The kubectl Command

kubectl is the command-line tool you use to talk to a Kubernetes cluster.

Syntaxkubectl <verb> <resource> [name] [flags]

kubectl (pronounced "kube-control" or "kube-cuttle") is how you send instructions to the cluster's API server. Almost every action — creating, viewing, updating, deleting — goes through it.

The common shape of a command

Most commands follow the pattern kubectl VERB RESOURCE NAME:

  • kubectl get pods — list Pods.
  • kubectl describe pod my-pod — show full details.
  • kubectl delete pod my-pod — remove a Pod.
  • kubectl apply -f file.yaml — create/update from a file.
  • kubectl logs my-pod — read a container's logs.

Useful shortcuts

Add -o wide for more columns, -o yaml to see the full object, and -n NAMESPACE to target a namespace. Use -A to look across all namespaces.

Example

Example · bash
# See everything in the current namespace
kubectl get all

# Detailed, human-readable view of one Pod
kubectl describe pod my-app

# Stream live logs from a Pod
kubectl logs -f my-app

# Run a one-off command inside a running container
kubectl exec -it my-app -- /bin/sh

When to use it

  • A developer uses kubectl logs to tail output from a crashing production pod and identify the exception causing the crash.
  • An SRE uses kubectl exec to open an interactive shell inside a running container and inspect live environment variables.
  • A CI/CD pipeline uses kubectl apply in the deploy stage to update a Deployment image tag to the newly built version.

More examples

Get resources across types

Shows the most common kubectl get commands for listing pods, deployments, services, and all resources in a namespace.

Example · bash
kubectl get pods
kubectl get deployments
kubectl get services
kubectl get all -n default

Apply and delete manifests

Demonstrates declarative management: apply converges the cluster state to the file spec, delete removes those same resources.

Example · bash
# Create or update from a YAML file
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

# Remove resources declared in the same file
kubectl delete -f deployment.yaml

Debug with describe, logs, exec

Chains three diagnostic commands: inspect events, tail recent logs, and open an interactive shell inside the pod.

Example · bash
kubectl describe pod my-pod
kubectl logs my-pod --tail=50
kubectl exec -it my-pod -- /bin/sh

Related

k8s architecturek8s minikube

Discussion

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The kubectl Command — Kubernetes | SoundsCode