kind vs KWOK
kind
kind.sigs.k8s.ioKWOK
kwok.sigs.k8s.ioSide by side
| Figure | kind | KWOK |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Local Kubernetes Tools | 8.7 (#1) | 7.7 (#18) |
| Installation | The project provides downloadable release binaries and source installation instructions; community-maintained packages are also listed. | The project documents installation through Homebrew, WinGet, Go, and downloadable binaries. |
| Purpose | kind runs local Kubernetes clusters using Docker container nodes and is designed primarily for Kubernetes testing, with local development and CI as other uses. | KWOK simulates Kubernetes nodes, pods, and other API resources so users can set up clusters of thousands of nodes in seconds. |
Plans
In their own words
kind
kind runs local Kubernetes clusters with Docker container nodes, mainly for Kubernetes testing; local development and CI are also listed uses. It bootstraps cluster nodes with kubeadm and supports multi-node setups, including high availability. A configuration file can define worker and control-plane nodes, port mappings, and Kubernetes versions.
The tool can build Kubernetes release builds from source or use pre-published builds. It can detect Docker, Podman, or nerdctl as its container provider, including rootless providers subject to host and provider requirements. Users can load Docker images or an image archive into a cluster. Documentation covers ingress and Gateway API configuration with cloud-provider-kind, private registry workflows, and Kubernetes API audit logging.