It reads a local Compose file, renders Kubernetes resources, applies them to the cluster, and can build images remotely from your working tree without requiring Docker on your machine.

What It Does

Reads compose.yml or docker-compose.yml
Converts supported Compose services into Kubernetes resources
Applies those resources into a namespace named after the current directory
Turns env_file entries into Kubernetes Secrets and mounts them through envFrom
Translates file mounts into ConfigMaps and directory/volume mounts into PVC-backed volumes
Builds images on the remote builder by syncing:
- committed git state
- tracked local diffs
- untracked files
- ignored .env* files
Supports host-based ports syntax that renders Kubernetes Ingress rules
Supports managed Postgres claims through special pseudo-volumes such as postgresql:app

Environment Assumptions

This tool is built for Astral's cluster and workstation setup. It is not intended to work unchanged outside that environment.

Expected local setup:

Tailscale access to the remote builder and Kubernetes network
a working ~/.kube/config
ssh available locally

Not required locally:

Docker
kubectl

Docker is not required because builds happen on the remote builder after kuber syncs your repo state there. kubectl is not required because cluster access is handled through the bundled Kubernetes client.

Running

During development:

bun run index.ts up

Other useful commands:

bun run index.ts ps
bun run index.ts logs
bun run index.ts logs -f
bun run index.ts exec app sh
bun run index.ts start
bun run index.ts stop
bun run index.ts restart
bun run index.ts db ls

Commands

up: build images if needed, render manifests, apply them, restart deployments, and wait for rollout
start: same as up but skips image builds
stop: scale managed deployments to zero
restart: roll out a restart across managed deployments
down: delete managed resources while keeping ingress, PVCs, and managed databases
down -f: also delete ingress, PVCs, managed database resources, and the namespace
ps: list deployments in the current project namespace
logs [deployment]: print logs for one deployment or all managed deployments
logs -f [deployment]: follow logs continuously
exec <deployment> <command...>: execute a command inside a running deployment pod
db ls: list managed Postgres claims declared in the current Compose file
db creds <service>: print the generated connection details for a managed Postgres claim

Compose Conventions

kuber supports a few project-specific Compose conventions on top of normal service translation.

Host-Based Ports

If a ports entry uses a hostname instead of a numeric published port, kuber treats it as an ingress host and routes traffic to the target container port.

Example:

services:
  app:
    ports:
      - somedomain.astrxl.dev:3000

That produces a Kubernetes Ingress rule for somedomain.astrxl.dev pointing at the service port for container port 3000.

Managed Postgres

You can declare a managed Postgres database with a pseudo-volume:

services:
  app:
    volumes:
      - postgresql:app

Or with an explicit username and database name:

services:
  app:
    volumes:
      - postgresql:user/database

This creates or reuses the managed CNPG role secret, reconciles the database resource, and injects DATABASE_URL into the generated app secret in Kubernetes.

Environment Files

env_file entries are read locally and turned into a Kubernetes Secret named <service>-env. Deployments then consume that secret through envFrom.

This is also where generated values such as DATABASE_URL are injected.

Volumes

kuber treats different volume shapes differently:

file bind mounts become ConfigMaps
directory bind mounts become PVC-backed mounts
named volumes become PVC-backed mounts
tmpfs becomes emptyDir with memory backing
postgresql:... is treated as a managed database claim, not as a filesystem mount

Building

To build distributable binaries:

bun run build.ts

If you only want a plain JavaScript bundle for quick local use in another workspace, build index.ts directly:

bun build index.ts --target bun --minify --sourcemap --outdir dist

Notes

Resource names and namespaces are derived from the current working directory.
The remote build flow is optimized for local iteration, not for producing a perfectly clean export of the repository.
Managed database support is Kubernetes-only. It injects DATABASE_URL into the generated app secret and does not rewrite local .env files.
kuber operates on managed resources in the namespace matching the current directory name.