Resource Map

The Resource Map visualizes relationships between Kubernetes resources, helping you understand how your applications are connected and troubleshoot dependency issues.

Generating a Resource Map

Terminal UI

In the TUI, press m to open the resource map view. The map centers on the currently selected resource.

Web Dashboard

Click "Resource Map" in the sidebar to view the interactive graph. Click any resource in the list views to see its relationships.

CLI Command

# Open resource map in browser
kubegraf map --output browser

# Export as PNG image
kubegraf map --output png -o cluster-map.png

# Export as SVG for editing
kubegraf map --output svg -o cluster-map.svg

# Export as DOT format (for Graphviz)
kubegraf map --output dot -o cluster.dot

# Limit to specific namespace
kubegraf map -n production

# Focus on a specific resource
kubegraf map deployment/my-app

# Control relationship depth
kubegraf map --depth 3

Understanding Relationships

KubeGraf automatically detects these Kubernetes resource relationships:

Deployment → ReplicaSet

Deployments manage ReplicaSets for rolling updates

ReplicaSet → Pod

ReplicaSets create and manage Pods

Service → Pod

Services route traffic to Pods via label selectors

Ingress → Service

Ingresses route external traffic to Services

Pod → ConfigMap

Pods mount ConfigMaps as volumes or environment variables

Pod → Secret

Pods reference Secrets for sensitive configuration

Pod → PVC

Pods mount PersistentVolumeClaims for storage

Pod → ServiceAccount

Pods use ServiceAccounts for API access

PVC → PV

PersistentVolumeClaims bind to PersistentVolumes

PVC → StorageClass

PVCs request storage from StorageClasses

Pod → Node

Pods are scheduled on Nodes

HPA → Deployment

HorizontalPodAutoscalers scale Deployments

Interactive Controls

Web Dashboard

Action	Control
Pan	Click and drag background
Zoom	Mouse wheel / pinch
Select node	Click on node
View details	Double-click node
Reset view	Press `R` or click "Reset" button
Fit to screen	Press `F` or click "Fit" button

Terminal UI

Key	Action
`hjkl`	Pan left/down/up/right
`+` / `-`	Zoom in/out
`Tab`	Cycle through nodes
`Enter`	View selected resource
`r`	Reset view
`q`	Exit map view

Layout Options

Choose the layout that best suits your cluster structure:

Layout	Best For
`force`	General purpose, auto-arranges nodes to minimize overlaps
`hierarchical`	Shows deployment hierarchy (Deployment → ReplicaSet → Pod)
`circular`	Places nodes in a circle, good for seeing all connections
`grid`	Organizes by resource type in columns

# Use hierarchical layout
kubegraf map --layout hierarchical

# In config file
resourceMap:
  defaultLayout: "hierarchical"

Filtering

Focus on specific resources or relationships:

# Show only specific resource types
kubegraf map --resources pods,services,deployments

# Exclude resource types
kubegraf map --exclude secrets,configmaps

# Filter by label
kubegraf map --selector app=frontend

# Show only unhealthy resources
kubegraf map --status unhealthy

Visual Indicators

The resource map uses visual cues to convey information:

Node colors indicate resource types (blue for Deployments, green for Services, etc.)
Node borders show status (green = healthy, yellow = warning, red = error)
Edge thickness represents traffic volume (with metrics enabled)
Edge style - solid for direct ownership, dashed for references
Node size can represent replica count or resource usage

Export Options

Format	Description	Use Case
`browser`	Opens interactive map in browser	Exploration
`png`	High-resolution image	Documentation, presentations
`svg`	Scalable vector graphic	Editing, embedding
`dot`	Graphviz DOT format	Custom rendering
`json`	Graph data as JSON	Custom tooling

Tip: For large clusters, use --depth 1 to show only direct relationships, reducing visual complexity.

Configuration

# config.yaml
resourceMap:
  defaultLayout: "force"
  defaultDepth: 2
  showLabels: true
  # Node colors by resource type
  colors:
    deployment: "#326ce5"
    service: "#00d4aa"
    pod: "#8b5cf6"
    configmap: "#f59e0b"
    secret: "#ef4444"
  # Exclude from map by default
  excludeResources:
    - endpoints
    - events