Quick Start to Install Confluent kubectl Plugin

Install and use the Confluent kubectl plugin after completing a quick start. The Confluent for Kubernetes (CFK) bundle contains this plugin for interacting with Confluent for Kubernetes.

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Download the CFK bundle:

    curl -O https://packages.confluent.io/bundle/cfk/confluent-for-kubernetes-3.3.0.tar.gz

    Expected: The bundle downloads to your current directory as a .tar.gz file named confluent-for-kubernetes- followed by the release version.

  2. Unpack the downloaded bundle:

    tar -xzf confluent-for-kubernetes-3.3.0.tar.gz

    Expected: A directory named confluent-for-kubernetes- followed by the release version and a build ID is created in your current directory, for example, confluent-for-kubernetes-3.3.0-20260709151700.

  3. Check the machine’s architecture:

    arch

    Expected: Your machine’s architecture, for example, x86_64 or aarch64 on Linux, or arm64 on macOS. Use amd64 in the next step for an x86_64 machine, and arm64 for an aarch64 or arm64 machine.

  4. Unpack the kubectl plugin that matches your client environment, Linux, Windows or macOS (Darwin), into your client environment local executables directory. On macOS and Linux, the directory is /usr/local/bin/. This enables kubectl to locate the plugin. Use the architecture you retrieved in the previous step (amd64 or arm64):

    tar -xvf kubectl-plugin/kubectl-confluent-<environment>-<architecture>.tar.gz \
   -C <local directory for the plugin>

    For example, on macOS with the arm64 architecture type:

    tar -xvf kubectl-plugin/kubectl-confluent-darwin-arm64.tar.gz \
   -C /usr/local/bin/

    Expected: The archive contents, including the kubectl-confluent binary, are extracted into the target directory.

    Note

    If /usr/local/bin/ is not writable by your user, prefix the command with sudo.

  5. Open Control Center.

    kubectl confluent dashboard controlcenter

    Expected: Your default browser opens to the Control Center login page at http://localhost:9021.

  6. View the Confluent Platform version.

    kubectl confluent version

    Expected: A table listing each deployed component, such as Kafka and ControlCenter, with its VERSION and OPERATOR-VERSION.

For more plugin commands, such as viewing external and internal endpoints or checking cluster access, see Confluent plugin. To install the plugin using Krew instead, or to upgrade an existing installation, see Confluent plugin.

Next steps