Configuration

Configure Kubey using environment variables.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	8080	Port for the web server
HOST	0.0.0.0	Host to bind to
AUTH_MODE	single	Authentication mode (single, shared, hybrid)
DATABASE_URL	—	PostgreSQL connection string (required for shared mode)
JWT_SECRET	—	Secret for JWT token signing
ENCRYPTION_KEY	—	Key for encrypting stored kubeconfigs
KUBECONFIG	~/.kube/config	Path to kubeconfig file
LOG_LEVEL	info	Logging level (debug, info, warn, error)
LICENSE_KEY	—	License key for Pro/Hosted features (JWT)

Authentication Modes

Single Mode

No authentication required. Anyone with network access can use Kubey. Best for local development or internal networks.

AUTH_MODE=single

Shared Mode

Full multi-user support with OAuth. Requires PostgreSQL. Users authenticate and see clusters shared with them.

AUTH_MODE=shared
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@host:5432/kubey
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=xxx
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=xxx

Hybrid Mode

Like shared mode, but users can also see clusters from the mounted kubeconfig.

AUTH_MODE=hybrid

OAuth Configuration

GitHub

Variable	Description
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID	GitHub OAuth App Client ID
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET	GitHub OAuth App Client Secret

Google

Variable	Description
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID	Google OAuth Client ID
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET	Google OAuth Client Secret

Licensing

A license key is required to unlock Pro and Hosted features. After purchasing a subscription at kubey.app/pricing, you'll receive a license key via email.

Setting Your License Key

Pass the license key as an environment variable when running Kubey:

Dockerbash

docker run -e LICENSE_KEY="eyJ..." kubey/kubey

Docker Composebash

services:
  kubey:
    image: kubey/kubey
    environment:
      - LICENSE_KEY=eyJ...

Kubernetesbash

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: kubey-license
type: Opaque
stringData:
  LICENSE_KEY: "eyJ..."
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: kubey
        envFrom:
        - secretRef:
            name: kubey-license

License Tiers

Tier	Clusters	Features
Free	Up to 6	Basic monitoring
Pro	Unlimited	OAuth, Admin Panel
Hosted	Unlimited	OAuth, Admin Panel
Enterprise	Unlimited	OAuth, Admin Panel, SSO, Audit Logs

License keys are valid for one year from purchase and automatically renew with your subscription. Your current license status can be viewed in the Admin Panel under Settings.

Admin Settings

These settings can be configured through the Admin Panel UI:

Allowed Domains — Restrict sign-ups to specific email domains (e.g., @yourcompany.com)
Invite Only — Disable self-registration, only invited users can sign up
Cluster Sharing — Share clusters between users

Example Configuration

.envbash

# Server
PORT=8080
HOST=0.0.0.0
LOG_LEVEL=info

# Authentication
AUTH_MODE=shared
JWT_SECRET=change-me-to-a-secure-random-string
ENCRYPTION_KEY=change-me-to-another-secure-string

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgres://kubey:kubey@localhost:5432/kubey?sslmode=disable

# OAuth - GitHub
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=your_github_client_id
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=your_github_client_secret

# OAuth - Google (optional)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret

# Kubernetes (optional, defaults to ~/.kube/config)
KUBECONFIG=/path/to/your/kubeconfig