The connection command manages connections to Kubernetes clusters, cloud providers, and other infrastructure.
Synopsis mesheryctl connection [subcommand] [flags]
Subcommands
list - List all connectionsview - View connection detailscreate - Create a new connectiondelete - Delete a connection
Global Flags Display total count of connections. Short form: -c
list List all registered connections.
Usage mesheryctl connection list [flags]
Flags Display only the count of connections
Page number for pagination
Number of connections per page
Examples List Connections
Pagination
# List all connections mesheryctl connection list # Get connection count mesheryctl connection list --count
Sample Output NAME TYPE STATUS CREATED local-k8s kubernetes connected 2024-03-01 10:30:00 aws-eks-prod eks connected 2024-03-02 14:22:00 azure-aks-dev aks connected 2024-03-03 09:15:00 gcp-gke-staging gke disconnected 2024-03-04 11:45:00 Total: 4 connections
view Display detailed information about a connection.
Usage mesheryctl connection view [connection-id] [flags]
Flags Output format: yaml, json. Short form: -o
Examples # View connection in YAML mesheryctl connection view 7e8b42f9-0e5c-4b7a-8f3d-9c2e1a6b5d4c # View in JSON format mesheryctl connection view 7e8b42f9-0e5c-4b7a-8f3d-9c2e1a6b5d4c -o json
Sample Output id : 7e8b42f9-0e5c-4b7a-8f3d-9c2e1a6b5d4c name : aws-eks-prod type : eks status : connected metadata : region : us-west-2 clusterName : production-cluster version : 1.28 credentials : authType : aws-iam createdAt : 2024-03-02T14:22:00Z updatedAt : 2024-03-10T09:30:00Z
create Create a new connection to Kubernetes or cloud provider.
Usage mesheryctl connection create [flags]
Flags Connection type: kubernetes, eks, aks, gke, minikube, kind
Connection name (defaults to auto-generated)
Path to kubeconfig file (for Kubernetes connections)
Kubeconfig context to use
Examples Create Kubernetes Connection
Create Cloud Provider Connection
Create Local Cluster Connection
# Create from default kubeconfig mesheryctl connection create --type kubernetes # Create from specific kubeconfig mesheryctl connection create --type kubernetes --kubeconfig ~/.kube/config # Create with specific context mesheryctl connection create --type kubernetes --context prod-cluster
Sample Output Creating connection... Connection created successfully ID: 7e8b42f9-0e5c-4b7a-8f3d-9c2e1a6b5d4c Name: aws-eks-prod Type: eks Status: connected
delete Delete a connection.
Usage mesheryctl connection delete [connection-id] [flags]
Examples # Delete by ID mesheryctl connection delete 7e8b42f9-0e5c-4b7a-8f3d-9c2e1a6b5d4c # Delete with confirmation prompt mesheryctl connection delete 7e8b42f9-0e5c-4b7a-8f3d-9c2e1a6b5d4c
Sample Output Deleting connection aws-eks-prod... Connection deleted successfully
Count Connections Display the total number of registered connections.
Usage mesheryctl connection --count
Example Output Connection Types Meshery supports various connection types:
Kubernetes Cluster Types
kubernetes - Generic Kubernetes clustereks - Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Serviceaks - Azure Kubernetes Servicegke - Google Kubernetes Engineminikube - Minikube local clusterkind - Kubernetes IN Dockerk3s - Lightweight Kubernetesmicrok8s - Canonical’s Kubernetes
Connection Properties Each connection includes:
ID - Unique identifierName - Human-readable nameType - Connection type (eks, aks, gke, etc.)Status - Connection state (connected, disconnected, error)Metadata - Type-specific informationCredentials - Authentication detailsCreated/Updated - Timestamps
Use Cases Multi-Cluster Management # Add multiple clusters mesheryctl connection create --type eks --name prod-cluster mesheryctl connection create --type eks --name staging-cluster mesheryctl connection create --type aks --name dev-cluster # List all clusters mesheryctl connection list
Switch Between Clusters # View available connections mesheryctl connection list # View specific connection details mesheryctl connection view < connection-i d >
Manage Cloud Provider Connections # Create AWS EKS connection mesheryctl connection create --type eks --name aws-production # Create Azure AKS connection mesheryctl connection create --type aks --name azure-development # Create GCP GKE connection mesheryctl connection create --type gke --name gcp-staging
Local Development # Connect to local Minikube mesheryctl connection create --type minikube # Connect to local Kind cluster mesheryctl connection create --type kind
Connection Workflow
Create Connection - Register cluster or cloud providerVerify Status - Check connection is activeDeploy Resources - Use connection in designs and operationsMonitor - Track connection healthDelete - Remove when no longer needed
Authentication Connections use different authentication methods:
Kubernetes
Kubeconfig file with certificate or token authentication
Service account tokens
Cloud Providers
AWS IAM roles and credentials
Azure managed identities
GCP service accounts
Troubleshooting Connection Failed # View connection details mesheryctl connection view < connection-i d > -o yaml # Check Meshery logs mesheryctl system logs # Verify credentials # Ensure kubeconfig or cloud credentials are valid
Connection Shows Disconnected # List connections and check status mesheryctl connection list # Try recreating the connection mesheryctl connection delete < connection-i d > mesheryctl connection create --type < typ e >
Multiple Kubeconfig Contexts # List contexts in kubeconfig kubectl config get-contexts # Create connection with specific context mesheryctl connection create --type kubernetes --context my-cluster
Permission Errors # Verify kubeconfig permissions ls -la ~/.kube/config # Ensure Meshery has read access chmod 600 ~/.kube/config
Cloud Provider Credentials # For AWS EKS - verify aws-cli configuration aws eks list-clusters # For Azure AKS - verify azure-cli login az account show # For GCP GKE - verify gcloud configuration gcloud container clusters list
See Also