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Getting Started ​

Install commands come from the project's installation docs, verified against the v6.4.x line. Commands assume a working kubectl context pointing at a cluster you can deploy to.

Prerequisites ​

  • A Kubernetes cluster and a kubectl context with permission to create and modify workloads in a namespace. A local cluster (KIND, minikube, Docker Desktop) is fine.
  • kubectl installed and pointed at that cluster; DevSpace reads the same kube-context.
  • A container image builder if you want DevSpace to build images (Docker or BuildKit locally, or kaniko in-cluster).

DevSpace installs nothing in the cluster. It is a single client-side binary (installation docs).

Install ​

Pick one. Homebrew on macOS or Linux:

bash
brew install devspace

Direct binary download on Linux (AMD64):

bash
curl -L -o devspace "https://github.com/loft-sh/devspace/releases/latest/download/devspace-linux-amd64" && sudo install -c -m 0755 devspace /usr/local/bin

On Windows, scoop install devspace or the PowerShell download in the installation docs. Confirm the binary is on your PATH:

bash
devspace version

A first working setup ​

The core job is developing an app against the cluster with live sync. The shortest real path is to initialize a devspace.yaml for an existing project and start a dev session.

  1. From your project directory, generate a devspace.yaml. The interactive init inspects the project and writes the config, wiring up how to build the image and deploy it.

    bash
    devspace init
  2. Select a namespace to work in (DevSpace uses your current kube-context):

    bash
    devspace use namespace my-dev-namespace
  3. Start the dev session. This runs the dev pipeline: build the image, deploy, replace the target pod with a dev pod, inject the helper, and open the two-way file sync.

    bash
    devspace dev

Leave devspace dev running. It streams the pipeline's progress and then holds the session open with the file sync active. Edit a file locally and the change is synced into the running container without a rebuild.

Verify it works ​

While devspace dev runs, confirm the dev pod is up in your namespace:

bash
kubectl get pods -n my-dev-namespace

You should see the replaced development pod running. To confirm the sync path end to end, open a terminal inside the container and look for a file you just edited locally:

bash
devspace enter

A healthy session shows the sync log reporting uploaded and downloaded changes as you edit files, and the injected devspacehelper binary present at /tmp/devspacehelper inside the container. When you stop the session, DevSpace reverts the pod replacement and restores the original workload.

Where to go next ​

For the full devspace.yaml reference (pipelines, imports, dev config, build and deploy backends), production and CI usage, and configuring SSH or port-forwarding, follow the official documentation at https://www.devspace.sh/docs/. The Pipelines reference (https://www.devspace.sh/docs/configuration/pipelines/) covers overriding the default workflows described in the Architecture page.