Configuration

Server Configuration

KuaDashboard is configured via environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	7190	HTTP server port
KUA_HOST	127.0.0.1	Address the server listens on. Only this machine can reach KUA by default. The API has no authentication, so 0.0.0.0 lets anyone on your network control KUA: use it only on a trusted network
KUBECONFIG	~/.kube/config	Kubeconfig file path(s)
KUADASHBOARD_STORE	env	Credential store backend
KUA_PLAN	—	Overrides the plan of the linked KUA account on this computer (development): free, pro or team. Unlocks the Advisor (Pro), automatic log refresh and larger log caches. Shown in Help & Options → Account
KUA_CONTROL_PLANE_URL	the KUA control plane	KUA account service used to sign in and subscribe (Help & Options → Account). Change it only to test a local control plane
KUA_LOG_CACHE_MB	—	Fixed size of the local log cache in MB. Overrides the size chosen in KUA and is not limited by the plan

Kubeconfig

The server loads kubeconfig files in this order:

1. KUBECONFIG env var — supports multiple paths (; on Windows, : on Unix)
2. ~/.kube/config — always included as fallback
3. ~/.kube/kuadashboard_merged.yaml — UI-imported configs
4. Registered kubeconfig paths — paths added from the desktop file picker or manual path form, stored in ~/.kube/kuadashboard_paths.json

All configs are merged non-destructively — duplicate clusters/contexts are skipped.

The import dialog supports three workflows:

• Paste kubeconfig YAML directly into the modal
• Pick a local kubeconfig file from the Electron desktop app
• Register an existing kubeconfig path without copying its contents

Credential Store

KuaDashboard supports two credential storage backends for cloud profiles:

env (Default)

Stores credentials in environment variables and JSON files. Works everywhere.

keytar (Electron)

Uses the OS keychain (Windows Credential Store, macOS Keychain, Linux Secret Service). Automatically enabled when running as an Electron desktop app.

Desktop Background Behavior

Closing the KuaDashboard window hides it to the system tray by default; the backend keeps running. Use Show KuaDashboard to restore it or Quit to stop the backend cleanly. The tray menu's Close window to tray option is saved locally.

Clicking the tray icon opens the status panel: whether the KUA backend answers (with Restart backend when it does not), the background tasks running now and up next (pause, resume or cancel them there), the AI agent access (MCP) switch and the app update downloading in the background. Right-click opens the menu. If the Linux desktop does not provide a compatible tray, launch KuaDashboard again to restore the existing instance; use Quit from the app menu to exit.

Vite Development Proxy

During development, the Vite dev server proxies API requests to the backend:

// frontend/vite.config.js
server: {
  proxy: {
    '/api': { target: 'http://localhost:7190', changeOrigin: true },
    '/ws':  { target: 'ws://localhost:7190', ws: true, changeOrigin: true },
  }
}

Custom Port

# Web mode
PORT=8080 npm start

# Electron mode
PORT=8080 npm run electron:dev