Kubernetes (kubectl) Command Guide

Kubernetes is the standard for orchestration.

Top 10 Useful Commands

1. Get Pods

kubectl get pods -A

Explanation: List pods in all namespaces.

2. Describe

kubectl describe pod <pod_name>

Explanation: Show detailed status/events for a pod.

3. Logs

kubectl logs -f <pod_name>

Explanation: Follow logs.

4. Exec

kubectl exec -it <pod_name> -- /bin/bash

Explanation: Shell access to a pod.

5. Apply YAML

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

Explanation: Create/Update resources from file.

6. Delete

kubectl delete pod <pod_name>

Explanation: Remove a pod (k8s usually restarts it).

7. Get Services

kubectl get svc

Explanation: List networking services.

8. Scale

kubectl scale deployment/myapp --replicas=3

Explanation: Manually scale instances.

9. Port Forward

kubectl port-forward <pod_name> 8080:80

Explanation: Access internal pod port 80 via local 8080.

10. Cluster Info

kubectl cluster-info

Explanation: Check master/dns status.

The Most Powerful Command

kubectl auth can-i --list

Explanation: Check your RBAC privileges to see if you can escalate rights or delete system components.