# alexellis/arkade

Open Source Marketplace For Developer Tools

Repository: https://github.com/alexellis/arkade
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/arkade
Homepage: https://blog.alexellis.io/kubernetes-marketplace-two-year-update/
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: arkade, kubernetes, k8s, k3s, apps, istio, openfaas, helm, cert-manager, nginx, cli, devops, automation, learning, cka, ckad, inlets, oss, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-26T02:02:43+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 87, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2380, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 11, "gap_med": 2.0, "n_releases_24m": 95}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4608, forks 300 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:54.963977+00:00)

## What it is
arkade is a Go CLI that acts as an open-source marketplace for developer tools and Kubernetes apps. It downloads CLIs like kubectl, kind, and terraform with `arkade get`, and installs Kubernetes apps via Helm charts or manifests with sensible defaults using `arkade install`.

## Use cases
- install kubectl and other CLIs quickly on my machine
- install cert-manager and ingress-nginx on a k3s cluster with one command
- bootstrap a local Kubernetes dev environment with kind
- install CLI tools in CI with GitHub Actions
- create a Kubernetes cluster and deploy apps without reading long READMEs
- set up a TLS-enabled private registry on Kubernetes
- replace brew/apt for downloading dev tool binaries

## When to choose
- you want fast, scripted installation of popular CLIs across Linux, macOS, or Windows
- you frequently stand up Kubernetes clusters and need common apps like ingress-nginx, cert-manager, or OpenFaaS with good defaults
- you want to reduce boilerplate in tutorials, demos, or CI pipelines

## When to avoid
- you need full control over Helm values and complex custom configurations
- you require a GUI package manager or strict OS package management with dependency resolution
- you need long-term support or enterprise SLAs for the tooling itself

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: cli, package-manager, deployment, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, self-hosted
- platform: windows, cli
- tags: kubernetes-apps, helm, marketplace, cli-installer, devops-automation, command-line, devops, containers, linux, macos, kubernetes

## Member repositories
- alexellis/arkade (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:54.963977+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:19:44.062186+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/alexellis/arkade (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:54.963977+00:00, sha 0fdb5941368b)
  - homepage: https://blog.alexellis.io/kubernetes-marketplace-two-year-update/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:04:41.927309+00:00, sha 3a31df374a44)
  - site_page: https://alexellis.io (fetched 2026-08-29T09:04:41.937134+00:00, sha 304cd793c256)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.