kubectl Cheat Sheet

A comprehensive reference guide for kubectl commands, covering cluster management, resource operations, debugging, and advanced workflows. Perfect for daily Kubernetes work and interview preparation.

Cluster Information

Get cluster details, version info, and manage kubeconfig contexts.

Command	Description
kubectl cluster-info	Display cluster master and services endpoint
kubectl cluster-info dump	Dump cluster state for debugging
kubectl version	Display kubectl and server API version
kubectl version --short	Short version output
kubectl config view	Display merged kubeconfig settings
kubectl config view --raw	Display raw kubeconfig (includes base64 secrets)
kubectl config current-context	Show current context
kubectl config get-contexts	List all contexts
kubectl config use-context <context>	Switch to specified context
kubectl config set-context <context> --namespace=<ns>	Set default namespace for context
kubectl config set-cluster <cluster> --server=<URL>	Set cluster server URL
kubectl config delete-context <context>	Delete context from kubeconfig
kubectl config rename-context <old> <new>	Rename context
kubectl auth can-i create pods	Check if current user can create pods
kubectl auth can-i delete nodes --as=<user>	Check permissions for specific user

Pods

Create, manage, and troubleshoot pods.

Command	Description
kubectl get pods	List all pods in default namespace
kubectl get pods -n <namespace>	List pods in specific namespace
kubectl get pods --all-namespaces	List pods across all namespaces
kubectl get pods -o wide	List pods with more details (node, IP)
kubectl get pods --show-labels	List pods with labels
kubectl get pods --selector=<label>=<value>	Filter pods by label
kubectl get pods -w	Watch pods in real-time
kubectl describe pod <pod>	Show detailed pod information
kubectl describe pod <pod> -n <namespace>	Describe pod in specific namespace
kubectl create pod <name> --image=<image>	Create pod from command line
kubectl run <name> --image=<image>	Run temporary pod (deprecated for create)
kubectl run <name> --image=<image> --restart=Never	Create single-run pod
kubectl run <name> --image=<image> -i -t --rm -- /bin/sh	Run interactive pod, delete on exit
kubectl delete pod <pod>	Delete pod immediately
kubectl delete pod <pod> --grace-period=0 --force	Force delete pod
kubectl delete pods --all	Delete all pods in namespace
kubectl delete pod -l <label>=<value>	Delete pods matching label
kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/bash	Execute command in pod
kubectl exec -it <pod> -c <container> -- /bin/sh	Execute in specific container
kubectl logs <pod>	View pod logs
kubectl logs <pod> -c <container>	View logs from specific container
kubectl logs <pod> --previous	View logs from previous pod instance
kubectl logs <pod> --tail=50	View last 50 lines of logs
kubectl logs <pod> -f	Stream logs (follow)
kubectl logs <pod> --timestamps=true	Show timestamps in logs
kubectl logs -l <label>=<value>	View logs from pods matching label
kubectl logs <pod> --all-containers=true	View logs from all containers
kubectl port-forward <pod> <local>:<remote>	Forward local port to pod port
kubectl port-forward svc/<service> <local>:<remote>	Forward port to service
kubectl cp <namespace>/<pod>:/path /local/path	Copy file from pod to local
kubectl cp /local/file <namespace>/<pod>:/path	Copy file from local to pod
kubectl cp <pod>:/path/file - | tar xvf -	Copy directory from pod
kubectl top pod	Show CPU and memory usage of pods
kubectl top pod --containers	Show per-container resource usage
kubectl top pod <pod>	Show usage for specific pod
kubectl annotate pod <pod> <key>=<value>	Add annotation to pod
kubectl label pod <pod> <key>=<value>	Add label to pod
kubectl label pod <pod> <key>-	Remove label from pod
kubectl patch pod <pod> -p '{"spec":{"containers":[{"name":"<container>","image":"<image>"}]}}'	Patch pod definition

Deployments

Create and manage application deployments with rolling updates.

