PowerShell Usage¶

If you're using KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck via PowerShell, this guide will help you monitor and analyze your Kubernetes clusters. Below are detailed instructions and examples for various commands.

🔧 Prerequisites¶

Before running KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck, ensure you: - Are connected to a Kubernetes cluster/context. - Have kubectl installed and configured. - Have Azure CLI (az cli) installed if using AKS features. - Are logged into Azure and using the correct subscription for AKS monitoring.

(Optional) Enable AI Recommendations¶

If you’d like to use OpenAI to automatically generate enhanced recommendations, set your OpenAI API key as an environment variable:

$env:OpenAIKey = "<your-openai-api-key>"

KubeBuddy will detect this and enrich reports with AI-generated summaries and HTML guidance where applicable.

If you're running AKS checks or using the -Aks flag, see the full AKS Configuration & Best Practices Setup guide for prerequisites and role setup.

For generic Kubernetes (non-AKS) scans, see Kubernetes Scan Permissions for the required read-only RBAC setup.

Available Commands¶

The following table provides a quick reference for KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck commands:

Action	Command Example
Run KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck	`Invoke-KubeBuddy`
Generate an HTML report	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport`
Generate an JSON report	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -jsonReport`
Generate a text report	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -txtReport`
Generate reports with custom path	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport -OutputPath ./custom-report`
Use cluster-specific config file	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport -ConfigPath ~/.kube/kubebuddy-config-prod.yaml`
Exclude configured + extra namespaces	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport -ExcludeNamespaces -AdditionalExcludedNamespaces "azure-monitor","istio-system"`
Run a KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck with an AKS Best Practices Check	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -Aks -SubscriptionId <subscriptionID> -ResourceGroup <resourceGroup> -ClusterName <clusterName>`
Run AKS best practices check and HTML report	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport -Aks -SubscriptionId $SubscriptionId -ResourceGroup $ResourceGroup -ClusterName $ClusterName`
Run AKS best practices check and text report	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -txtReport -Aks -SubscriptionId $SubscriptionId -ResourceGroup $ResourceGroup -ClusterName $ClusterName`
Upload JSON scan to Radar (Pro)	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -jsonReport -RadarUpload -RadarEnvironment prod`
Compare latest run with previous in Radar (Pro)	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -jsonReport -RadarUpload -RadarCompare -RadarEnvironment prod`
Fetch a saved Radar cluster config (Pro)	`Invoke-KubeBuddy -RadarFetchConfig -RadarConfigId <cluster-config-id>`

Radar uploads always use the JSON report payload.

Set your Radar credentials first (WordPress username + Application Password):

$env:KUBEBUDDY_RADAR_API_USER = "<wordpress-username>"
$env:KUBEBUDDY_RADAR_API_PASSWORD = "<wordpress-app-password>"

1. Running KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck¶

To run KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck on your Kubernetes cluster:

Invoke-KubeBuddy

This command provides a detailed menu-driven interface that allows you to navigate through various monitoring options. It analyzes node status, resource usage, workloads, and RBAC security settings.

2. Running KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck with an AKS Best Practices Check¶

To check best practices for an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster:

Invoke-KubeBuddy -Aks -SubscriptionId <subscriptionID> -ResourceGroup <resourceGroup> -ClusterName <clusterName>

You must provide your Azure Subscription ID, the Resource Group where your AKS cluster resides, and the Cluster Name.

3. Generating Reports¶

Generate an HTML Report¶

Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport

Screenshot of KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck HTML Report

View Sample HTML Report

The Overview tab includes a Rightsizing at a Glance section when Prometheus sizing checks are available, summarizing node and pod sizing opportunities with quick links to PROM006 and PROM007.

Generate a JSON Report¶

Invoke-KubeBuddy -jsonReport

¶

Generate a Text Report¶

Invoke-KubeBuddy -txtReport

Screenshot of KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck Text Report

View Sample txt Report

Customizing Report Output Path¶

You can specify a custom filename or directory for the report using -OutputPath.

Save report in a specific directory¶

Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport -OutputPath ./reports

✔️ Saves the HTML report as:

./reports/kubebuddy-report-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.html

Invoke-KubeBuddy -jsonReport -OutputPath ./reports

✔️ Saves the JSON report as:

./reports/kubebuddy-report-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.json

Invoke-KubeBuddy -txtReport -OutputPath ./reports

✔️ Saves the TXT report as:

./reports/kubebuddy-report-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.txt

Generate report with a custom filename¶

Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport -OutputPath ./custom-report.html

✔️ Saves the HTML report as:

./custom-report.html

Invoke-KubeBuddy -jsonReport -OutputPath ./custom-report.json

✔️ Saves the JSON report as:

./custom-report.json

Invoke-KubeBuddy -txtReport -OutputPath ./custom-report.txt

✔️ Saves the TXT report as:

./custom-report.txt

4. Running an AKS Health Check alongside the HTML report¶

To check best practices for an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster, ensure you are logged into Azure and using the correct subscription:

az login
az account set --subscription <subscription-id>
Invoke-KubeBuddy -HtmlReport -Aks -SubscriptionId $SubscriptionId -ResourceGroup $ResourceGroup -ClusterName $ClusterName

Screenshot of KubeBuddy powered by KubeDeck HTML + AKS Report

View Sample HTML Report

5. Running an AKS Health Check alongside the JSON report¶

To check best practices for an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster:

az login
az account set --subscription <subscription-id>
Invoke-KubeBuddy -jsonReport -Aks -SubscriptionId $SubscriptionId -ResourceGroup $ResourceGroup -ClusterName $ClusterName

5. Running an AKS Health Check alongside the txt report¶