OpenShift Install & Configurations using OpenShift Local in MacOS laptops/desktops

Here is the step-by-step guide to correctly install and configure OpenShift Local (CRC) on macOS laptops or desktops for local OpenShift 4.x development.

🍎 OpenShift Local on macOS – Overview

✅ System Requirements

🧰 Step 1: Download OpenShift Local & Pull Secret

1. Visit: https://console.redhat.com/openshift/create/local
2. Sign in with your Red Hat account (create a free one if needed).
3. Download:
   • openshift-local.pkg (installer for macOS)
   • Pull Secret file → Save it as pull-secret.txt

💻 Step 2: Install OpenShift Local (CRC)

1. Double-click openshift-local.pkg to begin the installation.
2. Follow the macOS installer prompts.
3. After installation, open Terminal and verify:

crc version

You should see the version (e.g., 2.49.0) and OpenShift version (e.g., 4.18.x).

🔧 Step 3: Set Up the Cluster

In Terminal:

crc setup

Replace the path if your pull-secret is stored elsewhere.

This command:

• Sets up the Hypervisor VM
• Prepares OpenShift environment
• Installs the CRC bundle

▶️ Step 4: Start the OpenShift Cluster

Run:

crc start -p ~/Downloads/pull-secret.txt
or
crc start --pull-secret-file ~/Downloads/pull-secret.txt
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

• This launches a single-node OpenShift 4 cluster.
• The process may take 5–15 minutes depending on your hardware.
• Once done, you’ll see:

Started the OpenShift cluster
Console URL: https://console-openshift-console.apps-crc.testing
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

rajesh@DM-GYK3HC26H7 ~ % crc start --pull-secret-file ~/Downloads/pull-secret.txt
INFO Using bundle path /Users/rajesh/.crc/cache/crc_vfkit_4.21.14_arm64.crcbundle 
INFO Checking if running macOS version >= 13.x    
INFO Checking if running as non-root              
INFO Checking if crc-admin-helper executable is cached 
INFO Checking if running on a supported CPU architecture 
INFO Checking if crc executable symlink exists    
INFO Checking minimum RAM requirements            
INFO Checking if running emulated on Apple silicon 
INFO Checking if vfkit is installed               
INFO Checking if old launchd config for tray and/or daemon exists 
INFO Checking if crc daemon plist file is present and loaded 
INFO Checking SSH port availability               
INFO Loading bundle: crc_vfkit_4.21.14_arm64...   
INFO Starting CRC VM for openshift 4.21.14...     
INFO CRC instance is running with IP 127.0.0.1    
INFO CRC VM is running                            
INFO Updating authorized keys...                  
INFO Configuring shared directories               
INFO Check internal and public DNS query...       
INFO Check DNS query from host...                 
INFO Verifying validity of the kubelet certificates... 
INFO Starting kubelet service                     
INFO Waiting for kube-apiserver availability... [takes around 2min] 
INFO Adding user's pull secret to the cluster...  
INFO Updating SSH key to machine config resource... 
INFO Overriding password for developer user       
INFO Changing the password for the users          
INFO Updating cluster ID...                       
INFO Updating root CA cert to admin-kubeconfig-client-ca configmap... 
INFO Starting openshift instance... [waiting for the cluster to stabilize] 
INFO 6 operators are progressing: console, dns, image-registry, ingress, openshift-controller-manager, ... 
INFO 3 operators are progressing: authentication, network, openshift-controller-manager 
INFO All operators are available. Ensuring stability... 
INFO Operators are stable (2/3)...                
INFO Operators are stable (3/3)...                
INFO Waiting until the user's pull secret is written to the instance disk... 
INFO Adding crc-admin and crc-developer contexts to kubeconfig... 
Started the OpenShift cluster.

The server is accessible via web console at:
  https://console-openshift-console.apps-crc.testing

Log in as administrator:
  Username: kubeadmin
  Password: j33RY-Xxx9Z-bbgUw-FzkaB

Log in as user:
  Username: developer
  Password: developer

Use the 'oc' command line interface:
  $ eval $(crc oc-env)
  $ oc login -u developer https://api.crc.testing:6443
rajesh@DM-GYK3HC26H7 ~ % 
Code language: PHP (php)

Step 5: Access OpenShift Web Console

Open the printed URL:

https://console-openshift-console.apps-crc.testing
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Login Credentials:

🧪 Step 6: Access via oc CLI (Optional)

To set up the OpenShift CLI environment:

eval $(crc oc-env)
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Then login:

oc login -u developer -p developer https://api.crc.testing:6443
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Now you can deploy, test, and manage apps from your terminal.

🔁 Cluster Management Commands

⚠️ Troubleshooting Tips

Rajesh Kumar

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