Build and Install OpenLens on Linux

We are migrating from Lens to OpenLens.

OpenLens provides insight into everything that runs in Kubernetes. If you use Kubernetes on a day-to-day basis, OpenLens is for you.

The Problem

Lens is no longer open to everyone by demanding users to create a Lens ID, which was not a requirement before.

More info can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/lensapp/lens/issues/5444

The Solution

OpenLens is based on MIT license and is same as Lens IDE but without proprietary components.

Automated Process

Install git:

$ sudo apt-get install -y git

Download the build script from GitHub and compile the OpenLens package:

$ git clone https://github.com/lisenet/openlens-linux-install.git
$ cd ./openlens-linux-install
$ ./install_openlens.sh

Build and install OpenLens from source.

Manual Process: Install Dependencies

Install build dependencies for a Debian-based OS:

$ sudo apt-get install -y curl g++ make tar

Install NVM

$ curl -sS -o install_nvm.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.1/install.sh
$ bash ./install_nvm.sh
$ export NVM_DIR="${HOME}/.nvm"
$ source "${NVM_DIR}/nvm.sh"

Get OpenLens Source Code

Download the OpenLens source code:

$ curl -sL -o openlens.tgz https://github.com/lensapp/lens/archive/refs/tags/v6.1.0.tar.gz
$ tar xf ./openlens.tgz
$ mv ./lens-* ./lens

Since we’re building for a Debian-based OS, we do not need to build .rpm:

$ sed -i '/\"rpm\"\,/d' ./lens/package.json

Build and Install OpenLens

Compile the package:

$ cd ./lens
$ nvm install 16 && nvm use 16 && npm install -g yarn
$ make build

Install the binary:

$ find ./dist/ -type f -name "*.deb" -exec sudo apt-get install {} \;

Clean up:

$ cd ../ 
$ rm -rf ./lens
$ rm -f ./install_nvm.sh ./openlens.tgz

Enjoy OpenLens!