Tmux Reference For Managing Kubernetes Cluster

Tmux is a terminal multiplexer that helps us split our terminal into multiple panes and run sessions

We can watch logs in one pane, run kubectl in the other, and never lose our work if the connection drops, using control+b.

Aliases (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)

alias tmux-s='tmux new-session -A -s t0'
alias tmux-v='tmux new-session -A -s t0 ; split-window -v 2>/dev/null || tmux split-window -v'
alias tmux-h='tmux new-session -A -s t0 ; split-window -h 2>/dev/null || tmux split-window -h'
alias tmux-d='tmux detach'
alias tmux-k='tmux kill-session -t t0'

After adding, reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc   # or source ~/.zshrc

Usage

List sessions by running tmux ls or tmux list

Alias	What it does
`tmux-s`	Start a plain session (or reattach if already running)
`tmux-v`	Start with vertical split — panes top and bottom
`tmux-h`	Start with horizontal split — panes side by side
`tmux-d`	Detach — session keeps running in background
`tmux-k`	Kill the session entirely

Keybindings (inside tmux)

All keybindings start with the prefix key: Ctrl+b

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl+b ←`	Move to left pane
`Ctrl+b →`	Move to right pane
`Ctrl+b ↑`	Move to upper pane
`Ctrl+b ↓`	Move to lower pane
`Ctrl+b z`	Zoom pane fullscreen (toggle)
`Ctrl+b d`	Detach (same as `tmux-d`)

Typical Workflow

tmux-h          # start session with two panes side by side
                # left pane: watch logs
                # right pane: run kubectl commands

Ctrl+b ←→      # switch between panes

tmux-d          # detach when done — session keeps running

tmux-s          # reattach later from any terminal


tmux-k          # kill session

List sessions by running tmux ls or tmux list