This cheat sheet provides a quick reference to common kubectl commands for managing your Kubernetes (K8s) clusters and workloads. Each command is organized by category, making it easier to find what you need.
Common Options
Option Command Example Description aliasalias k=kubectlCreate an alias for kubectl -o=jsonkubectl get pods -o=jsonOutput in JSON format -o=yamlkubectl get pods -o=yamlOutput in YAML format -o=widekubectl get pods -o=wideOutput in wide format (includes node names for Pods) -nkubectl get pods -n=<namespace_name>Specify namespace -fkubectl create -f ./<file name>Use file, directory, or URL to create resources -lkubectl logs -l name=<label_name>Filter resources using label selector -hkubectl -hShow help for kubectl
Configuration Files (Manifest Files)
Command Description kubectl apply -f <file>Apply configuration from a file kubectl create -f <file>Create resources from a configuration file kubectl create -f <directory>Create resources from all files in a directory kubectl delete -f <file>Delete resources defined in a configuration file
Cluster Management & Context
Command Description kubectl cluster-infoDisplay endpoint information about the cluster master and services kubectl versionDisplay Kubernetes client and server version kubectl config viewDisplay the cluster configuration kubectl config current-contextDisplay the current context kubectl config get-contextsList all available contexts kubectl config use-context <context_name>Set the default context kubectl api-resourcesList available API resources kubectl api-versionsList available API versions kubectl get all -AList all resources across all namespaces
DaemonSets
Command Description kubectl get daemonsetList all DaemonSets kubectl edit daemonset <daemonset_name>Edit the definition of a DaemonSet kubectl delete daemonset <daemonset_name>Delete a DaemonSet kubectl create daemonset <daemonset_name>Create a new DaemonSet kubectl rollout daemonsetManage DaemonSet rollout kubectl describe ds <daemonset_name> -n <namespace>View the details of a DaemonSet in a namespace
Deployments
Command Description kubectl get deploymentList all Deployments kubectl describe deployment <deployment_name>Show detailed information about a Deployment kubectl edit deployment <deployment_name>Edit a Deployment kubectl create deployment <deployment_name>Create a new Deployment kubectl delete deployment <deployment_name>Delete a Deployment kubectl rollout status deployment <deployment_name>Show the rollout status of a Deployment kubectl set image deployment/<deployment_name> <container_name>=<new_image_version>Update container image kubectl rollout undo deployment/<deployment_name>Rollback to a previous Deployment
Events
Command Description kubectl get eventsList events for all resources kubectl get events --field-selector type=WarningList events filtered by warning type kubectl get events --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestampSort events by creation timestamp
Logs
Command Description kubectl logs <pod_name>Print logs for a pod kubectl logs --since=6h <pod_name>Show logs from the last 6 hours kubectl logs --tail=50 <pod_name>Show the most recent 50 lines of logs kubectl logs -f <pod_name>Follow logs for a pod kubectl logs -c <container_name> <pod_name>Show logs from a specific container in the pod
Namespaces
Command Description kubectl create namespace <namespace_name>Create a new namespace kubectl get namespacesList all namespaces kubectl describe namespace <namespace_name>View details of a specific namespace kubectl delete namespace <namespace_name>Delete a namespace
Nodes
Command Description kubectl get nodeList all nodes kubectl taint node <node_name>Apply a taint to a node kubectl top node <node_name>Show resource usage for a node kubectl cordon node <node_name>Mark a node as unschedulable kubectl uncordon node <node_name>Mark a node as schedulable kubectl drain node <node_name>Drain a node for maintenance
Pods
Command Description kubectl get podList all Pods kubectl delete pod <pod_name>Delete a Pod kubectl describe pod <pod_name>Show detailed information about a Pod kubectl exec <pod_name> -c <container_name> <command>Execute a command in a container within a pod kubectl port-forward <pod_name> <local_port>:<pod_port>Forward a port from a local machine to a pod
Replication Controllers
Command Description kubectl get rcList all Replication Controllers kubectl get rc --namespace=<namespace_name>List Replication Controllers by namespace
ReplicaSets
Command Description kubectl get replicasetsList all ReplicaSets kubectl describe replicasets <replicaset_name>Show detailed information about a ReplicaSet kubectl scale --replicas=[x]Scale a ReplicaSet to a specified number of replicas
Secrets
Command Description kubectl create secretCreate a new secret kubectl get secretsList all secrets kubectl describe secretsShow details about a specific secret kubectl delete secret <secret_name>Delete a secret
Services
Command Description kubectl get servicesList all services kubectl describe servicesShow detailed information about a service kubectl expose deployment <deployment_name>Expose a deployment as a service kubectl edit servicesEdit a service’s definition
Service Accounts
Command Description kubectl get serviceaccountsList all service accounts kubectl describe serviceaccountsShow details about a specific service account kubectl delete serviceaccount <service_account_name>Delete a service account
StatefulSets
Command Description kubectl get statefulsetList all StatefulSets kubectl delete statefulset <stateful_set_name> --cascade=falseDelete StatefulSet without deleting Pods
This cheat sheet offers a concise reference for managing Kubernetes resources and clusters. Keep it handy to quickly access kubectl commands!