Kubectl CheatSheet

Kubectl Command Cheatsheet

kubectl is the command-line interface for interacting with Kubernetes clusters. It allows you to deploy applications, inspect and manage cluster resources, and view logs. This cheatsheet provides a comprehensive reference of commonly used kubectl commands, organized by operation type.

Whether you’re new to Kubernetes or an experienced administrator, this guide will help you quickly find the right command for your task. Commands are presented with their descriptions and practical examples to make your Kubernetes workflow more efficient.

Cluster Management Commands

Command	Description	Example
kubectl cluster-info	Display cluster info	kubectl cluster-info
kubectl version	Show kubectl and cluster version	kubectl version
kubectl config view	Show kubeconfig settings	kubectl config view
kubectl config current-context	Display current context	kubectl config current-context
kubectl config use-context <context>	Switch to another context	kubectl config use-context minikube
kubectl config set-context	Set a context parameter	kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=myapp
kubectl api-resources	List supported API resources	kubectl api-resources

Namespace Operations

Command	Description	Example
kubectl get namespaces	List all namespaces	kubectl get ns
kubectl create namespace <name>	Create a namespace	kubectl create ns app-dev
kubectl delete namespace <name>	Delete a namespace	kubectl delete ns app-dev
kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=<ns>	Set default namespace	kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=app-dev

Pod Operations

Command	Description	Example
kubectl get pods	List all pods in current namespace	kubectl get pods
kubectl get pods --all-namespaces	List pods in all namespaces	kubectl get pods -A
kubectl get pods -o wide	List pods with more details	kubectl get pods -o wide
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>	Show detailed pod information	kubectl describe pod nginx-pod
kubectl run <name> --image=<image>	Create and run a pod	kubectl run nginx --image=nginx
kubectl delete pod <pod-name>	Delete a pod	kubectl delete pod nginx-pod
kubectl logs <pod-name>	Get pod logs	kubectl logs nginx-pod
kubectl logs -f <pod-name>	Stream pod logs	kubectl logs -f nginx-pod
kubectl logs <pod-name> -c <container>	Get container logs from multi-container pod	kubectl logs webapp -c auth-service
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- <command>	Execute command in pod	kubectl exec -it nginx-pod -- /bin/bash
kubectl port-forward <pod-name> <local-port>:<pod-port>	Forward pod port to local	kubectl port-forward nginx-pod 8080:80

Deployment Operations

Command	Description	Example
kubectl get deployments	List all deployments	kubectl get deploy
kubectl describe deployment <name>	Show deployment details	kubectl describe deploy nginx-deploy
kubectl create deployment <name> --image=<image>	Create a deployment	kubectl create deploy nginx --image=nginx
kubectl scale deployment <name> --replicas=<count>	Scale a deployment	kubectl scale deploy nginx --replicas=5
kubectl rollout status deployment <name>	Check rollout status	kubectl rollout status deploy nginx
kubectl rollout history deployment <name>	View rollout history	kubectl rollout history deploy nginx
kubectl rollout undo deployment <name>	Rollback deployment	kubectl rollout undo deploy nginx
kubectl rollout restart deployment <name>	Restart deployment (for image refresh)	kubectl rollout restart deploy nginx
kubectl set image deployment/<name> <container>=<image>	Update container image	kubectl set image deployment/nginx nginx=nginx:latest
kubectl delete deployment <name>	Delete a deployment	kubectl delete deploy nginx

Service Operations

Command	Description	Example
kubectl get services	List all services	kubectl get svc
kubectl describe service <name>	Show service details	kubectl describe svc nginx-svc
kubectl expose deployment <name> --type=<type> --port=<port>	Expose a deployment as a service	kubectl expose deploy nginx --type=NodePort --port=80
kubectl delete service <name>	Delete a service	kubectl delete svc nginx-svc

ConfigMap and Secret Operations

Command	Description	Example
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-literal=<key>=<value>	Create a ConfigMap from literal value	kubectl create configmap app-config --from-literal=env=prod
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-file=<path>	Create a ConfigMap from file	kubectl create configmap app-config --from-file=config.properties
kubectl get configmaps	List all ConfigMaps	kubectl get configmaps
kubectl describe configmap <name>	Show ConfigMap details	kubectl describe configmap app-config
kubectl delete configmap <name>	Delete a ConfigMap	kubectl delete configmap app-config
kubectl create secret generic <name> --from-literal=<key>=<value>	Create a Secret from literal value	`kub
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Persistent Volume Operations

Command	Description
kubectl get persistentvolumes	List PVs
kubectl get persistentvolumeclaims	List PVCs
kubectl describe persistentvolumeclaim <name>	Show PVC details

Tips

Tip	Description
kubectl explain <resource>	Show API docs for a resource
Add -o yaml or -o json	Get output in specific format
Use aliases like alias k=kubectl	Speed up CLI usage