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How to convert Kubernetes manifests to Docker Compose

For the record: you should probably just run Kubernetes. On Linux, k3s is one script. On macOS or Windows, Docker Desktop has an "Enable Kubernetes" checkbox. Your manifests work as-is.

But you're here, so one of these is true:

  • You don't want to learn Kubernetes. You want to add an app to your NAS or VPS the same way you added Plex or Immich — paste a compose file, done. I'm not saying I agree, but this is the reason this project exists.
  • You can't be root. Corporate policy says Podman rootless, no sudo, no systemd. k3s needs root. Compose is what you've got.
  • Your platform only speaks Compose. Your Synology, your TrueNAS, your hosting panel — it has a Compose field and nothing else.

Either way — read on.

Two commands

kubernetes2simple is a shell script. Point it at a directory containing Kubernetes YAML files, a Helm chart, or a helmfile, and it handles everything — detecting the project type, downloading any missing tools, and converting:

curl -fsSL k2s.dekube.io/get | bash
docker compose up -d

All downloaded tools go into .kubernetes2simple/. Your system stays clean. You get a compose.yml, a Caddyfile for reverse proxying, and a dekube.yaml for customization.

Things to check after conversion

Hostnames — Your app's domain names end up in the Caddy reverse proxy config. Make sure they resolve locally (*.localhost works on most systems, or add /etc/hosts entries).

Secrets — If a secret value wasn't found during conversion, env vars that reference it are skipped (with a warning). Add missing values in dekube.yaml under overrides:, not in compose.yml.

Volume paths — Persistent storage becomes bind mounts under ./data/. Customize in dekube.yaml — the script reads it but never overwrites it.

Re-running

The script is safe to re-run. compose.yml and Caddyfile are regenerated. dekube.yaml is preserved — your volume paths, excludes, and overrides survive.

Want more control?

Want to understand what the script did with each part of your Kubernetes files? How the conversion works breaks it down step by step.

kubernetes2simple decides everything for you. If you need to pick which extensions to load, exclude services, or embed the conversion in CI, helmfile2compose is the distribution for people who want full control.

"He who translates the celestial rites into common tongue does not simplify — he merely redistributes the suffering across a wider audience."

— Necronomicon, On the Democratization of Forbidden Knowledge (trust me on this one)