> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/kubernetes-retired/dashboard/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

> Detailed guide for installing Kubernetes Dashboard using Helm

<Warning>
  **Project Archived**: This project is now archived and no longer maintained. Please consider using [Headlamp](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/headlamp) for new deployments.
</Warning>

## Overview

Kubernetes Dashboard supports only Helm-based installation as of version 7.0.0. Helm provides better control over dependencies and makes it easier to manage the multi-container setup required by Dashboard.

## Prerequisites

Before installing Kubernetes Dashboard, ensure you have:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Kubernetes Cluster">
    A running Kubernetes cluster with version **1.21.0 or higher**.

    Verify your cluster version:

    ```bash theme={null}
    kubectl version --short
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Helm 3">
    Helm 3 installed on your local machine.

    Check your Helm version:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm version
    ```

    <Note>
      Helm 2 is no longer supported. If you're using Helm 2, follow the [migration guide](https://helm.sh/blog/migrate-from-helm-v2-to-helm-v3/).
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="kubectl Access">
    `kubectl` configured with access to your cluster and permissions to create namespaces and resources.

    Verify cluster access:

    ```bash theme={null}
    kubectl cluster-info
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Quick Installation

The fastest way to install Kubernetes Dashboard:

```bash theme={null}
# Add kubernetes-dashboard repository
helm repo add kubernetes-dashboard https://kubernetes.github.io/dashboard/

# Deploy a Helm Release named "kubernetes-dashboard" using the kubernetes-dashboard chart
helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard --create-namespace --namespace kubernetes-dashboard
```

<Note>
  This command will:

  * Create the `kubernetes-dashboard` namespace if it doesn't exist
  * Install or upgrade the Dashboard release
  * Use default configuration values
</Note>

## Step-by-Step Installation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add the Helm Repository">
    Add the official Kubernetes Dashboard Helm repository:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm repo add kubernetes-dashboard https://kubernetes.github.io/dashboard/
    ```

    Update your local Helm chart repository cache:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm repo update
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="(Optional) Review Available Versions">
    Check available chart versions:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm search repo kubernetes-dashboard --versions
    ```

    The latest stable version is **7.14.0**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="(Optional) Customize Installation">
    Download the default values file to customize your installation:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm show values kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard > values.yaml
    ```

    Edit `values.yaml` to customize settings like:

    * Resource limits and requests
    * Ingress configuration
    * Security settings
    * Optional dependencies (cert-manager, ingress-nginx, metrics-server)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install the Chart">
    Install Dashboard with default settings:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
      --create-namespace \
      --namespace kubernetes-dashboard
    ```

    Or with custom values:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
      --create-namespace \
      --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
      -f values.yaml
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Architecture Components

The Helm chart deploys the following components:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Core Dashboard Components">
    * **Web UI** (`kubernetesui/dashboard-web:1.7.0`): Frontend interface
    * **API Server** (`kubernetesui/dashboard-api:1.14.0`): Backend API
    * **Auth Service** (`kubernetesui/dashboard-auth:1.4.0`): Authentication handler
    * **Kong Gateway** (v2.52.0): API gateway in DBless mode
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Optional Components">
    * **Metrics Scraper** (`kubernetesui/dashboard-metrics-scraper:1.2.2`): Enabled by default
    * **Metrics Server** (v3.13.0): Disabled by default, enable if not already in cluster
    * **Cert Manager** (v1.19.1): Disabled by default, required for TLS certificates
    * **Ingress NGINX** (v4.13.3): Disabled by default, for ingress support
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Configuration Options

### Enable Optional Dependencies

If you don't have these components already installed in your cluster:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Enable Metrics Server theme={null}
  helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
    --create-namespace \
    --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
    --set metrics-server.enabled=true
  ```

  ```bash Enable Cert Manager theme={null}
  helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
    --create-namespace \
    --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
    --set cert-manager.enabled=true \
    --set cert-manager.installCRDs=true
  ```

  ```bash Enable Ingress NGINX theme={null}
  helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
    --create-namespace \
    --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
    --set nginx.enabled=true
  ```

  ```bash Enable All Optional Components theme={null}
  helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
    --create-namespace \
    --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
    --set metrics-server.enabled=true \
    --set cert-manager.enabled=true \
    --set cert-manager.installCRDs=true \
    --set nginx.enabled=true
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Configure Ingress

