Headlamp vs K9s
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Headlamp
Extensible web UI for Kubernetes clusters
VS
K9s
Terminal UI for managing Kubernetes clusters
| Feature | Headlamp | K9s |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, helm, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,027 | ★ 34,302 |
| First released | 2021 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Lens, Kubernetes Dashboard | Lens, kubectl |
Why pick each one
Choose Headlamp if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Choose K9s if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 34.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Headlamp or K9s better?
K9s is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Headlamp if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Headlamp and K9s free and open-source?
Yes. Headlamp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and K9s under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headlamp and K9s with Docker?
Headlamp: yes. K9s: check the project docs for container support.