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    Enterprise Distributed Application Service:Access CNKIT from your local IDE

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    Enterprise Distributed Application Service:Access CNKIT from your local IDE

    Last Updated:Mar 10, 2026

    Cloud Native Kit (CNKIT) connects your local IntelliJ IDEA environment to a CNKIT instance running in a Kubernetes cluster. The CNKIT agent runs on your local machine and establishes a connection to the cluster, allowing you to open the CNKIT page to develop, deploy, and debug code directly from your IDE.

    Prerequisites

    Before you begin, make sure that you have:

    • The CNKIT plugin installed in your Kubernetes cluster

    • A kubeconfig file for the target Kubernetes cluster on your local machine. If you manage multiple clusters, confirm that the file points to the cluster where CNKIT is installed

    Step 1: Install the Alibaba Cloud Toolkit plugin

    The Alibaba Cloud Toolkit plugin enables IntelliJ IDEA to communicate with CNKIT. Install it from a local ZIP package.

    Note

    This plugin supports IntelliJ IDEA versions released between January 2020 and January 2022. Verify your IDE version before you proceed.

    1. Download the Alibaba Cloud Toolkit plugin package. Do not extract the ZIP file.

    2. In IntelliJ IDEA, choose File > Settings.

    3. In the left-side navigation pane, click Plugins.

    4. Click the Settings icon and select Install Plugin from Disk....

      Install plugin from disk

    5. In the Choose Plugin File dialog box, select the ZIP package you downloaded in step 1.

    6. Restart IntelliJ IDEA to load the plugin.

    Step 2: Configure your Alibaba Cloud account

    After the plugin is installed, configure your Alibaba Cloud Toolkit account with your AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret.

    1. Choose Tools > Alibaba Cloud > Preferences....

    2. In the Settings dialog box, navigate to Alibaba Cloud Toolkit > Accounts.

    3. Enter your AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret, then click OK.

      Configure account credentials

    Note

    To retrieve your AccessKey credentials:

    • If you already have an Alibaba Cloud account, click Get existing AK/SK on the Accounts page. Log on with your Alibaba Cloud account. On the Security Management page, locate your AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret.

    • If you do not have an Alibaba Cloud account, click Sign up on the Accounts page to create one. Then retrieve your credentials by using the preceding method.

    Step 3: Configure and start the CNKIT agent

    The CNKIT agent runs locally and establishes a connection between your IDE and the CNKIT instance in your Kubernetes cluster.

    1. Choose Tools > Alibaba Cloud > Preferences....

    2. In the Settings dialog box, navigate to Alibaba Cloud Toolkit > Microservice > CNKIT.

    3. Configure the following parameters:

      Parameter

      Description

      KubeConfig

      The kubeconfig file that is used to access a Kubernetes cluster.

      Operation

      Select Start to launch the CNKIT agent and connect to the cluster. Select Stop to disconnect and shut down the agent.

      One-click Access

      After the agent starts, click this button to open the CNKIT page in your browser.

    4. Click OK to save the configuration. These settings persist across sessions, so you only need to configure them once.

    What's next

    • Use the CNKIT page to develop, deploy, and debug your code.

    • If the agent fails to start, verify that your kubeconfig file is valid and that the CNKIT plugin is running in the target cluster.