knot knot

Introduction

knot is a lightweight, single-binary tool that simplifies managing development environments. Whether you need a single local setup or a globally distributed cluster, knot provides consistent, on-demand environments for your team.

The Problem knot Solves

Development teams face common challenges:

  • Developers waste time configuring local environments
  • “Works on my machine” issues slow down collaboration
  • Remote teams experience high latency to centralized resources
  • QA teams need quick, isolated test environments
  • Onboarding new developers takes days instead of minutes

knot solves these by providing instant, consistent environments that can run anywhere.

Deployment Options

knot offers flexible deployment options to match your infrastructure needs:

  • Single Server: Quick setup on one machine with Docker, Podman, or Apple Containers
  • Multi-Server: Scale across multiple servers with automatic node selection—no Nomad required
  • No orchestrator needed: Just your container runtime and knot

Nomad Integration

  • Enterprise Scale: Leverage existing Nomad infrastructure
  • Advanced Features: CSI storage, ingress controllers, job constraints

Leaf Mode

  • Hybrid Setup: Local development with centralized template management
  • Bandwidth Optimized: Run containers locally, sync metadata only

Choose your path: Local Containers | Nomad | Quick Start

How It Works

Environments are defined using templates that specify everything needed: container images, storage, resources, and features. Users create spaces from templates with a single click. Each space is isolated, persistent, and accessible via web terminal, SSH, or IDE integrations.

knot runs on Docker, Podman, or Apple Containers—either as a single server or scaling across multiple servers with a leaderless architecture for high availability. For enterprise deployments, integrate with Nomad clusters.

Key Benefits

  • Local Container Orchestration: Deploy across multiple servers using Docker, Podman, or Apple Containers with automatic load balancing and node selection. No Nomad or other orchestrator required.

  • Distributed Architecture: knot supports a leaderless distributed cluster, allowing servers to be placed closer to developers. This reduces network latency while maintaining centralized management of templates and users. It’s an ideal solution for globally distributed development teams.

  • Local and Cluster Modes: In addition to cluster mode, knot supports a hybrid setup where a local instance connects to a cluster member using a personal token. This allows templates to be managed centrally while running environments locally for maximum performance.

  • Versatility Across Teams: While originally designed for developers, knot has become a valuable tool for quality assurance teams. Its ability to quickly spawn and destroy test environments enables efficient testing workflows, including destructive testing without risk to production systems.

Core Features

  • Unified management for users and environments
  • Flexible tunneling options:
    • From a cloud environment to a local machine
    • From a local machine to a cloud environment
    • From the public web to a cloud or local environment
  • SSH support for seamless integration with tools like VSCode
  • Local-like experience for cloud environments
  • Self-hosted for full control over data and infrastructure
  • Role-based access control (RBAC) with permissions and groups
  • Web-based terminal for easy access
  • Scalability through Nomad and Consul
  • Compatibility with single-machine setups using Docker or Podman
  • Open-source under the Apache 2.0 License

What’s Next