Command	Description
kubectl create deployment <name> --image=<image>	Create deployment
kubectl create deployment <name> --image=<image> --replicas=3	Create deployment with replicas
kubectl get deployments	List all deployments
kubectl get deployment <name>	Get specific deployment
kubectl get deployment -o wide	List deployments with more details
kubectl describe deployment <name>	Show deployment details
kubectl edit deployment <name>	Edit deployment in editor
kubectl set image deployment/<name> <container>=<image>	Update container image
kubectl set image deployment/<name> <c1>=<img1>,<c2>=<img2>	Update multiple container images
kubectl scale deployment <name> --replicas=5	Scale deployment to 5 replicas
kubectl scale deployment -l app=<app> --replicas=3	Scale deployments by label
kubectl autoscale deployment <name> --min=2 --max=10	Create horizontal pod autoscaler
kubectl rollout status deployment/<name>	Check rollout status
kubectl rollout history deployment/<name>	View rollout history
kubectl rollout history deployment/<name> --revision=2	View specific revision details
kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name>	Rollback to previous revision
kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name> --to-revision=2	Rollback to specific revision
kubectl rollout pause deployment/<name>	Pause deployment rollout
kubectl rollout resume deployment/<name>	Resume deployment rollout
kubectl delete deployment <name>	Delete deployment
kubectl delete deployment --all	Delete all deployments in namespace

Services

Expose applications and manage network access.

Command	Description
kubectl get services	List all services
kubectl get svc	Short form: list services
kubectl get svc -o wide	List services with endpoints
kubectl get svc <service>	Get specific service details
kubectl describe svc <service>	Show service details
kubectl create service clusterip <name> --tcp=8080:8080	Create ClusterIP service
kubectl create service nodeport <name> --tcp=8080:8080	Create NodePort service
kubectl create service loadbalancer <name> --tcp=8080:8080	Create LoadBalancer service
kubectl expose deployment <name> --port=8080 --type=LoadBalancer	Expose deployment as service
kubectl expose pod <pod> --port=8080 --target-port=8080	Expose pod as service
kubectl edit svc <service>	Edit service definition
kubectl patch svc <service> -p '{"spec":{"type":"NodePort"}}'	Patch service
kubectl delete svc <service>	Delete service
kubectl get endpoints <service>	View service endpoints
kubectl get svc -o jsonpath='{.items[*].status.loadBalancer.ingress[*].ip}'	Get LoadBalancer external IPs

StatefulSets

Manage stateful applications.

Command	Description
kubectl create statefulset <name> --image=<image>	Create StatefulSet
kubectl get statefulsets	List all StatefulSets
kubectl get sts	Short form: list StatefulSets
kubectl describe sts <name>	Show StatefulSet details
kubectl scale sts <name> --replicas=3	Scale StatefulSet
kubectl rollout history sts/<name>	View StatefulSet rollout history
kubectl rollout undo sts/<name>	Rollback StatefulSet
kubectl delete sts <name>	Delete StatefulSet
kubectl delete sts <name> --cascade=orphan	Delete StatefulSet, keep pods

Namespaces

Organize and isolate resources.

Command	Description
kubectl get namespaces	List all namespaces
kubectl get ns	Short form: list namespaces
kubectl create namespace <name>	Create namespace
kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=<namespace>	Set default namespace
kubectl get pods --namespace=<namespace>	Get resources in specific namespace
kubectl get pods -n <namespace>	Short form: get pods in namespace
kubectl describe namespace <name>	Show namespace details
kubectl delete namespace <name>	Delete namespace (deletes all resources in it)
kubectl label namespace <name> <key>=<value>	Label namespace
kubectl edit ns <name>	Edit namespace

ConfigMaps & Secrets

Manage application configuration and sensitive data.

ConfigMaps

Command	Description
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-literal=<key>=<value>	Create ConfigMap from literal
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-literal=<k1>=<v1> --from-literal=<k2>=<v2>	Create ConfigMap with multiple literals
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-file=<path>	Create ConfigMap from file
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-file=<key>=<file>	Create ConfigMap from file with custom key
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-env-file=<file>	Create ConfigMap from env file
kubectl get configmaps	List all ConfigMaps
kubectl get configmap <name>	Get specific ConfigMap
kubectl describe configmap <name>	Show ConfigMap details
kubectl get configmap <name> -o yaml	View ConfigMap in YAML
kubectl edit configmap <name>	Edit ConfigMap
kubectl delete configmap <name>	Delete ConfigMap

