the most user-friendly, cost-effective, and secure logging platform for Kubernetes and we'd love your contributions! Here's how you can help:
