DevOps Shack

TOP 30 Kubernetes Commands

Asked in MNC Interviews

1. How do you check the version of Kubernetes installed?

Command:

kubectl version --short

Explanation:

●​ This command displays the client and server versions of Kubernetes.

●​ The --short flag ensures a concise output.
●​ It helps verify compatibility between your kubectl version and the cluster's
API version.

2. How do you list all pods running in a specific namespace?

Command:

kubectl get pods -n <namespace>

Explanation:

●​ kubectl get pods: Fetches all pods.

●​ -n <namespace>: Restricts the query to a specific namespace.
●​ If no namespace is specified, it defaults to the default namespace.​
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Example:​
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kubectl get pods -n kube-system

●​ This is crucial in troubleshooting since pods in different namespaces might have

different statuses.

3. How do you get detailed information about a specific pod?

Command:

kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>

Explanation:

●​ Provides detailed information about the pod, such as:

○​ Labels, annotations.
○​ Events (like image pull errors, crash loops).
○​ Containers and their statuses.
●​ Useful for debugging issues related to pods.

Example:​
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kubectl describe pod nginx-pod -n default

4. How do you access the logs of a pod?

Command:

kubectl logs <pod-name> -n <namespace>

Explanation:​
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●​ Fetches logs of the primary container in a pod.

For multi-container pods, specify the container:​

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kubectl logs <pod-name> -c <container-name>

●​ Add the --tail or --since flags to limit the logs.

Example:​
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kubectl logs nginx-pod -n default

5. How do you execute a command inside a running pod?

Command:

kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -n <namespace> -- <command>

Explanation:

●​ -it: Interactive terminal mode.

●​ --: Separates kubectl options from the command being executed.

Example (access a shell):​

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kubectl exec -it nginx-pod -n default -- /bin/

●​ Often used to debug containers in real time.

6. How do you expose a deployment as a service?

Command:​
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kubectl expose deployment <deployment-name>
--type=<service-type> --port=<port>

Explanation:

●​ Creates a service to expose the deployment externally or internally.

●​ Service types:
○​ ClusterIP (default): Internal access within the cluster.
○​ NodePort: Exposes the service on a static port on each node.
○​ LoadBalancer: Creates an external load balancer.

Example:​
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kubectl expose deployment nginx-deployment --type=NodePort
--port=80

7. How do you scale a deployment?

Command:

kubectl scale deployment <deployment-name>

--replicas=<number>

Explanation:

●​ Adjusts the number of pod replicas for a deployment.

●​ Ensures high availability or resource optimization.

Example:​
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kubectl scale deployment nginx-deployment --replicas=5

●​ Use kubectl get pods to verify new pods are created.

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8. How do you create a resource from a YAML file?

Command:

kubectl apply -f <file.yaml>

Explanation:

●​ Applies configurations defined in the YAML file.

●​ If the resource exists, it updates it; otherwise, it creates it.

Example:​
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kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

●​ Commonly used for infrastructure as code (IaC) practices.

9. How do you delete a resource in Kubernetes?

Command:

kubectl delete <resource-type> <resource-name>

Explanation:

●​ Deletes a resource, such as a pod, deployment, or service.

To delete all resources of a type:​

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kubectl delete <resource-type> --all​

Example:​
kubectl delete pod nginx-pod
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10. How do you view cluster-wide resources like nodes?

Command:

kubectl get nodes

Explanation:

●​ Lists all worker and master nodes in the cluster.

●​ Shows node statuses (Ready, NotReady).

Example:​
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NAME STATUS ROLES AGE VERSION
ip-192-168-1-1 Ready master 30d v1.23.3

11. How do you debug a node or pod issue?

Commands:

# Check node status

kubectl describe node <node-name>

# Check pod events

kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

Explanation:

●​ Node-level issues (e.g., CPU, memory) can affect pods.

●​ Pod-level events (e.g., image pull errors, restarts) give insights into issues.

12. How do you view resource utilization in the cluster?

Command:​
kubectl top nodes
kubectl top pods

Explanation:

●​ Displays CPU and memory utilization of nodes and pods.

●​ Requires the Metrics Server to be installed in the cluster.

Example:​
kubectl top pods -n default

13. How do you get all resources in a namespace?

Command:

kubectl get all -n <namespace>

Explanation:

●​ Lists all resources (pods, services, deployments, etc.) in a namespace.

●​ Useful for gaining a holistic view of the namespace.

14. How do you update a Kubernetes resource?

Command:

kubectl edit <resource-type> <resource-name>

Explanation:

●​ Opens the resource definition in the default editor (e.g., vim).

●​ On save, Kubernetes updates the resource.

Example:​
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kubectl edit deployment nginx-deployment

15. How do you get the configuration of an existing resource as YAML?

Command:

kubectl get <resource-type> <resource-name> -o yaml

Explanation:

●​ Outputs the resource's current configuration in YAML format.

Example:​
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kubectl get pod nginx-pod -o yaml

16. How do you create a namespace?

Command:

kubectl create namespace <namespace-name>

Explanation:

●​ Creates a logical isolation within the cluster.

●​ Namespaces are useful for organizing resources by environment (e.g., Dev, QA,
Prod).

Example:​
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kubectl create namespace dev

17. How do you delete a namespace?

Command:​
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kubectl delete namespace <namespace-name>

Explanation:

●​ Deletes the namespace and all resources within it.

●​ Be cautious, as this action is irreversible.

Example:​
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kubectl delete namespace dev

18. How do you apply a rollout for a deployment update?

Command:

kubectl rollout restart deployment <deployment-name>

Explanation:

●​ Triggers a rolling update for the specified deployment.

●​ Ensures zero-downtime updates by replacing pods one at a time.

Example:​
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kubectl rollout restart deployment nginx-deployment

19. How do you check the rollout status of a deployment?

Command:

kubectl rollout status deployment <deployment-name>

Explanation:

●​ Monitors the progress of a rolling update.

●​ Useful to ensure all pods are updated without errors.​
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Example:​
kubectl rollout status deployment nginx-deployment

20. How do you undo a deployment to a previous revision?

Command:

kubectl rollout undo deployment <deployment-name>

Explanation:

●​ Rolls back the deployment to its last stable revision.

●​ Use --to-revision=<number> to specify a particular revision.

Example:​
kubectl rollout undo deployment nginx-deployment

21. How do you view the history of a deployment?

Command:

kubectl rollout history deployment <deployment-name>

Explanation:

●​ Lists all revisions of a deployment along with details.

Example:​
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kubectl rollout history deployment nginx-deployment

22. How do you port-forward a service or pod to access it locally?​

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Command:

kubectl port-forward <pod-or-service-name>

<local-port>:<target-port>

Explanation:

●​ Maps a local port to a pod or service for testing/debugging.

Example:​
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kubectl port-forward pod/nginx-pod 8080:80

23. How do you expose the Kubernetes dashboard?

Command:

kubectl proxy

Explanation:

●​ Starts a local proxy to access cluster services like the dashboard.

●​ Accessible at http://localhost:8001.
●​ Requires the Kubernetes Dashboard to be installed.

24. How do you create a ConfigMap?

Command:

kubectl create configmap <configmap-name>

--from-literal=<key>=<value>

Explanation:​
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●​ ConfigMaps store configuration data as key-value pairs.

Example:​
kubectl create configmap app-config
--from-literal=environment=dev

25. How do you create a Secret?

Command:

kubectl create secret generic <secret-name>

--from-literal=<key>=<value>

Explanation:

●​ Secrets store sensitive data like passwords, tokens, or keys.

●​ Data is base64 encoded.

Example:​
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kubectl create secret generic db-secret
--from-literal=username=admin
--from-literal=password=securepass

26. How do you attach a ConfigMap or Secret to a Pod?

Command: Add it to the Pod YAML file.

yaml
envFrom:
- configMapRef:
name: <configmap-name>​
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- secretRef:
name: <secret-name>

Explanation:

●​ Use configMapRef and secretRef in the Pod’s environment variables.

Example:​
yaml​
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
name: app
spec:
containers:
- name: app-container
image: nginx
envFrom:
- configMapRef:
name: app-config
- secretRef:
name: db-secret

27. How do you drain a node before maintenance?

Command:

kubectl drain <node-name> --ignore-daemonsets

--delete-emptydir-data

Explanation:
 ●​ Evicts all pods from the node to make it ready for maintenance.
●​ The --ignore-daemonsets flag skips DaemonSets.

Example:
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kubectl drain worker-node-1 --ignore-daemonsets
--delete-emptydir-data

28. How do you uncordon a node?

Command:

kubectl uncordon <node-name>

Explanation:

●​ Marks a node as schedulable after maintenance.

Example:​
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kubectl uncordon worker-node-1

29. How do you debug a CrashLoopBackOff issue?

Commands:

# View logs
kubectl logs <pod-name>
# Describe the pod
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
# Check the events
kubectl get events -n <namespace>

Explanation:
 ●​ CrashLoopBackOff indicates the container is repeatedly failing.
●​ Use logs and events to identify the root cause (e.g., missing ConfigMap, secret,
or incorrect image).

30. How do you check the endpoints of a service?

Command:

kubectl get endpoints <service-name>

Explanation:

●​ Lists the IP addresses of pods backing the service.

●​ Helps ensure that the service is routing traffic correctly.

Example:​
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kubectl get endpoints nginx-service
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