# Install kubefwd with Homebrew, Nix, scoop, winget Bulk port forwarding Kubernetes services for local development. Version 1.25.16 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#kubefwd. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:kubefwd ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install kubefwd ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#kubefwd ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ku/kubefwd/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/kubefwd ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/kubefwd.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id txn2.kubefwd -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: txn2.kubefwd from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:kubefwd - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 1.25.16 - **Source summary:** Bulk port forwarding Kubernetes services for local development - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-27T21:58:45+02:00 - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - kubefwd (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 1.25.16 ## Project history and usage kubefwd is a Kubernetes local-development networking tool that bulk-forwards services from a cluster to a workstation. Its package history matters because it wraps a common but fiddly Kubernetes debugging workflow - many kubectl port-forward sessions plus local name resolution - into one installable CLI. ### Project history The kubefwd site marks the project as established in 2017, and the public GitHub repository was created on August 5, 2018. The README describes it as 'Kube Forward' and as a command-line utility that bulk port-forwards Kubernetes services to a local workstation. The tool grew beyond simple port-forward orchestration. The documentation describes unique 127.x.x.x loopback addresses per service, /etc/hosts integration, automatic reconnection, an interactive TUI, REST API support, and MCP integration. ### Adoption history kubefwd was adopted by developers who wanted local code to connect to in-cluster dependencies by service name without recreating the cluster environment in Docker Compose or rewriting connection strings. Its presence in Homebrew, Nix, Scoop, and winget made that workflow easy to install across common developer machines. The official site states that kubefwd has been on the CNCF Landscape since 2018, which places it among recognized cloud-native ecosystem tools even though it remains a focused local-development utility. ### How it is used Users run kubefwd against a namespace or selected services. The tool discovers services, assigns loopback IP addresses, updates /etc/hosts, and establishes port forwards through the Kubernetes API so names such as api-service, database, or redis resolve locally. Because it touches local host networking and /etc/hosts, the README documents sudo use for common workflows. That makes packaging important: users need a trusted binary from Homebrew, releases, Windows package managers, or Docker rather than ad hoc scripts. ### Why package nerds care kubefwd is notable to package nerds because it packages a multi-process network trick as a single CLI. It competes culturally with raw kubectl port-forward, Telepresence-style intercept tools, and newer local-development proxies, while staying smaller and service-forwarding focused. ### Timeline - 2017: Project site describes kubefwd as established - 2018-08-05: Public GitHub repository created - 2018: Project site says kubefwd joined the CNCF Landscape - 2026-06-20: v1.25.16 release published ### Related projects - kubectl port-forward is the Kubernetes built-in workflow that kubefwd generalizes across many services. - Telepresence and mirrord are related local-development tools mentioned by kubefwd's comparison documentation. - Kubernetes service discovery and kubeconfig access are central to kubefwd's operation. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal. - **Geiger risk:** orange / medium - infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ~/.kube/config ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - kubefwd: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ku/kubefwd/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Scoop - main/kubefwd: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/kubefwd.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget - txn2.kubefwd: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: txn2.kubefwd from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/kubefwd.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/kubefwd.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph