Tilt Local Kubernetes Dev

Iterate on K8s services locally with Tilt. Generates Tiltfile configs, live_update rules, custom_build, port-forwards, resource groupings, and integrations with kind/k3d/Docker Desktop.

This skill covers Tilt for local Kubernetes development: writing Tiltfile in Starlark, declaring services with k8s_resource and helm()/kustomize(), live_update for sub-second sync of code into running containers (skipping rebuilds), custom_build with BuildKit or ko, port-forwards and resource dependencies, allowed contexts to prevent accidental prod use, Tilt extensions, and team workflows where Tiltfile is checked in alongside the app.

When to use

Use when setting up local K8s dev loops with Tilt, replacing slow docker-compose stacks, or syncing code into running pods without rebuilds.

Examples

Live-reload Go service

Sub-second sync into kind cluster

Write a Tiltfile that builds my Go API with ko, deploys to a kind cluster, port-forwards 8080, and uses live_update to rsync recompiled binaries into the pod without rebuilding the image

Multi-service stack

Frontend + API + Postgres

Create a Tiltfile that brings up a Next.js frontend, FastAPI backend, and Postgres via Helm — group them as 'frontend', 'backend', 'data' resources with dependencies so Postgres starts first