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🐳 Getting Started with Minikube

Spin up a local Kubernetes cluster in one command​

Minikube makes it super easy to run Kubernetes locally by spinning up a single‑node cluster inside a Docker container or VM. Perfect for learning, development, and testing!

📋 Prerequisites​

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • 2 CPUs or more
  • 2 GB RAM minimum free memory
  • 20 GB disk free space
  • Internet connection
  • A container or VM driver, e.g.:
    • Docker
    • Podman
    • VirtualBox
    • Hyperkit (macOS)
    • Hyper‑V (Windows)
    • KVM/QEMU (Linux)

1️⃣ Install Minikube​

Choose your platform:

macOS (Homebrew)​

brew install minikube

If you have an old binary linked, run:

brew unlink minikube
brew link   minikube

Linux (binary download)​

curl -Lo minikube https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64
chmod +x minikube
sudo mv minikube /usr/local/bin/

Windows (PowerShell)​

curl.exe -Lo minikube.exe https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-windows-amd64.exe
Move-Item .\minikube.exe C:\tools\minikube.exe

For other installers or architectures, see the official releases page.

2️⃣ Start Your Cluster​

From a terminal (with permissions to run Docker or your chosen driver), simply run:

minikube start

Minikube will:

  1. Download the latest Kubernetes ISO.
  2. Launch a container or VM for the control plane.
  3. Configure your kubectl context automatically.

Tip: If you have multiple VM/driver options installed, you can specify one:

minikube start --driver=virtualbox

3️⃣ Interact with Kubernetes​

Use your existing kubectl (or let Minikube download one for you):

# If you have kubectl:
kubectl get po -A

# Or via Minikube’s bundled kubectl:
minikube kubectl -- get po -A

# Make life easier—add an alias:
alias kubectl="minikube kubectl --"

Check cluster status with:

minikube status

4️⃣ Deploy a Sample App​

Create and expose a simple HTTP server:

kubectl create deployment hello-minikube --image=kicbase/echo-server:1.0
kubectl expose deployment hello-minikube --type=NodePort --port=8080
kubectl get svc hello-minikube

Open it in your browser:

minikube service hello-minikube

Or forward a port:

kubectl port-forward service/hello-minikube 7080:8080
# Visit http://localhost:7080

5️⃣ Explore the Dashboard​

Minikube bundles the official Kubernetes Dashboard:

minikube dashboard

A browser tab will open so you can view workloads, logs, and more.

6️⃣ Advanced Management​

  • Pause / Unpause cluster 
    minikube pause
    minikube unpause
  • Stop / Delete cluster 
    minikube stop
    minikube delete
  • Change default resource limits 
    minikube config set memory 4GB
    minikube config set cpus   4
  • Browse addons catalog 
    minikube addons list
  • Run older Kubernetes versions 
    minikube start -p old-cluster --kubernetes-version=v1.16.1

🚀 Next Steps​

  • Try out different Minikube addons.
  • Build & test your own Kubernetes manifests and Helm charts.
  • Automate cluster creation in CI by scripting minikube start and minikube delete.

References​

Happy local k8s hacking! 🐳✨