Add tutorial for local PipeCD setup using Kind

docs/content/en/blog/install-pipecd-locally-using-kind.md

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+---
+date: 2026-02-24
+weight: 977
+title: "Install PipeCD locally using Kind"
+linkTitle: "Install PipeCD locally using Kind"
+author: Cornelius Emase ([@lochipi](https://github.com/lochipi))
+categories: ["Tutorial"]
+tags: ["PipeCD", "Kind", "Kubernetes", "Calico", "Local Development"]
+---
+## Video walkthrough
+
+Prefer a video? Watch the step-by-step walkthrough here:
+
+- https://youtu.be/rXRxLYCcquQ
+
+## Big picture
+
+This guide walks you through setting up a local PipeCD development environment using Kind (Kubernetes in Docker). The goal is to get PipeCD running on your machine in a simple way so you can catch up quickly with PipeCD.
+
+By the end of this guide, you will have:
+
+- A working Kubernetes cluster running in Docker.
+- Calico installed and providing cluster networking.
+- The PipeCD control plane running.
+- A connected Piped agent ready to deploy applications.
+
+This setup typically takes 20–30 minutes, depending on your system and network speed.
+
+## When to use this guide
+
+Use this guide if you want to:
+
+- Try PipeCD locally without cloud infrastructure.
+- Understand how PipeCD components fit together.
+- Experiment safely before moving to production.
+
+This is not a production setup. For production environments, refer to the official [PipeCD installation guide](https://pipecd.dev/docs-v1.0.x/installation/).
+
+## Before you begin
+
+### Required
+
+You’ll need a Linux machine with:
+
+- Docker installed and running.
+- At least 2 CPUs (4+ recommended).
+- 8GB RAM recommended.
+- ~10GB free disk space.
+
+You can also run Linux in a virtual machine (VM).
+
+### Tools
+
+Make sure the following tools are available:
+
+```bash
+docker --version
+kubectl version --client
+kind version
+```
+
+If any of these commands fail, install the missing tool before continuing.
+
+Resources:
+
+- https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/
+- https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/
+- https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl-linux/
+
+## Concepts
+
+### Why Kind?
+
+Kind runs Kubernetes inside Docker containers. It’s lightweight, fast to reset, and ideal for local development.
+
+### Why Calico?
+
+PipeCD expects a properly configured Kubernetes network. Calico is a widely used CNI that works well 
+with Kind and closely resembles real-world setups.
+
+In this guide, we explicitly install Calico instead of relying on Kind’s default networking.
+
+## How to
+
+### 1. Create a Kubernetes cluster with Kind
+
+We’ll start by creating a multi-node cluster: one control plane and two workers.
+
+#### Create a Kind configuration file
+
+You can create this file in the home directory or whichever directory you would like 
+to(current development working directory);
+
+```yaml
+# kind-config.yaml
+kind: Cluster
+apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
+nodes:
+- role: control-plane
+- role: worker
+- role: worker
+networking:
+  disableDefaultCNI: true
+```
+
+We disable the default CNI so we can install Calico ourselves.
+
+#### Create the cluster
+
+```bash
+kind create cluster --name mycluster --config kind-config.yaml
+```
+
+Verify the cluster is reachable:
+
+```bash
+kubectl cluster-info
+kubectl get nodes
+```
+
+At this point, nodes may show `NotReady`. This is expected until networking is installed.
+
+### 2. Install Calico
+
+Next, install Calico to provide pod networking.
+
+```bash
+kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectcalico/calico/v3.27.0/manifests/calico.yaml
+```
+
+Watch the rollout:
+
+```bash
+kubectl get pods -n kube-system -w
+```
+
+You’ll see Calico pods initializing. This can take a few minutes.
+
+#### Confirm Calico is running
+
+```bash
+kubectl get pods -n kube-system
+```
+
+Wait until:
+
+- All `calico-node` pods are `Running`.
+- `calico-kube-controllers` is `Running`.
+- `coredns` pods are `Running`.
+
+Then confirm node readiness:
+
+```bash
+kubectl get nodes
+```
+
+All nodes should now be `Ready`.
