What is Docker Extensions?
Docker Extensions lets you use third-party tools within Docker Desktop to extend its functionality. There is no limit to the number of extensions you can install.
Docker Extensions is available as part of Docker Desktop 4.8.0 or a later release. Download and install Docker Desktop 4.8.0 or later:
On Mac, you can validate Docker Desktop Version by Clicking on Preference -> Software Updates.
Deploying TCE using Docker Extension
- Open Docker Desktop.
- From the Dashboard, select Add Extensions in the menu bar. The Extensions Marketplace opens.

- Browse the available extensions and look for VMware Tanzu Community Edition as highlighted above.
- Click Install and you will notice that it starts installing TCE.

- Once successful, Click Open.

- Click Create Cluster

- Monitor the Cluster creation

- After few mins, Cluster creation will be completed.

Here is the detailed log:
📁 Created cluster directory
🧲 Resolving and checking Tanzu Kubernetes release (TKr) compatibility file
projects.registry.vmware.com/tce/compatibility
Downloaded to: /home/tanzu/.config/tanzu/tkg/unmanaged/compatibility/projects.registry.vmware.com_tce_compatibility_v8
🔧 Resolving TKr
projects.registry.vmware.com/tce/tkr:v1.22.7-2
Downloaded to: /home/tanzu/.config/tanzu/tkg/unmanaged/bom/projects.registry.vmware.com_tce_tkr_v1.22.7-2
Rendered Config: /home/tanzu/.config/tanzu/tkg/unmanaged/tanzu-community-edition/config.yaml
Bootstrap Logs: /home/tanzu/.config/tanzu/tkg/unmanaged/tanzu-community-edition/bootstrap.log
🔧 Processing Tanzu Kubernetes Release
🎨 Selected base image
projects.registry.vmware.com/tce/kind:v1.22.7
📦 Selected core package repository
projects.registry.vmware.com/tce/repo-12:0.12.0
📦 Selected additional package repositories
projects.registry.vmware.com/tce/main:0.12.0
📦 Selected kapp-controller image bundle
projects.registry.vmware.com/tce/kapp-controller-multi-pkg:v0.30.1
🚀 Creating cluster tanzu-community-edition
Base image downloaded
Cluster created
kubectl ${COMMAND} --kubeconfig /home/tanzu/.config/tanzu/tkg/unmanaged/tanzu-community-edition/kube.conf
📧 Installing kapp-controller
kapp-controller status: Running
📧 Installing package repositories
tkg-core-repository package repo status: Reconcile succeeded
🌐 Installing CNI
calico.community.tanzu.vmware.com:3.22.1
✅ Cluster created
🎮 kubectl context set to tanzu-community-edition
View available packages:
tanzu package available list
View running pods:
kubectl get po -A
Delete this cluster:
tanzu unmanaged delete tanzu-community-edition
- Once the cluster is provisioned, `~/.kube/config` file content is updated automatically to access the cluster. You can also see that the context is updated accordingly.
❯ kubectx | grep -i tanzu
tanzu-community-edition
Access the TCE Cluster and Validate Resources
- Get the list of nodes
$ k get nodes
NAME STATUS ROLES AGE VERSION
tanzu-community-edition-control-plane Ready control-plane,master 4m59s v1.22.7
Deploying NGINX pod in a TCE cluster
❯ k run nginx --image nginx
pod/nginx created
❯ k get po --kubeconfig config.yaml
NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE
nginx 1/1 Running 0 2m25s
To know more about Docker Extensions, refer the below url
https://docs.docker.com/desktop/extensions/
To know more about Tanzu Community Edition, refer the below url
The kubeconfig is added to .kube/config automatically, so you don’t need to copy to a file and specify it in the kubectl cli.
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Thank you Dan for your feedback. I have updated it now.
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