With kubectl

Each release has hello-kubernetes.yaml: the Helm chart rendered with its default values and the release name demo. You don’t need Helm.

Needs	Installs into	You get
kubectl and a cluster	your current namespace, or the one you give with --namespace	the app with its default settings

The file creates:

Resource	Name	Notes
ServiceAccount	hello-kubernetes-demo
Service	hello-kubernetes-demo	LoadBalancer, port 80
Deployment	hello-kubernetes-demo	2 pods, the image paulbouwer/hello-kubernetes at the release’s version, user 1000, a read-only root filesystem, and the restricted Pod Security settings

Apply it

Terminal

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/paulbouwer/hello-kubernetes/releases/latest/download/hello-kubernetes.yaml
kubectl rollout status deployment/hello-kubernetes-demo

serviceaccount/hello-kubernetes-demo created
service/hello-kubernetes-demo created
deployment.apps/hello-kubernetes-demo created
deployment "hello-kubernetes-demo" successfully rolled out

latest follows the newest release. To keep one version, use its URL, for example https://github.com/paulbouwer/hello-kubernetes/releases/download/v1.11.0/hello-kubernetes.yaml.

To change its settings, use it as a base with Kustomize. Without Kubernetes, see the app settings.

Verify

Get the external address. It can take a minute to appear:

Terminal

kubectl get service hello-kubernetes-demo

Open http://<EXTERNAL-IP>/. You see Hello world!.

Where the external address works

Cluster	LoadBalancer Service
Cloud clusters, such as EKS, GKE and AKS	Works. You get a public address, and your cloud may charge for the load balancer.
Docker Desktop, OrbStack	Works. The address is localhost.
k3s, k3d, Rancher Desktop	EXTERNAL-IP stays <pending>, because their built-in Traefik already uses port 80. Move the Service to port 8080 with Kustomize or with Helm (--set service.port=8080). With k3d, also create the cluster with -p "8080:8080@loadbalancer", and open http://localhost:8080/.
kind, minikube, bare metal	EXTERNAL-IP stays <pending>. The app still runs. minikube also has minikube tunnel, and kind has cloud-provider-kind.

Where EXTERNAL-IP stays <pending>, forward a local port:

Terminal

kubectl port-forward service/hello-kubernetes-demo 8080:80

Open http://localhost:8080/. You see Hello world!. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Upgrade

Apply the newer release file. kubectl apply changes only what differs, and the pods are replaced one at a time:

Terminal

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/paulbouwer/hello-kubernetes/releases/download/v1.11.0/hello-kubernetes.yaml

Uninstall

Terminal

kubectl delete -f https://github.com/paulbouwer/hello-kubernetes/releases/latest/download/hello-kubernetes.yaml

Requirements

• Kubernetes 1.35 or newer. CI tests 1.35 and the current release, on kind and k3d.
• linux/amd64 or linux/arm64 nodes.