Secrets

Command	Description
kubectl create secret generic <name> --from-literal=<key>=<value>	Create generic secret
kubectl create secret generic <name> --from-file=<path>	Create secret from file
kubectl create secret docker-registry <name> --docker-server=<server> --docker-username=<user> --docker-password=<pass> --docker-email=<email>	Create image pull secret
kubectl create secret tls <name> --cert=<cert> --key=<key>	Create TLS secret
kubectl get secrets	List all secrets
kubectl get secret <name>	Get specific secret
kubectl describe secret <name>	Show secret metadata (not values)
kubectl get secret <name> -o yaml	View secret in YAML (values are base64)
kubectl get secret <name> -o jsonpath='{.data.<key>}' | base64 --decode	Decode secret value
kubectl edit secret <name>	Edit secret
kubectl delete secret <name>	Delete secret

Nodes

Manage cluster nodes.

Command	Description
kubectl get nodes	List all nodes
kubectl get nodes -o wide	List nodes with more details (IP, OS)
kubectl describe node <node>	Show node details
kubectl top nodes	Show node CPU and memory usage
kubectl label node <node> <key>=<value>	Add label to node
kubectl label node <node> <key>-	Remove label from node
kubectl taint node <node> <key>=<value>:<effect>	Add taint to node
kubectl taint node <node> <key>:<effect>-	Remove taint from node
kubectl cordon <node>	Mark node as unschedulable
kubectl uncordon <node>	Mark node as schedulable
kubectl drain <node>	Drain node (evict pods gracefully)
kubectl drain <node> --ignore-daemonsets	Drain node, ignoring DaemonSet pods
kubectl drain <node> --delete-emptydir-data	Drain node, delete pods with empty dir
kubectl drain <node> --force	Force drain node
kubectl get node <node> -o yaml	View node definition in YAML
kubectl patch node <node> -p '{"spec":{"unschedulable":true}}'	Patch node to make unschedulable

Persistent Volumes & Claims

Manage storage resources.

Command	Description
kubectl get persistentvolumes	List all persistent volumes
kubectl get pv	Short form: list PVs
kubectl get persistentvolumeclaims	List all PVCs
kubectl get pvc	Short form: list PVCs
kubectl get pvc -n <namespace>	List PVCs in specific namespace
kubectl describe pv <name>	Show PV details
kubectl describe pvc <name>	Show PVC details
kubectl delete pv <name>	Delete PV
kubectl delete pvc <name>	Delete PVC
kubectl edit pv <name>	Edit PV definition
kubectl edit pvc <name>	Edit PVC definition
kubectl get pv -o wide	List PVs with storage class and capacity
kubectl get pvc -o wide	List PVCs with status and capacity

Storage Classes

Manage storage provisioning.

Command	Description
kubectl get storageclasses	List all storage classes
kubectl get sc	Short form: list storage classes
kubectl describe sc <name>	Show storage class details
kubectl create -f storageclass.yaml	Create storage class from file
kubectl delete sc <name>	Delete storage class
kubectl patch sc <name> -p '{"metadata":{"annotations":{"storageclass.kubernetes.io/is-default-class":"true"}}}'	Set as default storage class

Network Policies

Control network traffic between pods.

Command	Description
kubectl get networkpolicies	List all network policies
kubectl get networkpolicy	List network policies (singular form)
kubectl get netpol	Short form: list network policies
kubectl describe netpol <name>	Show network policy details
kubectl create -f networkpolicy.yaml	Create network policy from file
kubectl delete netpol <name>	Delete network policy
kubectl edit netpol <name>	Edit network policy

Ingress

Manage external access to services.

Command	Description
kubectl get ingress	List all ingress resources
kubectl get ing	Short form: list ingress
kubectl describe ingress <name>	Show ingress details
kubectl create -f ingress.yaml	Create ingress from file
kubectl edit ingress <name>	Edit ingress definition
kubectl delete ingress <name>	Delete ingress
kubectl get ingress -o wide	List ingress with hosts and addresses

Jobs & CronJobs

Manage batch and scheduled workloads.

