Kubectl plugins are essential for security teams in managing complex Kubernetes environments by extending kubectl functionality.
These plugins help with RBAC auditing, network tracing, secrets management, incident response, and compliance enforcement.
Important considerations before using plugins include maintenance status, alignment with security policies, and data exposure risks.
Key plugins in 2025 include access-matrix, rolesum, kubectl-capture, ksniff, np-viewer, kubectl-whisper-secret, cert-manager plugin, kubelogin, and stern.
Each plugin addresses specific security needs such as RBAC visualization, syscall tracing, network policy validation, secret encryption, and OIDC authentication.
Some plugins like kubectl-trace and kubectl-ssm-secret may have limited maintenance and need careful testing in modern clusters.
Plugins like inspektor-gadget and cert-manager plugin offer comprehensive observability and TLS certificate management, respectively.
Plugins such as kube-policy-advisor and rbac-tool aid in policy enforcement, access analysis, and RBAC configuration.
Overall, kubectl plugins play a crucial role in enhancing security measures without impeding operational efficiency in 2025.