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Installation

Complete installation guide for all platforms.

Homebrew (macOS / Linux)

Add Tap

brew tap gautampachnanda101/tap

Install Package

brew install k3d-local

Upgrade

brew upgrade k3d-local

Uninstall

brew uninstall k3d-local
brew untap gautampachnanda101/tap  # Optional: remove tap entirely

macOS-Specific Notes

M1/M2/M3 Apple Silicon

The formula automatically detects and uses the ARM64 binary:

brew install k3d-local  # Automatically installs correct version

Intel Macs

Similarly, Intel 64-bit binaries are automatically selected.

Verify Installation

k3d-local --version

Linux

Supported Distributions

  • Ubuntu 20.04+
  • Debian 11+
  • Fedora 34+
  • CentOS 8+
  • Any other distribution with glibc 2.31+

Install via Homebrew (Linuxbrew)

If you have Linuxbrew installed:

brew tap gautampachnanda101/tap
brew install k3d-local

Manual Installation

If Homebrew isn't available:

# Download latest release
curl -L https://github.com/gautampachnanda101/local-cluster-k3d/releases/download/v1.0.3/k3d-local_1.0.3_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz -o k3d-local.tar.gz

# Extract
tar xzf k3d-local.tar.gz

# Install to PATH
sudo mv k3d-local /usr/local/bin/
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/k3d-local

# Verify
k3d-local --version

Dependencies

Required

  • Docker 20.10+ (must be installed separately)

Optional (Auto-installable)

The --auto-install flag will automatically detect and install:

  • k3d 5.8.3+
  • kubectl 1.25+
  • helm 3.0+

Manual Dependency Installation

If you prefer to install manually:

# Docker Desktop
brew install --cask docker

# Kubernetes tools
brew install kubectl helm k3d
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y docker.io kubectl helm

# k3d
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/k3d-io/k3d/main/install.sh | bash
# Using Scoop
scoop bucket add main
scoop install docker kubectl helm k3d

First-Run Setup

After installation, start your first cluster:

# Option 1: Auto-install missing dependencies
k3d-local create --auto-install --with-traefik --with-apps

# Option 2: Manual prerequisite check
k3d-local create --with-traefik --with-apps

See Getting Started for your next steps.

Troubleshooting Installation

Command Not Found

If k3d-local is not recognized after installation:

# Verify Homebrew installation
which k3d-local

# If empty, reload shell
exec $SHELL

# If still empty, check Homebrew paths
brew --prefix k3d-local

Version Conflicts

Check installed version:

brew list k3d-local
k3d-local --version

To install a specific version:

brew install k3d-local@1.0.3  # May vary by version

See Also