# kubectl port-forward on steroids 🦀 kftray makes it easy for you to manage and share multiple k8s port forwards right from your menu bar ...


![kftray Logo](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hcavarsan/kftray-blog/main/img/logo.png align="center")

kftray and kftui are independent, cross-platform applications. They help you set up and manage multiple port-forwarding settings easily. Both apps are part of the same open-source project and aim to make working with Kubernetes easier. kftray has a desktop interface, while kftui has a terminal interface, so you can choose the one that suits you best.

## Why

Both apps were made to fix common problems with Kubernetes port forwarding. The usual kubectl port-forward command can be unreliable. For example, if a pod dies, it needs manual reconnection. It also has trouble setting up many port forwards at once and doesn't support UDP services.

They automatically reconnect to running pods if one fails, also it allow setting up multiple port forwards with one click, and support both TCP and UDP protocols. kftray also has extra features like HTTP logs tracing and GitHub sync to make workflows smoother.

![Watch the video](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/5c8a725be9722a194a58d0920735f293dd8a813f170d77cb04f19fd7b4144e73/68747470733a2f2f696d672e796f75747562652e636f6d2f76692f4836554a436655723879452f6d617872657364656661756c742e6a7067 align="left")

![Watch the video](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/e151b84aaa78b3490a98ad338c3ee7ba9622ad9053ba1061e0eef2e25e56ca03/68747470733a2f2f696d672e796f75747562652e636f6d2f76692f642d4a6533344879354c6f2f6d617872657364656661756c742e6a7067 align="left")

## Features

* **Resilient Port Forwarding Connection:** Ensures continuous service even if a pod dies by reconnecting to another running pod automatically.
    
* **One-Click Multiple Port Forwards:** Allows for the setup of several port forwarding instances simultaneously with a single click.
    
* **Independent of Kubectl:** Directly interfaces with the Kubernetes API, eliminating the need for `kubectl`.
    
* **Multi-Protocol Support:** Enables access to internal or external servers through a Proxy Relay server deployed in a Kubernetes cluster, including TCP and UDP port forwarding.
    
* **HTTP Logs Tracing:** Enable or disable HTTP logs for specific configurations to save the requests and responses in a local log file. *(Currently available only in the kftray desktop app)* - [Blog Post](https://kftray.app/blog/posts/6-debug-http-traffics-kftray)
    
* **GitHub Sync:** Keep your configurations saved on GitHub and share or synchronize them in a GitOps style. *(Currently available only in the kftray desktop app)*
    
* **Auto Import:** Automatically import Kubernetes service configurations based on specific annotations. An example with an explanation can be found in this repo: [https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray-k8s-tf-example](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray-k8s-tf-example)
    

| Feature | kftray (Desktop App) | kftui (Terminal UI) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Resilient Port Forwarding Connection | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| One-Click Multiple Port Forwards | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Independent of Kubectl | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Multi-Protocol Support (TCP/UDP) | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| HTTP Logs Tracing | ✔️ | ❌ (Coming Soon) |
| GitHub Sync | ✔️ | ❌ (Coming Soon) |
| Local JSON File Configuration | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Auto Import with k8s Annotations | ✔️ | ✔️ |

## kftray - Desktop App

* [INSTALL.md](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/tree/main/docs/kftui/INSTALL.md)
    
* [USAGE.md](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/tree/main/docs/kftray/USAGE.md)
    
* [BUILD.md](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/tree/main/docs/kftray/BUILD.md)
    

## kftui - Terminal User Interface

* [INSTALL.md](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/tree/main/docs/kftui/INSTALL.md)
    
* [USAGE.md](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/tree/main/docs/kftui/USAGE.md)
    
* [BUILD.md](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/tree/main/docs/kftui/BUILD.md)
    

## kftray server - Proxy Relay Server

* [ARCH.md](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/tree/main/docs/ARCH.md).
    

## Contributing

* **Pull Requests:** Feel free to create pull requests for bug fixes, new features, or improvements.
    
* **Issues:** Report bugs, suggest new features, or ask questions.
    
* **Feedback:** Your feedback helps improve kftray.
    

## License

kftray is available under the [MIT License](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray/blob/main/LICENSE.md). See the LICENSE file for full details.

## Star History

![Star History Chart](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/1c33ca47047c2c38ca0cec4a0be5d637ba615885d6db433093c7c8ef097362d4/68747470733a2f2f6170692e737461722d686973746f72792e636f6d2f7376673f7265706f733d68636176617273616e2f6b667472617926747970653d44617465 align="center")