OpenShift with CodeReady Containers (CRC)

Introduction

CodeReady Containers (CRC) provides a minimal OpenShift 4 cluster for development and testing purposes on a local machine. It is ideal for learning, experimenting with OpenShift features, and developing operators or containerized applications.

Key Features

  • Single-node OpenShift 4 cluster
  • Suitable for laptops and desktops
  • Includes OpenShift CLI (oc) and Kubernetes CLI (kubectl)
  • Easy setup with pre-built VM images

System Requirements

ComponentRequirement
OSLinux, macOS, or Windows 10/11
RAM9 GB minimum (12+ GB recommended)
CPU4 cores minimum
Disk Space35 GB free disk space
VirtualizationKVM (Linux), Hyper-V (Windows), HyperKit (macOS)

Installation Steps

1. Download CRC

Go to the official Red Hat CRC page:
👉 https://developers.redhat.com/products/codeready-containers

Choose the appropriate version for your OS.

2. Extract and Install

tar -xvf crc-linux-amd64.tar.xz
sudo mv crc-linux-*-amd64/crc /usr/local/bin/

3 Setup CRC

This prepares the host system (adds DNS settings, creates required users/groups, etc.).

Setup CRC

4. Start CRC

crc start

5. Access OpenShift

    OpenShift Console: https://console-openshift-console.apps-crc.testing

    Default credentials:

        Username: developer

        Password: developer