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Concepts

K9S with OpenID Connect (OIDC): Secure, Modern Kubernetes Authentication

Andrios Robert

• 1 min read

What is K9S OpenID Connect (OIDC)
K9S is the streamlined terminal UI for managing Kubernetes clusters. OIDC is an identity layer built on OAuth 2.0. When you integrate OIDC into K9S, you bind authentication to a trusted identity provider. That means you can use Single Sign-On (SSO) with providers like Google, Azure AD, Okta, or Keycloak — directly within your Kubernetes workflows.

Why Use OIDC with K9S

  • Strong authentication tied to existing identity systems
  • Automatic token refresh without manual kubectl hacks
  • Fine-grained RBAC mapping based on OIDC claims
  • Reduced risk from leaked, long-lived kubeconfig tokens

How It Works
Your Kubernetes API server must support OIDC. You configure it with flags such as:

--oidc-issuer-url=https://accounts.example.com 
--oidc-client-id=kubernetes 
--oidc-username-claim=email 
--oidc-groups-claim=groups

K9S pulls credentials from the same kubeconfig context that uses OIDC. When you log in, the terminal triggers the OAuth flow. The kubeconfig stores short-lived tokens. K9S uses them transparently.

Configuring K9S for OIDC

  1. Ensure cluster API server is configured for OIDC.
  2. Set up your identity provider with a client ID and secret for Kubernetes.
  3. Update kubeconfig with OIDC parameters via kubectl config set-credentials.
  4. Launch K9S. It will honor the existing OIDC flow, acquiring and refreshing tokens as needed.

Best Practices

  • Keep OIDC tokens short-lived, enforce refresh.
  • Use secure transport (HTTPS) for all OIDC endpoints.
  • Map OIDC groups to Kubernetes RBAC for precise control.
  • Rotate credentials and secrets regularly in your IdP.

K9S with OpenID Connect delivers secure, modern authentication without sacrificing speed. Your cluster responds faster. Your identity stays strong. Your workflow stays clean.

See it live in minutes at hoop.dev — and run K9S with OIDC instantly, without manual setup.