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Contributing and Support

hetzner-k3s is an open source project, and contributions are welcome!

Getting Help

GitHub Issues

If you're running into issues with the tool, please open an issue. Include:

  • Your configuration file (with sensitive values redacted)
  • Full output with debug mode enabled (DEBUG=true hetzner-k3s ...)
  • Your operating system and hetzner-k3s version
  • Steps to reproduce the issue

GitHub Discussions

For general questions, ideas, or discussions, use GitHub Discussions. This is a good place for:

  • Questions about best practices
  • Feature suggestions
  • Sharing how you're using hetzner-k3s

Documentation

Check the Troubleshooting page for solutions to common issues.

Contributing Code

Pull requests are welcome! Whether it's fixing a bug, improving documentation, or adding a feature.

Development Environment

hetzner-k3s is built using Crystal. You can develop using:

  • VS Code with Dev Containers (recommended)
  • Docker Compose
  • Local Crystal installation

VS Code Setup

  1. Install Visual Studio Code and the Dev Containers extension
  2. Open the project in VS Code (code . in the repository root)
  3. Click "Reopen in Container" when prompted
  4. Wait for the container to build
  5. Open a terminal inside the container

Note: If you can't find the Dev Containers extension, ensure you're using the official VS Code build (some extensions are disabled in Open Source builds).

Docker Compose Setup

If you prefer not to use VS Code:

# Build and start the development container
docker compose up -d

# Access the container
docker compose exec hetzner-k3s bash

Running the Tool

Inside the development container:

# Run without building
crystal run ./src/hetzner-k3s.cr -- create --config cluster_config.yaml

# Build a binary
crystal build ./src/hetzner-k3s.cr --static

The --static flag creates a statically linked binary that doesn't depend on external libraries.

Supporting the Project

If you or your company find this project useful, please consider becoming a sponsor. Your support helps:

  • Fund ongoing development and maintenance
  • Enable new features
  • Keep the project actively maintained

Current Sponsors

Platinum: Alamos GmbH

Backers: @deubert-it, @jonasbadstuebner, @ricristian, @QuentinFAIDIDE

Consulting

Need help with hetzner-k3s, Kubernetes on Hetzner, or related infrastructure? The maintainer is available for consulting engagements.

Contact: vitobotta.com