About Skaffold
Skaffold is an open source tool from Google for container and Kubernetes development. It handles the build, push and deploy steps so you can focus on writing code.
What it does
Skaffold watches your project and runs the steps needed to get a change into your cluster. It is client-side only, so there is no extra component to install on the cluster. You describe the workflow in a skaffold.yaml file, and the same file can be used on a laptop, in a CI pipeline or by someone who clones the project.
Key features
- Builds, pushes and deploys in one command
- Client-side only, with no cluster component
- Profiles and environment variables for each environment
- Port forwarding and log streaming
- File syncing for faster feedback
Who it's for
Developers who build services for Kubernetes and want a faster edit-and-test loop. Teams that want one workflow file shared between local development and CI will also find it useful.
Pricing and good to know
Skaffold is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence and is free to use. It runs from the command line and can also be used from supported IDEs. You still need access to a Kubernetes cluster and a container build setup, so plan those before you start.
Highlights
- Build, push and deploy from one command
- No component to install on the cluster
- Profiles for different environments
- Port forwarding and log streaming
- File syncing for faster feedback
