Sign in Subscribe
Concepts

What Is JWT-Based Authentication in K9S

Andrios Robert

• 1 min read

The terminal waits. The cluster is running. You need to connect, but you demand security you control. K9S with JWT-based authentication makes that possible without giving up speed or simplicity.

What Is JWT-Based Authentication in K9S

JSON Web Tokens (JWT) are a compact, cryptographically signed way of proving identity. In K9S, JWTs let the CLI communicate with Kubernetes clusters using signed credentials instead of static tokens or basic auth. They scale well, expire predictably, and integrate cleanly with modern identity providers.

Why Choose JWT for K9S

JWT-based authentication avoids storing long-lived secrets in your configs. Every token is stateless, meaning the server doesn’t need to store session data. Once the signature checks out, the request is trusted. This design reduces attack surfaces and aligns with zero-trust policies common in modern infrastructure.

Configuring K9S for JWT-Based Authentication

  1. Generate a JWT from your identity provider or authentication service. Use HS256 or RS256 signing algorithms for secure verification.
  2. Expose Kubernetes API to accept bearer tokens from clients. This often involves enabling OpenID Connect (OIDC) integration.
  3. Update kubeconfig with user settings to use auth-provider referencing your OIDC issuer. The token field should pull dynamically from your JWT source.
  4. Launch K9S. Once kubeconfig is configured, K9S will handle the token exchange transparently, refreshing where possible before expiry.

Best Practices for JWT in K9S

  • Use short-lived tokens and automated refresh to minimize impact if compromised.
  • Store private keys in secure vaults, never in repo.
  • Monitor audit logs for authentication failures or anomalies.
  • Validate token claims server-side to confirm client permissions.

The end result: a fast, secure, developer-friendly CLI session to your Kubernetes cluster. No bloated auth flows, no risky long-lived secrets, just clean JWT-based authentication inside K9S.

See it live in minutes with hoop.dev — spin up secure, JWT-powered access workflows and connect to your clusters now.