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In this guide, you’ll master Kubernetes cluster management using Lens. You will learn to:
  • Launch the Lens application
  • Add a cluster automatically via detected kubeconfig
  • Add a cluster manually with a pasted kubeconfig
  • View and customize cluster settings
  • Enable and explore Lens Metrics powered by Prometheus
  • Utilize the built-in smart terminal
  • Navigate cluster overview and inspect pod details
  • Edit a live pod manifest in the UI
  • Create, view, and scale an Nginx deployment
  • Remove a cluster from Lens safely

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Launching Lens

Start the Lens desktop application to reach the Home screen, where you can connect and manage multiple Kubernetes clusters.

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Adding a Cluster Automatically

  1. Click Browse Clusters in the catalog sidebar.
  2. Lens scans your system for kubeconfig files.
  3. Select a detected cluster (e.g., minikube) and hit Open.
The image shows a software interface displaying a catalog with a list of clusters, including one named "minikube," which is currently disconnected. The interface has a dark theme with navigation options on the left.
Once added, Lens presents performance metrics over the last hour using a built-in Prometheus dashboard:
The image shows a dashboard interface for monitoring a Kubernetes cluster using Minikube, displaying CPU and memory usage, pod capacity, and warnings.

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Adding a Cluster Manually

If your kubeconfig isn’t auto-detected, you can paste it directly:
Ensure your kubeconfig includes the correct contexts and clusters entries for the target environment.
  1. Navigate to File → Add Cluster.
  2. Paste the full kubeconfig YAML into the editor.
  3. Click Add Cluster to register it in Lens.
The image shows a dark interface for adding clusters from a Kubeconfig file, with a button labeled "Add clusters" and a note about clusters not being merged into the config file.

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Viewing and Configuring Cluster Settings

Select your cluster and open Settings to:
  • Rename the cluster (e.g., Edwards Performance Cluster)
  • Upload a custom icon
  • Manage namespace visibility
  • Configure HTTP/HTTPS proxy
  • Tweak metrics collection intervals
The image shows a dark-themed user interface for managing a Kubernetes cluster, with options like General, Proxy, Terminal, and Metrics on the left sidebar. The main section displays settings for a cluster named "Edwards performance cluster" and its Kubeconfig path.

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Enabling Lens Metrics

Under the Metrics tab, install a Prometheus monitoring stack to get detailed resource insights:
Stack ComponentMetrics Collected
PrometheusCPU, Memory, Disk, Network
kube-state-metricsDeployment, Pod, Node statuses
node-exporterHost system metrics
Click Enable next to each component to deploy it on your cluster.
The image shows a software interface for managing cluster metrics, with options to enable Prometheus, kube-state-metrics, and node-exporter stacks. The settings are part of a tool called "Lens Metrics" within a cluster management application.

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Smart Terminal

Lens’ built-in terminal automatically switches context to the active cluster. No extra kubectl config use-context commands are needed when you switch clusters in the UI.

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Cluster Overview

The Overview dashboard gives you a high-level look at all workloads:
Resource TypeDescription
PodsRunning containers
DeploymentsReplica set controllers
DaemonSetsNode-level pod orchestration
StatefulSetsStateful application management
ServicesNetwork endpoints
ConfigMapsConfiguration objects
The image shows a dashboard interface for managing a Kubernetes cluster, displaying an overview of workloads and a visual representation of resources.

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Pod Details and Logs

Click Pods to inspect each pod’s metrics over the last hour—CPU, memory, network I/O, and filesystem usage. You can also:
  • exec or attach to a pod shell
  • View container logs
  • Edit the live manifest
The image shows a dashboard interface for managing Kubernetes clusters, displaying details of pods, including CPU usage and metadata for a specific pod named "etcd-minikube."

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Editing a Pod Manifest

Hit Edit, modify the YAML in place, then Save to apply changes instantly: 
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: kube-apiserver-minikube
  namespace: kube-system
  labels:
    tier: control-plane
  annotations:
    kubedam.kubernetes.io/kube-apiserver.advertise-address.endpoint: "192.168.49.2:8443"
    kubernetes.io/config.hash: e30e12caf2cdbac2939b18e4
    kubernetes.io/config.mirror: e30e12caf2cdbac2939b18e4
    kubernetes.io/config.seam: "2021-08-24T18:07:09Z"
    kubernetes.io/config.source: file
ownerReferences:
  - apiVersion: v1
    kind: Node
    name: minikube
    uid: 7deb6c0a-5ab5-46b9-8975-ec5398777a71
    controller: true
    blockOwnerDeletion: true

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Creating an Nginx Deployment

Lens simplifies resource creation—no CLI required. Select Add Resource and paste: 
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nginx-deployment
  labels:
    app: nginx
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nginx
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nginx
        image: nginx:1.14.2
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
Click Create & Close. Once the deployment is live, select nginx-deployment to view its status and annotations: 
kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration: >
  {"apiVersion":"apps/v1","kind":"Deployment","metadata":{"annotations":{},"name":"nginx-deployment","namespace":"default"},"spec":{"replicas":3,"selector":{"matchLabels":{"app":"nginx"}},"template":{"metadata":{"labels":{"app":"nginx"}},"spec":{"containers":[{"name":"nginx","image":"nginx:1.14.2","ports":[{"containerPort":80}]}]}}}}

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Scaling the Deployment

  1. Select your nginx-deployment.
  2. Click the Scale icon.
  3. Adjust the replica count slider or input a number.
Lens will automatically reflect new pods under Pods as they come online:
The image shows a dashboard interface for managing Kubernetes pods, displaying details such as pod names, namespaces, container status, and running status.

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Removing a Cluster

When you no longer need a cluster in Lens:
Deleting a cluster in Lens removes its entry from your Lens config but does not delete the cluster itself.
  • Right-click the cluster icon in the sidebar.
  • Select Delete to remove its kubeconfig entry and dashboards.
The image shows a dashboard interface for monitoring a Kubernetes cluster, displaying CPU and memory usage, along with warnings and system messages.
After removal, your Lens Home screen will show no connected clusters.

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Further Reading and References

For advanced cluster operations, explore the Kubernetes API Reference.

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