+
+> Note:
+> If your Kubernetes nodes are not in the `Ready` state, stop here.
+> Fix networking (most likely Calico or other CNI) before installing PipeCD.
+> PipeCD depends on a healthy cluster and will not work correctly otherwise.
+
+### 3. Create the PipeCD namespace
+
+```bash
+kubectl create namespace pipecd
+```
+
+### 4. Deploy the PipeCD control plane
+
+PipeCD provides a quickstart manifest that deploys all required components.
+
+```bash
+kubectl apply -n pipecd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pipe-cd/pipecd/master/quickstart/manifests/control-plane.yaml
+```
+
+Watch the pods:
+
+```bash
+kubectl get pods -n pipecd -w
+```
+
+Wait until all PipeCD pods are in the `Running` state.
+
+### 5. Access the PipeCD web UI
+
+Forward the service locally:
+
+```bash
+kubectl port-forward -n pipecd svc/pipecd 8080:80
+```
+
+Open your browser and visit:
+
+- http://localhost:8080?project=quickstart
+
+You should now see the PipeCD UI login page.
+
+> **Note**:
+> To log in, you can use the configured static admin account as below:
+>
+> **username**: hello-pipecd
+> **password**: hello-pipecd
+
+![PipeCD UI login page](/images/install-kind-pipecd-ui-login.png)
+
+### 6. Create and register a Piped agent
+
+PipeCD uses `piped` as the agent that runs inside your cluster and executes deployments.
+
+#### Create a Piped in the UI
+
+In the PipeCD UI:
+
+1. Go to **Settings → Piped**.
+2. Create a new Piped.
+3. Copy the generated:
+   - Piped ID
+   - Piped Key (base64 encoded)
+
+Example values (for illustration only):
+
+```bash
+PIPED_ID=piped-sample-123
+PIPED_KEY=LS0tLS1CRUdJTiBQUklWQVRFIEtFWS0tLS0t...
+```
+
+#### Deploy Piped to the cluster
+
+Export your values:
+
+```bash
+export PIPED_ID="piped-sample-123"
+export PIPED_KEY="LS0tLS1CRUdJTiBQUklWQVRFIEtFWS0tLS0t..."
+```
+
+Apply the Piped manifest, replacing placeholders using `sed`:
+
+```bash
+curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pipe-cd/pipecd/master/quickstart/manifests/piped.yaml | \
+sed -e "s/<YOUR_PIPED_ID>/${PIPED_ID}/g" \
+    -e "s/<YOUR_PIPED_KEY_DATA>/${PIPED_KEY}/g" | \
+kubectl apply -n pipecd -f -
+```
+This command:
+
+- Downloads the manifest.
+- Injects your Piped credentials.
+- Applies it directly to the cluster.
+
+#### Verify Piped is running
+
+```bash
+kubectl get pods -n pipecd
+```
+
+You should see a `piped` pod in the `Running` state.
+
+In the PipeCD UI, the Piped should now appear as Connected.
+Connected Piped instances are marked with a blue dot next to the Piped name.
+
+![Piped connected status in PipeCD UI](/images/install-kind-pipecd-piped-connected.png)
+
+## Final checks
+
+Before considering the setup complete, verify:
+
+```bash
+kubectl get nodes
+kubectl get pods -A
+kubectl get pods -n pipecd
+```
+
+All components should be healthy (`Running`).
+
+![Cluster and PipeCD status checks](/images/install-kind-pipecd-final-checks-status.png)
+
+## Cleanup
+
+When you're done, you can safely tear down the cluster to free system resources and avoid 
+state-related issues.
+
+To delete the Kind cluster run:
+
+```bash
+kind delete cluster --name mycluster
+```
+
+## What’s next?
+
+To prepare your PipeCD for a production environment, please [visit the Installation guideline](https://pipecd.dev/docs-v1.0.x/installation/). 
+For guidelines to use PipeCD to deploy your application in daily usage, please visit the 
+[User guide docs](https://pipecd.dev/docs-v1.0.x/user-guide/).