Multi-Instance Setup Run multiple Orphelix instances simultaneously to monitor different Kubernetes clusters.
Use Cases
Multiple environments - Production, staging, developmentMultiple clusters - Different regions or teamsTesting - Test new features without affecting productionDemo mode + Real cluster - Show demos while monitoring real workloads
Quick Start Start Multiple Instances # Production cluster on port 3000 orphelix start --name prod --port 3000 # Staging cluster on port 3001 orphelix start --name staging --port 3001 # Development cluster on port 3002 orphelix start --name dev --port 3002
List All Instances Output:
📋 Orphelix Instances 🟢 orphelix-prod Status: online Port: 3000 Uptime: 2 hours 🟢 orphelix-staging Status: online Port: 3001 Uptime: 1 hour 🟢 orphelix-dev Status: online Port: 3002 Uptime: 30 minutes
Instance Naming When using --name, Orphelix automatically prefixes with orphelix-:
orphelix start --name prod # Creates process: orphelix-prod # Notification worker: orphelix-prod-notifications
Managing Named Instances Start orphelix start --name prod --port 3000
Stop orphelix stop --name prod
Restart orphelix restart --name prod
View Logs orphelix logs --name prod
Check Status orphelix status --name prod
Delete orphelix delete --name prod
Port Configuration Each instance needs a unique port:
orphelix start --name prod -p 3000 orphelix start --name staging -p 3001 orphelix start --name dev -p 3002
Access URLs Each instance is accessible at:
http://orphelix.local:PORThttp://localhost:PORT
Example:
Production: http://orphelix.local:3000
Staging: http://orphelix.local:3001
Development: http://orphelix.local:3002
Database Isolation Each instance uses the same database file by default. To isolate data, run instances from different directories.
Shared Database (Default) All instances share settings:
# All use: /path/to/orphelix/orphelix.db orphelix start --name prod orphelix start --name staging
Changes in one instance affect others (theme, GitHub config, etc.)
Isolated Databases Create separate directories:
# Production directory mkdir ~/orphelix-prod cd ~/orphelix-prod orphelix start --name prod --port 3000 # Staging directory mkdir ~/orphelix-staging cd ~/orphelix-staging orphelix start --name staging --port 3001
Each directory has its own orphelix.db.
Kubernetes Context Switching Each instance connects to the current kubectl context when started.
Workflow # Switch to production cluster kubectl config use-context prod-cluster orphelix start --name prod --port 3000 # Switch to staging cluster kubectl config use-context staging-cluster orphelix start --name staging --port 3001
Once started, each instance maintains its connection to the original cluster, even if you switch contexts.
Auto-Startup Enable auto-startup for all instances:
# Start all instances orphelix start --name prod --port 3000 orphelix start --name staging --port 3001 # Save for auto-startup orphelix startup
All running instances will start on system boot.
Resource Usage Monitor resource usage across instances:
$ orphelix list 🟢 orphelix-prod Memory: 85 MB CPU: 0.2% 🟢 orphelix-staging Memory: 82 MB CPU: 0.1% 🟢 orphelix-dev Memory: 79 MB CPU: 0.1% Total: ~246 MB RAM
Example Setups Scenario 1: Separate Environments # Production (real cluster) kubectl config use-context prod-cluster orphelix start --name prod --port 3000 # Staging (real cluster) kubectl config use-context staging-cluster orphelix start --name staging --port 3001 # Demo (demo mode) orphelix start --name demo --port 3002 # Set to demo mode in UI settings
Scenario 2: Different Teams # Team Alpha cluster kubectl config use-context team-alpha orphelix start --name alpha --port 3000 # Team Beta cluster kubectl config use-context team-beta orphelix start --name beta --port 3001
Scenario 3: Regional Clusters # US East kubectl config use-context us-east-1 orphelix start --name us-east --port 3000 # EU West kubectl config use-context eu-west-1 orphelix start --name eu-west --port 3001 # Asia Pacific kubectl config use-context ap-south-1 orphelix start --name asia --port 3002
Best Practices
Use descriptive names - prod, staging, dev, not instance1, instance2Consistent ports - Document which port is for which environmentSeparate databases - Use different directories for complete isolationMonitor resources - Check orphelix list regularly for memory/CPU usageAuto-startup - Configure for critical instances only
Troubleshooting Port Already in Use Error: Port 3000 is already in use
Solution: Use different portorphelix start --name prod --port 3001
Instance Name Conflict Error: Process 'orphelix-prod' already exists
Solution: Stop existing instance firstorphelix stop --name prod orphelix start --name prod
Wrong Cluster If instance connects to wrong cluster:
# Stop instance orphelix stop --name prod # Switch context kubectl config use-context correct-cluster # Restart instance orphelix start --name prod
See Also
CLI Overview Learn more about Orphelix CLI