Jobs

Command	Description
kubectl create job <name> --image=<image>	Create job
kubectl create job <name> --image=<image> -- <command>	Create job with command
kubectl get jobs	List all jobs
kubectl get job <name>	Get specific job
kubectl describe job <name>	Show job details
kubectl logs job/<name>	View job logs
kubectl logs job/<name> -p	View previous job instance logs
kubectl delete job <name>	Delete job
kubectl delete job <name> --cascade=orphan	Delete job, keep pods

CronJobs

Command	Description
kubectl create cronjob <name> --image=<image> --schedule="0 0 * * *"	Create CronJob
kubectl create cronjob <name> --image=<image> --schedule="0 0 * * *" -- <command>	Create CronJob with command
kubectl get cronjobs	List all CronJobs
kubectl get cronjob <name>	Get specific CronJob
kubectl describe cronjob <name>	Show CronJob details
kubectl suspend cronjob <name>	Suspend CronJob (stop schedule)
kubectl resume cronjob <name>	Resume CronJob
kubectl delete cronjob <name>	Delete CronJob

DaemonSets

Run pods on every node.

Command	Description
kubectl get daemonsets	List all DaemonSets
kubectl get ds	Short form: list DaemonSets
kubectl describe ds <name>	Show DaemonSet details
kubectl delete ds <name>	Delete DaemonSet
kubectl rollout status ds/<name>	Check DaemonSet rollout status
kubectl rollout history ds/<name>	View DaemonSet rollout history

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)

Manage access control and permissions.

Command	Description
kubectl get roles	List all roles in namespace
kubectl get roles -A	List all roles in all namespaces
kubectl describe role <name>	Show role details
kubectl create role <name> --verb=<verb> --resource=<resource>	Create role
kubectl get rolebindings	List all role bindings
kubectl get rolebindings -A	List all role bindings across namespaces
kubectl describe rolebinding <name>	Show role binding details
kubectl create rolebinding <name> --clusterrole=<role> --serviceaccount=<sa>	Create role binding
kubectl get clusterroles	List all cluster roles
kubectl describe clusterrole <name>	Show cluster role details
kubectl create clusterrole <name> --verb=<verb> --resource=<resource>	Create cluster role
kubectl get clusterrolebindings	List all cluster role bindings
kubectl describe clusterrolebinding <name>	Show cluster role binding details
kubectl create clusterrolebinding <name> --clusterrole=<role> --serviceaccount=<sa>	Create cluster role binding
kubectl auth can-i <verb> <resource>	Check if current user can perform action
kubectl auth can-i create pods --as=<user>	Check permissions for specific user
kubectl auth can-i create pods --as-group=<group>	Check permissions for group

Service Accounts

Manage Kubernetes service accounts.

Command	Description
kubectl get serviceaccounts	List all service accounts
kubectl get sa	Short form: list service accounts
kubectl describe sa <name>	Show service account details
kubectl create serviceaccount <name>	Create service account
kubectl delete sa <name>	Delete service account
kubectl get sa <name> -o yaml	View service account in YAML

Debugging & Troubleshooting

Debug and troubleshoot applications and cluster issues.

Command	Description
kubectl describe pod <pod>	Show pod details (check events section)
kubectl get events	List cluster events
kubectl get events -n <namespace>	List events in specific namespace
kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'	Sort events by timestamp
kubectl logs <pod>	View pod logs
kubectl logs <pod> --previous	View logs from crashed container
kubectl logs <pod> -c <container>	View logs from specific container
kubectl logs <pod> --all-containers=true	View logs from all containers
kubectl logs <pod> -f	Stream/follow pod logs
kubectl logs <pod> --tail=100	View last 100 lines of logs
kubectl logs <pod> --timestamps=true	Show timestamps in logs
kubectl logs -l <label>=<value>	View logs from pods matching label
kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/bash	Open shell in running pod
kubectl exec -it <pod> -c <container> -- /bin/sh	Open shell in specific container
kubectl exec <pod> -- <command>	Execute command in pod (non-interactive)
kubectl debug node/<node>	Start debug pod on node
kubectl debug <pod>	Debug pod by adding container
kubectl debug <pod> -it --image=<image>	Debug pod with custom debug image
kubectl port-forward <pod> <local>:<remote>	Forward local port to pod port
kubectl port-forward svc/<service> <local>:<remote>	Forward port to service
kubectl describe node <node>	Show node conditions and events
kubectl top nodes	Show node resource usage
kubectl top pod	Show pod resource usage
kubectl top pod --containers	Show per-container resource usage
kubectl api-resources	List all API resources
kubectl explain <resource>	Explain resource structure
kubectl explain pod.spec	Explain resource field
kubectl get <resource> -o yaml	Export resource as YAML
kubectl diff -f <file>	Show what would change with apply
kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f <file>	Dry-run apply (show changes)
kubectl apply --dry-run=server -f <file>	Server-side dry-run apply

Output Formatting

Format command output for different use cases.

