Kubernetes, But Make It Visual

Hey there,

We’ve got modern IDEs for coding, modern pipelines for CI/CD, and polished dashboards for monitoring. Yet when it comes to Kubernetes, most still squint at a terminal, typing kubectl commands like it’s the only option.

Managing complex clusters shouldn’t feel like typing endless commands.

Enter Mirantis Lens, the Kubernetes IDE that brings visual clarity to your clusters and takes you out of command-line chaos.

Lens runs as a desktop app and talks to your Kubernetes clusters through the API, giving you a full graphical interface for the same things you’d normally handle with kubectl. Think of it like working in a proper workspace where you can actually see what’s going on.

Rather than juggling a pile of commands and scrolling through walls of terminal output, Lens lays everything out in front of you: pods, resource usage, networks, and logs organized in tabs and dashboards. And when you do need the command line, it’s still there, built right into the interface.

That setup opens the door to a few things worth calling out:

Problem Identification
Dashboards highlight where issues are happening with clear status indicators, resource usage graphs, and event timelines.

Less Context Switching
Logs, metrics, configurations, and troubleshooting tools appear in one place instead of across multiple terminals.

Team Accessibility
The interface makes Kubernetes approachable for teammates who aren’t kubectl experts, letting them check deployments directly.

Cluster Visualization
The cluster topology and resource relationships are visually displayed on Lens, so it’s easy to see how services fit together.

Want the complete walkthrough of Lens features and navigation? Check out our comprehensive guide here. 

The top Kubernetes tools give DevOps teams ways to manage complex workloads without drowning in terminal commands. If you’re running multiple clusters, juggling namespaces, or need your developers to be more hands-on without becoming CLI experts, GUI-based tools like Lens can make a real difference.

Visual interfaces excel at monitoring, troubleshooting, and exploring, while CLI tools remain powerful for automation and scripting.

If you're looking to sharpen your Kubernetes toolkit, here are resources to explore:

• 5 Best Free GUI Tools for Kubernetes - Quick rundown of the top free dashboards for cluster management.

• 14 Best Kubernetes Tools - Essential tools for monitoring, debugging, and cluster management

• Top 7 Kubernetes GUI Tools - Comprehensive comparison of visual cluster management options

• Best Kubernetes Management Tools of 2025 - Industry analysis of leading management platforms

• 11 Promising Kubernetes Tools - Emerging tools for security, cost optimization, and multi-cluster operations

Ready to dive deeper into Lens installation, cluster navigation, and advanced features? Read the complete step-by-step walkthrough here.

And it’s a wrap!

See you Friday for the week’s news, upcoming events, and opportunities.

If you found this helpful, share this link with a colleague or fellow DevOps engineer.

Divine Odazie
Founder of EverythingDevOps