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In this guide, we’ll explore two open-source graphical interfaces for managing Flux CD:
  • VS Code GitOps Tools for Flux – a lightweight VS Code extension
  • Weaveworks GitOps UI – a full-featured web dashboard
Both solutions let you inspect clusters, sources, workloads, and more without manual kubectl commands or hand-editing YAML.

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Comparison at a Glance

ToolInterface TypeKey Features
VS Code GitOps Tools for FluxVS Code ExtensionClusters, Sources, Workloads, Docs links
Weaveworks GitOps UIWeb DashboardSources, Applications, Runtimes, Automation

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1. VS Code GitOps Extension for Flux

The GitOps Tools for Flux extension brings Flux CD insights directly into Visual Studio Code.

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Install the Extension

  1. Open Extensions (⇧⌘X or Ctrl+Shift+X).
  2. Search for GitOps Tools for Flux.
  3. Click Install.
Once installed, you’ll see a new GitOps icon in the Activity Bar:
The image shows a webpage from the Flux ecosystem, detailing open-source projects that offer graphical user interfaces for Flux, including descriptions of Weaveworks tools.
The image shows the Visual Studio Code interface with the "GitOps Tools for Flux" extension details displayed, including features and ratings. The terminal at the bottom is open, showing a command prompt.
Click the GitOps icon to reveal four sections:
  • Clusters – view all Flux controllers
  • Sources – inspect GitRepositories, HelmRepositories, Buckets, OCIRepositories
  • Workloads – check Kustomizations & HelmReleases
  • Documentation – quick links to Flux docs

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Clusters

Select your Kubernetes context (e.g., Docker Desktop) to see live YAML for each controller: 
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: helm-controller
  namespace: flux-system
  labels:
    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: flux
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app.kubernetes.io/component: helm-controller
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        control-plane: controller
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: manager
          image: ghcr.io/fluxcd/helm-controller:v0.41.2
The image shows a Visual Studio Code interface with the "GitOps Tools for Flux" extension details open, alongside a terminal window at the bottom. The extension is used for managing Kubernetes and cloud-native applications.

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Sources

Browse all configured Sources in the flux-system namespace:
  • GitRepository
  • HelmRepository
  • Bucket
  • OCIRepository

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Workloads

Inspect Kustomizations and HelmReleases in one place. For example, clicking a HelmRelease reveals its specification: 
apiVersion: helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v2beta1
kind: HelmRelease
metadata:
  name: 2-demo-kustomize-git-bb-app
  namespace: flux-system
spec:
  sourceRef:
    kind: GitRepository
    name: 2-demo-source-git-bb-app
    targetNamespace: 2-demo
  path: ./manifests
  interval: 10s
  prune: true
  force: false
The image shows a Visual Studio Code interface with a GitOps extension displaying a list of Kubernetes workloads in the "flux-system" namespace. A tooltip provides details about a HelmRelease named "sealed-secrets."

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Adding New Sources or Kustomizations

Create new Git sources or Kustomizations via an intuitive form:
The image shows a Visual Studio Code interface with a GitOps configuration screen, where a Git repository is being set up with details like repository name, URL, and branch.
The VS Code extension is ideal for developers who prefer keeping their GitOps workflow within the editor.

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2. Weaveworks GitOps User Interface

The Weaveworks GitOps UI (part of Weave GitOps) provides a standalone web dashboard for Flux.

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Prerequisites

  • Kubernetes cluster with Flux installed
  • kubectl configured

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Install the Weave GitOps CLI

curl -sSL \
  "https://github.com/weaveworks/weave-gitops/releases/download/v0.20.0/gitops-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m).tar.gz" \
  | tar xz -C /tmp
sudo mv /tmp/gitops /usr/local/bin/gitops
gitops version

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Deploy the Dashboard

Generate and apply the dashboard manifest: 
export PASSWORD="your-password"
gitops create dashboard ww-gitops \
  --password="$PASSWORD" \
  --export > weave-gitops-dashboard.yaml

kubectl apply -f weave-gitops-dashboard.yaml
You should see: 
Creating GitOps Dashboard objects ...
Generated GitOps Dashboard manifests
Checking for a cluster in the kube config ...
Flux v0.41.2 (flux-system) is already installed
Applying GitOps Dashboard manifests
HelmRepository/flux-system/ww-gitops created
HelmRelease/flux-system/ww-gitops created
GitOps Dashboard ww-gitops is ready
The image shows a webpage with instructions for installing Weave GitOps on a cluster, including prerequisites and steps for installing Flux. The page is part of the Weave GitOps documentation site.

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Expose & Access the Dashboard

List the GitOps service and pod: 
kubectl -n flux-system get po,svc | grep gitops
Patch the service to use NodePort: 
kubectl -n flux-system patch svc www-gitops-weave-gitops \
  -p '{"spec": {"type": "NodePort"}}'
kubectl -n flux-system get svc www-gitops-weave-gitops
Forward to localhost or browse directly: 
kubectl port-forward svc/www-gitops-weave-gitops -n flux-system 9001:9001
Open your browser at:
http://localhost:9001
Login with admin and your password.
Exposing services via NodePort can pose security risks. Ensure proper network policies and firewall rules are in place.

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Dashboard Overview

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Sources

Monitor all Git and Helm sources, their sync status, intervals, and last reconciliation:
The image shows a dashboard interface from Weave GitOps, displaying a list of sources with details such as name, kind, namespace, status, and messages.
The image shows a Weave GitOps interface displaying a list of sources with their status, messages, URLs, and other details. One source is marked "Not Ready" due to a missing bucket, while others are "Ready" with various updates and revisions.

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Applications

Inspect Kustomizations and HelmReleases along with dependency graphs, events, and raw YAML:
The image shows a dashboard interface for Weave GitOps, displaying a list of applications with details such as name, kind, namespace, source, status, and messages. The applications are mostly in "Ready" status, and the interface includes navigation options on the left.
The image shows a Weave GitOps application interface displaying details of a Kubernetes deployment, including resources like namespaces, deployments, and services, with their statuses and messages.

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Image Automation & Notifications

Manage image repositories, policies, automation events, and notification controllers—all from the UI.

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Flux Runtime

View the status of all Flux controllers and custom resources in one panel:
The image shows a Flux Runtime dashboard from Weave GitOps, displaying a list of controllers with their status as "Ready" in the "flux-system" namespace.
Whether you embed GitOps directly in VS Code or operate via a standalone dashboard, these tools streamline your Flux workflows and improve observability.

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