---
name: containers-cli-install
title: Installing the CLI
description: You can use the following tools to manage your IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service clusters. While you can install a subset of the tools, all the following tools are recommended.
last-updated: 2026-08-11
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/containers?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Installing the CLI
{: #cli-install}


You can use the following tools to manage your IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service clusters. While you can install a subset of the tools, all the following tools are recommended.
{: shortdesc}


[Virtual Private Cloud]{: tag-vpc} [Classic infrastructure]{: tag-classic-inf} [Satellite]{: tag-satellite}


## Understanding the CLI tools
{: #cli-understand}

| CLI | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `ibmcloud` | You can use the `ibmcloud` CLI to login to your account, add users, manage your catalogs and more. |
| `ks` plug-in | After installing the `ibmcloud` CLI, you can use the `ks` plug-in to create and manage IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service clusters. |
| `kubectl` | You can use the `kubectl` CLI to manage resources within your clusters like pods, deployments, and more. |
{: caption="CLI tools" caption-side="bottom"}


## Running the installation command
{: #step1-install-idt}
{: step}

The latest version of the IBM Cloud CLI is installed when you run the command. As the CLI installs, keep an eye on the command line to authenticate as needed.

* For MacOS, run the following command:
   ```curl
   curl -fsSL https://clis.cloud.ibm.com/install/osx | sh
   ```
   {: codeblock}

* For Linux™, run the following command:
   ```curl
   curl -fsSL https://clis.cloud.ibm.com/install/linux | sh
   ```
   {: codeblock}

* For Windows™, run the following command in PowerShell as an administrator:
   ```curl
   iex (New-Object Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://clis.cloud.ibm.com/install/powershell')
   ```
   {: codeblock}

   To open PowerShell, right-click the Windows™ PowerShell icon, and select **Run as administrator**.
   {: tip}

* For WSL2 on Windows™, run the following command:
   ```curl
   curl -fsSL https://clis.cloud.ibm.com/install/linux | sh
   ```

## Verifying the installation
{: #step2-verify-idt}
{: step}

To verify that the CLI was installed successfully, run the `help` command:
```text
ibmcloud help
```
{: codeblock}

The output lists the usage instructions, the current version, and the supported commands.

## Installing CLI plug-ins and tools
{: #step3-install-idt-manually}
{: step}

To manually install the CLI plug-ins and tools, see [Extending IBM Cloud CLI with plug-ins](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cli?topic=cli-plug-ins&format=markdown).

To install the `container-service` or `ks` plug-in, run the following command.

```sh
ibmcloud plugin install ks
```
{: pre}


## Install the Kubernetes CLI
{: #install-kubectl-cli}
{: step}

You can use the `kubectl` CLI to deploy and manage resources in your IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service cluster.



To install the `kubectl` CLI, see [Install tools](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/){: external}.

For a full list of `kubectl` commands, see the [Command line tool (`kubectl`) reference](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/){: external}.