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Streamline your Kubernetes workflow by using the Linode CLI to provision, list, and delete LKE clusters directly from your terminal. This guide walks you through installation, configuration, and common commands.

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Prerequisites

  • Python 3.x and pip3 installed
  • A Linode API Token with Read/Write access (create one in the Linode Cloud Manager)
Make sure your API token includes lke:read_write scopes to manage clusters.

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1. Install the Linode CLI

  1. Verify pip3 is available: 
    pip3 --version
  2. Install the Linode CLI package: 
    pip3 install linode-cli
  3. Confirm the installation: 
    linode-cli --help

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2. Configure the CLI

Authenticate the CLI with your token: 
linode-cli configure --token YOUR_API_TOKEN
If you omit --token, the CLI launches a browser flow to log in and prompts for region and default Linode type.

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3. List Your LKE Clusters

Retrieve all existing Kubernetes clusters on your account: 
linode-cli lke clusters-list
If there are no clusters, the output will be an empty array: [].

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4. Create a New LKE Cluster

Use linode-cli lke clusters-create with the following flags:
FlagDescriptionExample
--labelUnique name for the clustermycluster-01
--regionData center region (e.g., us-central)us-central
--k8s-versionKubernetes version (e.g., 1.23)1.23
--node-poolsComma-separated pool definitionstype=g6-standard-4,count=3
Example command: 
linode-cli lke clusters-create \
  --label mycluster-01 \
  --region us-central \
  --k8s-version 1.23 \
  --node-pools type=g6-standard-4,count=3
If you see an error like Must be unique, update --label to a name not already in use.
Successful response: 
id     label           region
61875  mycluster-01    us-central

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5. Delete an LKE Cluster

When you no longer need a cluster, remove it with: 
linode-cli lke clusters-delete mycluster-01
Deleting a cluster is irreversible and will remove all associated resources.

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CLI Command Reference

CommandDescription
linode-cli lke clusters-listList all LKE clusters
linode-cli lke clusters-createCreate a new Kubernetes cluster
linode-cli lke clusters-delete <label>Delete a cluster by label

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