kubectl-watch: A Kubernetes Resource Change Watcher Plugin – Installation, Usage, and Options

Author: imuxin, Backend Engineer at Lingque Cloud.

Today we recommend the kubectl-watch plugin, a kubectl extension that watches Kubernetes resource changes and displays them using delta or difftastic for a beautiful terminal UI.

Installation

Method 1: Use Docker Image

Ensure Docker (or containerd with nerdctl) is installed in your environment.

Copy the /usr/local/bin/kubectl-watch script from the script directory to a directory in your $PATH, for example:

cp script/kubectl-watch /usr/local/bin/
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kubectl-watch

Method 2: Download Release Asset

Download the compiled binary from the release assets page.

Method 3: Build from Source with Cargo

cargo install kubectl-watch --locked

Command Help

USAGE:
    kubectl-watch [OPTIONS] [ARGS]

ARGS:
    <RESOURCE>    Support resource 'plural', 'kind' and 'shortname'
    <NAME>        Resource name, optional

OPTIONS:
    -A, --all                       List objects across all namespaces
        --diff-tool <DIFF_TOOL>    Diff tool to analyze delta changes [default: delta] [possible values: delta, difft]
        --export <EXPORT>          Path where all watched resources will be stored
    -h, --help                      Print help information
        --include-managed-fields   Show managed fields delta changes
    -l, --selector <SELECTOR>       Selector (label query) to filter on
    -n, --namespace <NAMESPACE>     Namespace scope for this CLI request
    -s, --skip-delta                Skip showing delta changes view
        --use-tls                  Use TLS to request the API server
    -V, --version                   Print version information

Examples

Watch all deployments in all namespaces:

kubectl-watch deployment -A

Watch deployments in a specific namespace:

kubectl-watch deployment -n {namespace}

Watch a specific deployment in a namespace:

kubectl-watch deployment -n {namespace} {name}

Use --skip-delta to only show changed resources (similar to kubectl get -w):

kubectl-watch {resource} --delta

Use --diff-tool difft to display changes with the difftastic tool:

kubectl-watch {resource} --diff-tool difft

Export watched resources to a local path with --export "/to/your/path":

kubectl-watch {resource} --export "/to/your/path"

Show managed fields changes with --include-managed-fields:

kubectl-watch {resource} -include-managed-fields

Acknowledgments

delta

difftastic

kube-rs

rust

Reference Links

[1] delta: https://github.com/dandavison/delta

[2] difftastic: https://github.com/Wilfred/difftastic

[3] Docker install guide: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

[4] containerd install tutorial: https://github.com/containerd/containerd/blob/main/docs/getting-started.md#installing-containerd

[5] nerdctl: https://github.com/containerd/nerdctl

[6] Release assets: https://github.com/imuxin/kubectl-watch/releases

[7] Cargo crate: https://crates.io/crates/kubectl-watch