First Run

This guide walks you through your first Kalco export, from setting up a context to generating your first cluster snapshot.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• Kalco installed - See Installation if needed
• Kubernetes access - Valid kubeconfig or in-cluster access
• Git installed (optional) - For version control functionality

Quick Start

1. Verify Installation

First, confirm Kalco is working:

kalco version

You should see version information and build details.

2. Check Available Commands

Explore what Kalco can do:

kalco --help

This shows the available commands: context, export and version.

3. Set Up Your First Context

Create a context for your cluster:

kalco context set my-cluster \
  --kubeconfig ~/.kube/config \
  --output ./my-cluster-exports \
  --description "My first Kalco dump" \
  --labels env=dev,team=personal

4. Use the Context

Activate your context:

kalco context use my-cluster

5. Export Your Cluster

Perform your first export:

kalco export --commit-message "Initial cluster snapshot"

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For more information about using Kalco, see the Commands Reference or run kalco --help.