rancher-sandbox/rancher-desktop

★ 7,145TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Local Kubernetes cluster
      Container management
      Bundled CLI tools
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      Go
      Kubernetes
    Use cases
      Local container testing
      Learning Kubernetes
      Scripted automation
    Audience
      Developers
      DevOps engineers

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Local Kubernetes cluster Container management Bundled CLI tools Tech stack TypeScript Go Kubernetes Use cases Local container testing Learning Kubernetes Scripted automation Audience Developers DevOps engineers

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Run a local Kubernetes cluster on your laptop to test deployments without needing a cloud account.

USE CASE 2

Build and run Docker containers on macOS, Windows, or Linux using bundled CLI tools from a single installer.

USE CASE 3

Learn how containers and Kubernetes work by experimenting locally at zero cost.

USE CASE 4

Script container and cluster management tasks using the included rdctl command-line tool.

Tech stack

TypeScriptGoKubernetesDocker

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires downloading and running a full desktop installer, building from source requires both Go and Node toolchains.

In plain English

Rancher Desktop is a free, open-source application you install on your computer, like any other desktop app. It gives you the ability to run containers and Kubernetes locally on Windows, macOS, or Linux without needing a separate server or cloud account. Containers are a way of packaging software so it runs consistently on any machine, Kubernetes is a system for managing groups of containers, commonly used by engineering teams at companies of various sizes. Once installed, you can use Rancher Desktop to build, run, and test containerized software directly on your own machine. It comes with command-line tools like kubectl and nerdctl, which let you interact with containers from a terminal. It also includes a graphical interface so you can see what is running and manage it without typing commands. A companion command-line tool called rdctl is included for scripting and automation. The project is aimed at developers who need a local Kubernetes environment for testing, but it is also useful for anyone learning how containers work. The application bundles together several underlying technologies into one installer, so you do not have to piece together multiple tools yourself. The README in this repository is oriented toward people who want to build or contribute to Rancher Desktop from its source code. If you are looking to download and use the application, the project points you to rancherdesktop.io for user-facing documentation and downloads. The source code is primarily written in TypeScript, with some parts in Go.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

How do I set up a local Kubernetes cluster using Rancher Desktop on macOS and deploy a simple containerized web app to it?

Prompt 2

How can I use kubectl with Rancher Desktop to deploy a Docker image from a local registry to my local cluster?

Prompt 3

What is the difference between using nerdctl and Docker CLI with Rancher Desktop, and which should I use?

Prompt 4

How do I use the rdctl command-line tool in Rancher Desktop to script container operations the way I would with shell scripting?

Prompt 5

How do I build Rancher Desktop from source on Linux, what dependencies do I need beyond TypeScript and Go?

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