---
title: Using Custom Plugin Indexes
slug: custom-indexes
weight: 800
---

Plugin indexes contain plugin manifests, which are documents that describe the
installation procedure for a plugin. For discovery purposes, Krew comes with a
`default` plugin index, plugins hosted in the [`krew-index` repository][ki].

However, some plugin authors may choose to host their own indexes that contain
their curation of kubectl plugins. These are called "custom plugin indexes".

If you need to serve your plugin archive behind authentication, see [this page]({{< ref "serving-plugins-privately.md" >}}).

## Adding a custom index

A custom plugin index can be added with the `kubectl krew index add` command:

```sh
{{<prompt>}}kubectl krew index add foo https://github.com/foo/custom-index.git
```

The URI you use can be any [git remote](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-remote)
(e.g., `git@github.com:foo/custom-index.git`).

## Removing a custom index

You can remove a custom plugin index by passing the name it was added with to
the `index remove` command:

```sh
{{<prompt>}}kubectl krew index remove foo
```

## Listing indexes

To see what indexes you have added run the `index list` command:

```sh
{{<prompt>}}kubectl krew index list
{{<output>}}INDEX    URL
default  https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/krew-index.git
foo      https://github.com/foo/custom-index.git{{</output>}}
```

## Installing plugins from custom indexes

Commands for managing plugins (e.g. `install`, `upgrade`) work with custom
indexes as well.

By default, Krew prefixes plugins with a `default/` prefix. So, to install
a plugin from a custom index, you need to specify it in the format
`INDEX_NAME/PLUGIN_NAME`.

For example, to install a plugin named `bar` from custom index `foo`:

```sh
{{<prompt>}}kubectl krew install foo/bar
```

Similarly:

- To list all plugins (including the ones from custom indexes), run:

    ```sh
    {{<prompt>}}kubectl krew search
    ```

- To remove a plugin, you don't need to specify its index:

    ```sh
    {{<prompt>}}kubectl krew uninstall PLUGIN_NAME
    ```

- To get information about a plugin from a custom index:

    ```sh
    {{<prompt>}}kubectl krew info INDEX_NAME/PLUGIN_NAME
    ```


> **Note:** If two indexes each include a plugin with the same name, only one can
> be installed at any time.

## The default index

When you don't include an explicit `INDEX_NAME` prefix in your Krew command, the
command will refer to a plugin from the default index. The `INDEX_NAME` prefix is
used to differentiate plugins with the same name across different indexes.

Krew ships with [`krew-index`][ki] as the `default` index, but this can be
removed using the `kubectl krew index remove default` command. Once it is
removed, you can add another index with the name `default` and plugins from it
will not require the `INDEX_NAME` prefix in commands.

[ki]: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/krew-index