The Tool Desk
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What Inspektor Gadget does
The Inspektor Gadget project describes it as “a set of tools and framework for data collection and system inspection on Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts using eBPF.” Its Gadgets package eBPF programs as OCI images and can include metadata and optional WebAssembly post-processing. The project also documents data export, controls over which Gadgets can run, and automatic enrichment that associates kernel observations with Kubernetes and container-runtime resources. Inspektor Gadget project README
That enrichment is the key observability benefit: instead of seeing only low-level kernel events, you can relate them to workload and runtime context. Individual Gadgets may expose different fields and filters, so check the documentation for the specific Gadget you plan to use rather than assuming every one behaves alike.
Choose an operating mode
| Approach | Best fit | Cluster footprint |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent deployment | Repeated investigations or ongoing use across the cluster | Deploys Inspektor Gadget as a DaemonSet with RBAC rules. |
| One-shot node debugging | Immediate inspection on a selected node without describing the task as a persistent deployment | Runs the ig binary through kubectl debug node; the quick start demonstrates a sysadmin debug profile. |
The official Quick Start covers both paths. Use persistent deployment if you expect to investigate repeatedly; use node debugging when the question is narrowly scoped to a node and a one-time session is sufficient. These are different operational choices, not a performance comparison.
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Review permissions and security before installing
The persistent installation creates cluster-scoped RBAC objects and namespaced roles. It commonly requires cluster-admin access or an explicitly enumerated equivalent permission set. The installation guide notes that a narrower, audited permission set is possible but not meaningfully less privileged. Treat this as a cluster-level deployment decision, not merely a local CLI installation.
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Install and run a Gadget
You need a running Kubernetes cluster and kubectl access. For the persistent path, the official quick start recommends installing the kubectl gadget plugin with Krew, then deploying Inspektor Gadget. The installation guide also documents Helm; use the current guide to confirm chart version and compatibility rather than relying on an example version that may have changed.
- Install the plugin: follow the Krew route in the Quick Start to install
kubectl gadget. - Deploy the cluster components: use the quick start or the Kubernetes installation guide to deploy the DaemonSet and required RBAC resources. If your team manages releases with Helm, follow the Helm instructions there and verify the current chart version and cluster compatibility.
- Run a Gadget for the question at hand: the quick start uses
trace_opento observe files opened on a system. Its example filters by Kubernetes namespace and container, which can narrow the events to a workload of interest.
For a one-shot alternative, the quick start demonstrates using kubectl debug node with a sysadmin profile to run ig on a selected node, including namespace and container filtering. Follow the current quick-start command syntax and adapt the filters to the target workload; do not assume that all Gadgets accept identical filters.
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Use kernel observations with workload context
trace_open is a concrete starting point when you need to inspect file-open activity. Filtering by namespace and container helps focus the view on a Kubernetes workload, while the project’s enrichment connects kernel data to Kubernetes and container-runtime resources. This can make node-level activity more actionable during troubleshooting, but the exact output depends on the Gadget and its supported fields.
Export metrics instead of relying only on an interactive view
Inspektor Gadget metrics can be exported to OpenTelemetry-compatible software, with Prometheus named as an example. The development guide describes counters, gauges, and histograms. It also recommends collecting metrics in eBPF maps for high-throughput cases such as network packets and other kernel hooks in hot paths. Metrics development guide
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There are two distinct tasks here: developing or customizing a Gadget’s metrics, and configuring an exporter or downstream observability system to receive them. The metrics guide is developer-facing; it does not mean an operator automatically has a configured Prometheus or OpenTelemetry pipeline simply by deploying Inspektor Gadget.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where Minikube fits
If your Kubernetes environment is Minikube, its documentation has a dedicated Inspektor Gadget add-on guide. Use that environment-specific path for Minikube rather than assuming the general installation procedure is the only option.
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