# From Kubernetes Dashboard to Headlamp: Understanding the Transition

DevFeed: [From Kubernetes Dashboard to Headlamp: Understanding the Transition](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/from-kubernetes-dashboard-to-headlamp-understanding-the-transition-4557.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://kubernetes.io/blog/2026/06/01/dashboard-to-headlamp/>)

Author: Will Case

Published: 2026-06-01T18:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Kubernetes Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/kubernetes-blog.md>)

Topics: [dashboards](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/dashboards.md>)

Tags: [deployment](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/deployment.md>), [kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kubernetes.md>), [migration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/migration.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui.md>), [workflows](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/workflows.md>)

## AI overview

A guide to moving from the archived Kubernetes Dashboard to Headlamp, covering familiar workload workflows, UI capabilities, multi-cluster visibility, plugins, and Kubernetes RBAC.

## Source excerpt

For many people, Kubernetes Dashboard was their first window into Kubernetes. It offered a simple visual way to see what was running in a cluster, inspect resources, and build confidence without relying on the command line. For years, it helped developers, students, and operators make sense of Kubernetes, and it served as an important onramp into the ecosystem. The Kubernetes Dashboard project has now been archived. We deeply respect the work the team did and the role Dashboard played in making Kubernetes more approachable for so many users. Headlamp builds on that foundation and carries it forward. It keeps the clarity of a visual interface while adding capabilities that match how Kubernetes is used today. This includes multi-cluster visibility, application-centric views, extensibility through plugins, and flexible deployment options that work both in-cluster and on the desktop. This guide is meant to help you navigate that transition with confidence. Before diving into the mechanics of migration, we start with familiar ground by looking at how common Kubernetes Dashboard workflows map to Headlamp. We also cover what stays the same and what improves after the switch. The goal is not just to replace a tool, but to honor a user-centered legacy and help you land in a UI that can grow with you as your Kubernetes usage evolves. Mapping Kubernetes Dashboard workloads to Headlamp If you have used Kubernetes Dashboard before, many workflows in Headlamp will feel familiar. Headlamp does not introduce a new way of thinking. Instead, it builds on workloads users already know and extends them in practical ways. The focus is continuity. What worked before still works, with more room to grow. Viewing workloads and resources In Kubernetes Dashboard, most users started by browsing workloads like pods, deployments, services, and namespaces. Headlamp keeps this same starting point. Workloads are easy to find and inspect, and moving between namespaces and clusters is simpler. Resourc