# ko-build/ko

Build and deploy Go applications

Repository: https://github.com/ko-build/ko
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ko
Homepage: https://ko.build
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: kubernetes, go, container, deploy, golang, containers, docker
Last push: 2026-08-26T01:03:15+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 85/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 58, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2722, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 65, "gap_med": 193, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 8511, forks 447 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:23.243439+00:00)

## What it is
ko is a fast, simple container image builder for Go applications that runs go build locally without requiring Docker. It supports multi-platform builds, SBOM generation, YAML templating, and seamless Kubernetes deployment workflows.

## Use cases
- build container images for Go applications without Docker
- build multi-architecture container images for amd64 and arm64
- deploy Go apps to Kubernetes with ko:// image references
- generate SBOMs for container images by default
- set up lightweight CI/CD pipelines for Go container builds
- create reproducible container builds with SLSA provenance
- bundle static assets into Go container images
- debug Go apps in containers with delve

## When to choose
- your image contains a single Go application with no cgo or OS package dependencies
- you want fast container builds without installing Docker
- you deploy Go services to Kubernetes and want simple YAML templating
- you need multi-platform images via Go cross-compilation
- you want SBOMs and supply-chain security out of the box

## When to avoid
- your application depends on cgo or OS-level packages requiring a full base image
- you build container images for non-Go languages
- you need complex Dockerfile build steps beyond compiling a Go binary
- you need production Windows container support, which is still experimental

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: build-tool, deployment, container-runtime, ci-cd, developer-tools
- domain: cloud-computing, developer-tools, infrastructure-as-code
- platform: windows, cli, go
- tags: container-images, go-build, sbom, multi-platform, kubernetes-deployment, dockerless, reproducible-builds, supply-chain-security, devops, containers, linux, macos, kubernetes, docker

## Member repositories
- ko-build/ko (main) score 85

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:23.243439+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 2026-08-29T17:26:41.379216+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ko-build/ko (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:23.243439+00:00, sha 96fef4e27c49)
  - homepage: https://ko.build (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.701853+00:00, sha 2b08198af7a5)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/features/sboms (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.714479+00:00, sha 1d614a4a5ccc)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/features/multi-platform (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.712927+00:00, sha eb11d9ccccfc)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/install (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.711064+00:00, sha 07e1862f9be3)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/features/k8s (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.715875+00:00, sha da5aa137d0d9)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/features/static-assets (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.717319+00:00, sha b79a8cae2d9d)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/features/build-cache (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.718640+00:00, sha ceaf60f52c83)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/features/debugging (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.720242+00:00, sha a14378335bf2)
  - site_page: https://ko.build/advanced/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T08:26:53.721814+00:00, sha a68dd1971a00)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.