K8ly ( k‑eight‑lee ) is a lightweight, batteries‑included developer toolkit that lets you self‑host micro‑services on Docker or Kubernetes with a single command.
Firecracker support is on the roadmap.
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Zero‑config builds | Uses Nixpacks to auto‑detect your stack and build an image. |
| One‑line deploy | k8ly deploy --vm docker or --vm k8s --- no YAML hand‑crafting. |
| Built‑in TLS | Seamless HTTPS via Caddy + Let's Encrypt. |
| Registry push | Auto‑pushes images to Docker Hub, GHCR, or ECR before K8s rollout. |
| Extensible | Modular drivers (Docker, K8s, Firecracker) & registry plug‑ins. |
# 1. Install (Linux/macOS)
curl -sSL https://omotolani98.github.io/k8ly/selfhost.sh | bash
# 2. Initialise a project (one‑off)
k8ly init
--domain myorg.dev
--email you@example.com
--provider docker # default provider
# 3. Deploy an app (Docker)
k8ly deploy --name api --port 3000 --vm docker
# 3b. Deploy to your K8s cluster
auth $(aws eks get-token ...) # or kube‑config already set
k8ly deploy
--name api
--port 3000
--vm k8s
--push
--registry ghcr.io
--repo youruser/api
--tag $(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
The app will be reachable at https://api.myorg.dev within seconds 🍃.
Initialises a workspace and creates ~/.k8ly/config.json plus a starter Caddyfile.
| Flag | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--domain |
string | (required) | Base domain you control (e.g. myorg.dev) |
--email |
string | (required) | Email for Let's Encrypt certs |
--provider |
enum docker|k8s|firecracker |
docker |
Default runtime when --vm isn't supplied on deploy |
--host |
bool | false |
Write a starter Caddyfile in ~/.k8ly/ |
Builds the image, optionally pushes to a registry, then deploys to Docker/K8s.
| Flag | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--name |
string | (required) | Logical service name (becomes sub‑domain & Deployment name) |
--port |
int | 3000 |
Container port the app listens on |
--vm |
enum | from init |
Override runtime for this deploy (docker, k8s, firecracker) |
--push |
bool | true for K8s, false for Docker |
Push image to registry before K8s rollout |
--registry |
string | docker.io |
Registry host (docker.io, ghcr.io, *.amazonaws.com) |
--repo |
string | (required if --push) | Repository path (e.g. tolani/myapi) |
--tag |
string | latest |
Image tag (git SHA, semver, etc.) |
| Driver | Auth expectations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Docker Hub | REG_USER + REG_PASS env vars (or flags) |
Uses docker login then docker push. |
| GHCR | GITHUB_TOKEN env or --password flag |
PAT with write:packages. No docker login required when pushing via crane. |
| AWS ECR | AWS creds in env / aws configure; --registry must be full ECR host |
Token fetched with aws ecr get-login-password. |
| Firecracker | (coming soon) | --- |
- Firecracker micro‑VM provider
- Self‑host bootstrap script (
get.k8ly.dev) - CLI
k8ly logs,k8ly destroy - Multi‑arch manifest push
Found a bug or want a feature? Open an issue or PR --- we 💙 contributors.