lokube

Test Kubernetes microservices locally. lokube starts a service's local command and opens TCP port-forwards to its cluster dependencies via the Kubernetes API — no kubectl binary required.

Install

npm install -g lokube

# or run without installing
npx lokube --help

Requires Node.js >= 22.12 and a reachable Kubernetes cluster (via kubeconfig).

Usage

lokube init                       # scaffold a lokube.yaml in the current dir
lokube list                       # show services + their dependency forwards
lokube run <service>              # forward deps, then run the local command
lokube forward <service>          # only port-forward a service's dependencies
lokube env <service>              # print configured env vars for a service's deps

run and forward print the kubeconfig context and forwarding plan, then ask for confirmation. Pass --yes to skip it (required in non-interactive shells).

A dependency can declare an env mapping. In its values, {HOST} becomes 127.0.0.1 and {PORT} becomes the dependency's local forwarded port.

Configuration

lokube init creates a starter lokube.yaml. A minimal example:

namespace: dev
services:
  calendar-ms:
    command: "npm run dev"
    dir: "./calendar-ms"
    dependencies:
      users-ms:
        deployment: users-ms   # or service | pod | podSelector
        port: 8080
        localPort: 8100
        env:
          USERS_URL: 'http://{HOST}:{PORT}'
          USERS_HOST: '{HOST}'
          USERS_PORT: '{PORT}'

See examples/lokube.example.yaml for the full, commented reference. Config is discovered in the current directory (lokube.yaml, lokube.yml, or lokube.json), or via -c <path>.

License

MIT