Getting started with Kubernetes development shouldn’t require cloud infrastructure or complex setup procedures. With Kind (Kubernetes in Docker) and KSail, you can have a local cluster running in under a minute. This post shows you how.

• Why Kind + KSail?
• Prerequisites
• Step 1: Install KSail
• Step 2: Scaffold Your Cluster Project
• Step 3: Create the Cluster
• Step 4: Working with Your Cluster
• Step 5: Deploying Workloads
• Cleaning Up
• What’s Next
  • Feedback Welcome

Why Kind + KSail?

Kind (Kubernetes in Docker) runs Kubernetes clusters using Docker containers as nodes. It’s fast, lightweight, and provides a vanilla Kubernetes experience that closely matches production environments.

KSail wraps Kind and other tools into a single binary, giving you one consistent interface for cluster provisioning, GitOps setup, and workload management. Instead of learning multiple CLIs, you use ksail cluster and ksail workload commands.

Together, they provide:

• Fast iteration — Clusters start in under 60 seconds
• Zero cost — Everything runs locally on your machine
• Vanilla Kubernetes — No distribution-specific quirks to learn
• Declarative configuration — Everything as code in ksail.yaml

Prerequisites

You need Docker installed and running. Verify with:

docker ps

If this command works, you’re ready to go.

Step 1: Install KSail

KSail is distributed as a single binary. Install via Homebrew:

brew install --cask devantler-tech/tap/ksail

Or with Go:

go install github.com/devantler-tech/ksail/v5@latest

Verify the installation:

ksail --version

Step 2: Scaffold Your Cluster Project

KSail’s init command scaffolds a complete project structure:

mkdir my-cluster && cd my-cluster
ksail cluster init --distribution Vanilla

This creates ksail.yaml (cluster configuration), kind.yaml (Kind config), and k8s/ (your Kubernetes manifests).

For all available flags and configuration options, see the KSail documentation:

• CLI flags reference — All cluster init options
• ksail.yaml reference — Configuration file schema
• Features overview — CNI, CSI, GitOps, and more

Step 3: Create the Cluster

Create and start your cluster:

ksail cluster create

This command:

1. Creates Docker containers as Kubernetes nodes
2. Bootstraps the Kubernetes control plane
3. Installs your selected CNI, CSI, and other components
4. Configures your local kubeconfig

The process takes under 60 seconds for a single-node cluster.

Step 4: Working with Your Cluster

Once your cluster is running, KSail provides commands for common operations:

ksail cluster info      # Show cluster status
ksail cluster list      # List all KSail-managed clusters
ksail cluster connect   # Open K9s for interactive management
ksail cluster stop      # Stop the cluster
ksail cluster start     # Start a stopped cluster

Your kubeconfig is automatically configured, so standard kubectl commands work too.

For the full command reference, see Cluster Commands.

Step 5: Deploying Workloads

KSail wraps kubectl and GitOps operations under the workload command:

ksail workload apply -k ./k8s    # Apply manifests (kubectl workflow)
ksail workload push              # Push to GitOps source
ksail workload reconcile         # Trigger GitOps reconciliation

For the full workload command reference, see Workload Commands.

Cleaning Up

When you’re done:

ksail cluster delete

This removes the Docker containers and cleans up kubeconfig entries.

What’s Next

Explore the KSail documentation for advanced topics including:

• Adding Cilium or Calico as your CNI
• Enabling GitOps with Flux or ArgoCD
• Secret management with SOPS
• Mirror registries to avoid Docker Hub rate limits

If Kind’s vanilla Kubernetes feels too basic, check out the posts on K3s with KSail for a more batteries-included experience, or Talos with KSail for an immutable, security-focused distribution.

Feedback Welcome

KSail is under active development. If you encounter bugs or find missing features, please open an issue on GitHub. Your feedback helps improve the tool for everyone.

This blog post was written with the assistance of GitHub Copilot and Claude Opus 4.5.