K9S Single Sign-On: Streamlined Kubernetes Authentication

The login prompt kept appearing. Every new kubectl session. Every terminal tab. Every switch between clusters. For engineers working in Kubernetes daily, this slows everything down. K9S Single Sign-On (SSO) removes that friction.

K9S is the terminal UI for managing Kubernetes resources. It’s fast, scriptable, and built for precision. But until now, authentication was tied to short-lived kubeconfig tokens or manual logins. With K9S SSO, you log in once, use multiple clusters, and move across namespaces without re-authentication.

SSO in K9S works by integrating with your identity provider. This can be Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, or any OIDC-compliant source. The identity provider handles the credentials. K9S receives a valid token. Every command that touches the API uses that token, without new prompts.

The configuration is straightforward. You define the OIDC settings in your kubeconfig. K9S reads the same configuration kubectl uses. When the token expires, it refreshes silently through the provider. Engineers no longer store service account keys locally or manually rotate certificates.

Security improves as well. Centralized authentication enforces multi-factor login across all clusters. Audit logs track access in one place. If access needs to be revoked, it’s done in the identity provider—no need to update every kubeconfig.

For organizations, K9S Single Sign-On reduces onboarding time. New hires get instant access through the company’s standard login flow. No scattered credentials. No separate password managers.

This isn’t theory. You can see it running now. Configure your Kubernetes auth in hoop.dev, connect K9S, and experience zero-login cluster management in minutes. Try it live at hoop.dev and streamline your workflow today.