headlamp-polaris-plugin/docs/getting-started/quick-start.md

Quick Start

Get the Headlamp Polaris Plugin up and running in 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure:

• Kubernetes cluster is running
• Headlamp v0.26+ is deployed
• Polaris is installed with dashboard enabled

Don't have these? See Prerequisites for installation instructions.

Step 1: Install the Plugin (2 minutes)

Via Headlamp UI

1. Open Headlamp in your browser
2. Go to Settings → Plugins → Catalog
3. Search for "Polaris"
4. Click Install on "Headlamp Polaris Plugin"
5. Hard refresh browser: Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux)

Via Helm (if using Helm-managed Headlamp)

# Add plugin manager config to Headlamp values
cat <<EOF > headlamp-values.yaml
config:
  pluginsDir: /headlamp/plugins

pluginsManager:
  enabled: true
  repositories:
    - https://artifacthub.io/packages/search?kind=4
EOF

# Update Headlamp
helm upgrade --install headlamp headlamp/headlamp \
  --namespace kube-system \
  --values headlamp-values.yaml

Then install via Headlamp UI as described above.

Step 2: Configure RBAC (1 minute)

Grant the plugin permission to access Polaris data:

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
  name: polaris-proxy-reader
  namespace: polaris
rules:
  - apiGroups: [""]
    resources: ["services/proxy"]
    resourceNames: ["polaris-dashboard"]
    verbs: ["get"]
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
  name: headlamp-polaris-proxy
  namespace: polaris
subjects:
  - kind: ServiceAccount
    name: headlamp
    namespace: kube-system
roleRef:
  kind: Role
  name: polaris-proxy-reader
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
EOF

Note: Adjust the namespace in subjects if your Headlamp runs in a different namespace.

Step 3: Verify Installation (1 minute)

UI Verification

1. Check Plugin is Loaded:

   • Go to Settings → Plugins
   • Verify "headlamp-polaris-plugin" is listed

2. Check Sidebar:

   • Look for Polaris entry in the left sidebar
   • If not visible, hard refresh: Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+R

3. View Overview Dashboard:

   • Click Polaris in sidebar
   • Overview page loads with:
     • Cluster score gauge
     • Check distribution charts
     • Top 10 failing checks
     • Cluster statistics

4. Check App Bar Badge:

   • Colored chip in top navigation bar shows cluster score
   • Click badge to navigate to overview

CLI Verification

# Verify plugin files exist
kubectl -n kube-system exec -it deployment/headlamp -c headlamp -- \
  ls /headlamp/plugins/headlamp-polaris-plugin/dist/

# Expected output:
# main.js

# Verify RBAC is correct
kubectl auth can-i get services/proxy \
  --as=system:serviceaccount:kube-system:headlamp \
  -n polaris \
  --resource-name=polaris-dashboard

# Expected output: yes

# Test Polaris API access
kubectl get --raw /api/v1/namespaces/polaris/services/polaris-dashboard:80/proxy/results.json \
  | jq .PolarisOutputVersion

# Expected output: "1.0" or similar

Step 4: Explore Features (1 minute)

Overview Dashboard

Navigate to Polaris → Overview:

• Cluster Score Gauge: Overall cluster health (0-100%)

  • Green (≥80%): Excellent
  • Yellow (50-79%): Needs improvement
  • Red (<50%): Critical issues

• Check Distribution: Pass/Warning/Danger/Skipped counts with charts

• Top 10 Failing Checks: Most common issues across the cluster

• Cluster Statistics: Nodes, pods, namespaces, controllers count

• Manual Refresh: Click refresh button to fetch latest audit data

Namespaces View

Navigate to Polaris → Namespaces:

• Table of all namespaces with per-namespace scores
• Click a namespace to open detailed side panel
• Side panel shows:
  • Namespace score and check counts
  • Resource-level audit results
  • Link to external Polaris dashboard

Inline Resource Audits

View any workload detail page (Deployment, StatefulSet, DaemonSet, Job, CronJob):

• Polaris Audit section automatically appears
• Shows compact score and failing checks
• Link to full report

App Bar Badge

Cluster score badge in top navigation:

• Color-coded by score (green/yellow/red)
• Click to navigate to overview
• Always visible for quick reference

Troubleshooting

Plugin Not in Sidebar

# Verify plugin files exist
kubectl -n kube-system exec -it deployment/headlamp -c headlamp -- \
  ls /headlamp/plugins/headlamp-polaris-plugin/

# If missing, reinstall via Headlamp UI or sidecar method

# Hard refresh browser
# Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux)

403 Forbidden Error

# Verify RBAC exists
kubectl -n polaris get role polaris-proxy-reader
kubectl -n polaris get rolebinding headlamp-polaris-proxy

# If missing, apply RBAC from Step 2

404 Not Found Error

# Verify Polaris is running
kubectl -n polaris get pods
kubectl -n polaris get svc polaris-dashboard

# If missing, install Polaris:
helm install polaris fairwinds-stable/polaris \
  --namespace polaris \
  --create-namespace \
  --set dashboard.enabled=true

Data Not Loading

# Check Polaris dashboard is responding
kubectl get --raw /api/v1/namespaces/polaris/services/polaris-dashboard:80/proxy/results.json

# If fails, check:
# 1. Polaris pods are running
# 2. NetworkPolicies allow API server → Polaris dashboard
# 3. Polaris service exists and is ClusterIP type

Next Steps

• Configuration - Customize refresh intervals, dashboard URLs
• Features - Learn about all plugin features
• RBAC Permissions - Advanced RBAC configuration (token-auth, OIDC)
• Troubleshooting - Comprehensive troubleshooting guide

Common Configuration Tasks

Change Refresh Interval

1. Go to Settings → Plugins → Polaris
2. Select refresh interval (1 / 5 / 10 / 30 minutes)
3. Click Save

Default is 5 minutes.

Use Custom Polaris URL

If Polaris is deployed externally or in a different namespace:

1. Go to Settings → Plugins → Polaris
2. Update Dashboard URL:
   • Service proxy: /api/v1/namespaces/custom-ns/services/polaris-dashboard:80/proxy/
   • Full URL: https://polaris.example.com/
3. Click Test Connection to verify
4. Click Save

Test Polaris Connectivity

1. Go to Settings → Plugins → Polaris
2. Click Test Connection
3. Verify green success message with Polaris version

If test fails, see Troubleshooting.

Additional Resources

• Full Installation Guide - All installation methods (sidecar, manual, source)
• Development Workflow - Build from source, hot reload
• RBAC Issues - Permission debugging
• Network Problems - Connectivity troubleshooting

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You're now running the Headlamp Polaris Plugin. Visit the Polaris section in Headlamp to explore your cluster's security, reliability, and efficiency audit results.