Setting up Kubectl
As mentioned in Chapter 1, Understanding Kubernetes and Helm, Kubernetes is a system that exposes different API endpoints. These API endpoints are used to perform various actions on a cluster, such as creating, viewing, or deleting resources. To provide simpler user experience, developers need a way of interacting with Kubernetes without having to manage the underlying API layer.
While you will predominantly use the Helm command-line tool throughout the course of this book to install and manage applications, kubectl is an essential tool for common tasks.
Read on to learn how to install kubectl on a local workstation. Note that the kubectl version used at the time of writing is v1.16.2.
Installing Kubectl
Kubectl can be installed using Minikube or it can be obtained via a package manager or through direct download. We will first describe how to obtain kubectl using Minikube.