Enable and configure Ingress for external access:

```bash theme={null}
helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
  --create-namespace \
  --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
  --set app.ingress.enabled=true \
  --set app.ingress.hosts[0]=dashboard.example.com \
  --set app.ingress.ingressClassName=nginx
```

### Resource Limits

Adjust resource limits for production deployments:

```bash theme={null}
helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
  --create-namespace \
  --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
  --set api.containers.resources.limits.cpu=500m \
  --set api.containers.resources.limits.memory=512Mi \
  --set web.containers.resources.limits.cpu=500m \
  --set web.containers.resources.limits.memory=512Mi
```

## Verification

Verify the installation was successful:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check Pod Status">
    Ensure all pods are running:

    ```bash theme={null}
    kubectl get pods -n kubernetes-dashboard
    ```

    Expected output (with default configuration):

    ```
    NAME                                                   READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
    kubernetes-dashboard-api-xxxxx                         1/1     Running   0          2m
    kubernetes-dashboard-auth-xxxxx                        1/1     Running   0          2m
    kubernetes-dashboard-kong-xxxxx                        1/1     Running   0          2m
    kubernetes-dashboard-metrics-scraper-xxxxx             1/1     Running   0          2m
    kubernetes-dashboard-web-xxxxx                         1/1     Running   0          2m
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check Services">
    Verify services are created:

    ```bash theme={null}
    kubectl get svc -n kubernetes-dashboard
    ```

    Look for the `kubernetes-dashboard-kong-proxy` service, which is the main entry point.
  </Step>

  <Step title="View Helm Release">
    Check the Helm release status:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm list -n kubernetes-dashboard
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common Installation Issues

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Pods stuck in Pending state">
    **Cause**: Insufficient cluster resources or persistent volume claims not bound.

    **Solution**:

    1. Check pod events: `kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n kubernetes-dashboard`
    2. Ensure your cluster has enough CPU and memory
    3. For PVC issues, verify storage classes are available
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="CrashLoopBackOff errors">
    **Cause**: Configuration issues or incompatible Kubernetes version.

    **Solution**:

    1. Check pod logs: `kubectl logs <pod-name> -n kubernetes-dashboard`
    2. Verify Kubernetes version is >= 1.21.0
    3. Review custom values for configuration errors
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ImagePullBackOff errors">
    **Cause**: Cannot pull container images from Docker Hub.

    **Solution**:

    1. Check network connectivity to Docker Hub
    2. Verify image pull secrets if using a private registry
    3. Check for rate limiting issues with Docker Hub
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Dependency conflicts">
    **Cause**: cert-manager, nginx, or metrics-server already installed with different versions.

    **Solution**:
    Disable the conflicting dependencies:

    ```bash theme={null}
    helm upgrade --install kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
      --create-namespace \
      --namespace kubernetes-dashboard \
      --set nginx.enabled=false \
      --set cert-manager.enabled=false \
      --set metrics-server.enabled=false
    ```
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Uninstalling Dashboard

To completely remove Kubernetes Dashboard:

```bash theme={null}
# Delete the Helm release
helm delete kubernetes-dashboard --namespace kubernetes-dashboard

# Delete the namespace (optional)
kubectl delete namespace kubernetes-dashboard
```

<Warning>
  This will permanently delete all Dashboard data and configurations. Ensure you have backups if needed.
</Warning>

## Upgrading

To upgrade to a newer version:

```bash theme={null}
# Update repository
helm repo update

# Upgrade the release
helm upgrade kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard \
  --namespace kubernetes-dashboard
```

<Note>
  Major version upgrades (e.g., 6.x to 7.x) may require manual intervention. Always check the [Helm chart README](https://github.com/kubernetes/dashboard/blob/master/charts/kubernetes-dashboard/README.md) for upgrade notes.
</Note>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Access Dashboard" icon="door-open" href="/accessing-dashboard">
    Learn different methods to access your Dashboard installation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configure Access Control" icon="shield-halved">
    Set up authentication and authorization for your users
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Additional Resources

* [Helm Chart on ArtifactHub](https://artifacthub.io/packages/helm/k8s-dashboard/kubernetes-dashboard)
* [Chart Values Reference](https://github.com/kubernetes/dashboard/blob/master/charts/kubernetes-dashboard/values.yaml)
* [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/kubernetes/dashboard)