whatisgithub

What is website?

kubernetes/website — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-26

5,247HTMLAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · moderate

In one sentence

The source files for the official Kubernetes documentation website at kubernetes.io, where contributors write guides, fix errors, and translate content into more than a dozen languages.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Kubernetes docs source
      Guides and tutorials
      API reference pages
    Languages
      English
      Chinese
      French and German
      Japanese and Korean
    Local Preview
      Hugo static site builder
      Docker container option
    Contributing
      Fork and pull request
      New contributor ambassadors
      Auto-generated API pages
    Audience
      DevOps engineers
      Kubernetes users
      Tech writers
Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Fix a mistake or improve an explanation in the official Kubernetes documentation.

USE CASE 2

Translate Kubernetes guides and tutorials into another language.

USE CASE 3

Preview doc site changes locally with Hugo before opening a pull request.

USE CASE 4

Set up a local copy of kubernetes.io for offline reference or internal corporate training.

What is it built with?

HTMLHugoDockerMarkdown

How does it compare?

kubernetes/websitejquery-ui-bootstrap/jquery-ui-bootstrappdf2htmlex/pdf2htmlex
Stars5,2475,5005,511
LanguageHTMLHTMLHTML
Setup difficultymoderateeasyhard
Complexity2/52/54/5
Audienceops devopsdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Hugo or Docker to preview the site locally, simple text edits can be submitted via GitHub without a local setup.

Content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0, code for building the site is Apache 2.0.

So what is it?

This repository holds all the files needed to build and maintain the official Kubernetes documentation website, which lives at kubernetes.io. It is not the Kubernetes software itself, but rather the place where all of the guides, tutorials, and reference pages are written and stored. Contributors work with this repository to add or update documentation pages, fix errors, and translate content into other languages. The site supports more than a dozen languages, including Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and others, each managed through its own subfolder. To preview the site on your own computer, you run it locally using a tool called Hugo, which is a static site builder. You can also use a container tool like Docker to run a pre-configured version that matches the live site more closely. Either way, you end up with a local copy of the website you can browse in a browser while making edits. The reference documentation pages, which describe the Kubernetes programming interface in detail, are generated automatically from a specification file rather than written by hand. There is a process for updating those pages whenever a new version of Kubernetes is released. If you want to contribute, the usual approach is to fork the repository on GitHub, make your changes, and open a pull request. Reviewers from the documentation team will then give feedback before anything goes live. There are also dedicated new-contributor ambassadors on Slack who help first-time contributors get started.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I want to contribute my first fix to the Kubernetes documentation. Walk me through forking kubernetes/website and opening a pull request correctly.
Prompt 2
How do I run the Kubernetes docs site locally with Hugo so I can preview my changes before submitting?
Prompt 3
I want to add a Chinese translation of a Kubernetes guide. What folder structure and naming convention should I follow in kubernetes/website?
Prompt 4
The API reference pages in kubernetes/website are auto-generated. How do I update them when a new version of Kubernetes is released?
Prompt 5
I noticed an error in a Kubernetes tutorial. What is the quickest way to edit it and propose a fix without setting up Hugo locally?

Frequently asked questions

What is website?

The source files for the official Kubernetes documentation website at kubernetes.io, where contributors write guides, fix errors, and translate content into more than a dozen languages.

What language is website written in?

Mainly HTML. The stack also includes HTML, Hugo, Docker.

What license does website use?

Content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0, code for building the site is Apache 2.0.

How hard is website to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is website for?

Mainly ops devops.

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