Command	Description
kubectl get pods -o wide	Show detailed columns (node, IP)
kubectl get pods -o yaml	Output as YAML
kubectl get pods -o json	Output as JSON
kubectl get pods -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'	Custom JSON path extraction
kubectl get pods -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,STATUS:.status.phase	Custom columns output
kubectl get pods --sort-by=.metadata.name	Sort by field
kubectl get pods --sort-by=.status.containerStatuses[0].lastState.terminated.exitCode	Sort by nested field
kubectl get pods -l app=web	Filter by label
kubectl get pods --field-selector=status.phase=Running	Filter by field
kubectl get pods --selector="app in (web,api)"	Filter by label selector
kubectl get pods -A	Show all namespaces
kubectl get pods --all-namespaces	Long form: show all namespaces
kubectl get pods --show-labels	Display object labels
kubectl get pods -w	Watch resource changes in real-time

Resource Management

Declare and manage resources using files.

Command	Description
kubectl apply -f <file>	Apply resource from file
kubectl apply -f <directory>	Apply all files in directory
kubectl apply -f <url>	Apply resource from URL
kubectl apply -f - < <file>	Apply from stdin
kubectl create -f <file>	Create resource from file (fails if exists)
kubectl create -f <directory>	Create all resources in directory
kubectl delete -f <file>	Delete resource from file
kubectl delete -f <directory>	Delete resources from directory
kubectl delete <resource> <name>	Delete specific resource
kubectl delete <resource> --all	Delete all resources of type
kubectl delete <resource> -l <label>=<value>	Delete resources by label
kubectl replace -f <file>	Replace resource (differs from apply)
kubectl replace --force -f <file>	Force replace (delete and recreate)
kubectl diff -f <file>	Show differences before applying
kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f <file>	Preview changes without applying
kubectl set image deployment/<name> <c>=<image>	Update container image
kubectl set env deployment/<name> KEY=value	Set environment variables
kubectl set resources deployment/<name> --limits=cpu=100m,memory=128Mi	Set resource limits
kubectl rollout status deployment/<name>	Check deployment rollout status
kubectl rollout history deployment/<name>	View rollout history
kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name>	Rollback to previous revision

Kustomize

Use kustomize for template-free customization.

Command	Description
kubectl kustomize <directory>	Display kustomized resources
kubectl apply -k <directory>	Apply kustomized resources
kubectl diff -k <directory>	Show kustomized resource diff
kubectl kustomize <directory> -o yaml	Output kustomized resources as YAML

Patch & Edit Operations

Modify existing resources.

Command	Description
kubectl edit <resource> <name>	Edit resource in default editor
kubectl edit pod <pod>	Edit pod configuration
kubectl patch <resource> <name> -p '<patch>'	Apply strategic merge patch
kubectl patch <resource> <name> --type='json' -p '<patch>'	Apply JSON patch
kubectl annotate <resource> <name> <key>=<value>	Add annotation
kubectl annotate <resource> <name> <key>=<value> --overwrite	Update annotation
kubectl label <resource> <name> <key>=<value>	Add label
kubectl label <resource> <name> <key>=<value> --overwrite	Update label
kubectl label <resource> <name> <key>-	Remove label

Advanced Commands

Powerful commands for advanced operations and inspection.

Command	Description
kubectl api-resources	List all API resource types
kubectl api-versions	List all API versions
kubectl explain <resource>	Explain resource structure
kubectl explain pod.spec.containers	Explain nested field structure
kubectl get <resource> -o json | jq '.items[] | select(.metadata.labels.app=="web")'	Complex filtering with jq
kubectl cluster-info dump --output-directory=./cluster-dump	Dump entire cluster state
kubectl get all	Get all resource types in namespace
kubectl get all -A	Get all resources across all namespaces
kubectl get all --selector=app=myapp	Get all resources matching label
kubectl proxy	Start proxy to Kubernetes API
kubectl proxy --port=8080	Start proxy on specific port
kubectl certificate approve <csr>	Approve certificate signing request
kubectl certificate deny <csr>	Deny certificate signing request
kubectl get csr	List certificate signing requests
kubectl describe csr <name>	Show CSR details

Important File Paths & Configurations

Quick reference for important Kubernetes paths and configuration files.

Path	Description
~/.kube/config	kubeconfig file (cluster credentials and contexts)
/etc/kubernetes/	Kubernetes configuration directory (on control plane)
/etc/kubernetes/manifests/	Static pod manifests
/etc/kubernetes/pki/	PKI certificates and keys
/var/lib/kubelet/	Kubelet data directory
/var/lib/kubelet/kubeconfig.conf	Kubelet kubeconfig
/var/lib/kubelet/config.yaml	Kubelet configuration
/var/log/pods/	Pod logs directory
/var/log/containers/	Container logs directory
/var/lib/etcd/	etcd data directory
/etc/cni/net.d/	CNI plugin configuration
/opt/cni/bin/	CNI plugin binaries
$KUBECONFIG	Environment variable for kubeconfig location

Helm Quick Reference

Package manager for Kubernetes.

Command	Description
helm version	Show Helm version
helm repo add <name> <url>	Add Helm repository
helm repo list	List Helm repositories
helm repo update	Update Helm repositories
helm repo remove <name>	Remove Helm repository
helm search repo <chart>	Search chart in repositories
helm search hub <chart>	Search chart in Artifact Hub
helm install <name> <chart>	Install chart
helm install <name> <chart> --values values.yaml	Install with custom values
helm install <name> <chart> --set key=value	Install with set parameters
helm install <name> <chart> -n <namespace>	Install in specific namespace
helm install <name> <chart> --create-namespace	Create namespace if not exists
helm install <name> <chart> --dry-run --debug	Dry-run install
helm upgrade <name> <chart>	Upgrade release
helm upgrade <name> <chart> --values values.yaml	Upgrade with custom values
helm upgrade <name> <chart> --install	Install or upgrade
helm upgrade <name> <chart> --reuse-values	Keep previous custom values
helm list	List releases in current namespace
helm list -A	List releases across all namespaces
helm history <name>	Show release history
helm rollback <name>	Rollback to previous release
helm rollback <name> <revision>	Rollback to specific revision
helm uninstall <name>	Uninstall release
helm status <name>	Show release status
helm get values <name>	Get release values
helm get manifest <name>	Get release manifest
helm template <name> <chart>	Render chart templates locally
helm lint <chart>	Lint chart for errors
helm create <name>	Create new Helm chart
helm package <chart>	Package chart for distribution

Useful Aliases & Functions

Boost productivity with common kubectl aliases and shell functions.

Bash Aliases

Add these to your ~/.bashrc:

# Basic shortcuts
alias k=kubectl
alias kd='kubectl describe'
alias ke='kubectl edit'
alias kg='kubectl get'
alias kl='kubectl logs'
alias kex='kubectl exec -it'
alias kdel='kubectl delete'
alias ka='kubectl apply -f'
alias kaf='kubectl apply -f'
alias kc='kubectl config'

# Pods
alias kgp='kubectl get pods'
alias kgpa='kubectl get pods --all-namespaces'
alias kgpo='kubectl get pods -o wide'
alias kdp='kubectl describe pod'
alias klp='kubectl logs pod'

# Deployments
alias kgd='kubectl get deployments'
alias kdd='kubectl describe deployment'
alias kled='kubectl logs deployment'

# Services
alias kgs='kubectl get services'
alias kds='kubectl describe service'

# Namespaces
alias kgn='kubectl get namespaces'
alias kdn='kubectl describe namespace'

# Nodes
alias kgno='kubectl get nodes'
alias kdno='kubectl describe node'
alias ktn='kubectl top node'

# All resources
alias kga='kubectl get all'
alias kgaa='kubectl get all --all-namespaces'

# Debugging
alias kex='kubectl exec -it'
alias kpf='kubectl port-forward'

Zsh Aliases

Add these to your ~/.zshrc:

alias -g k=kubectl
alias -g kd=kubectl describe
alias -g ke=kubectl edit
alias -g kg=kubectl get
alias -g kl=kubectl logs
alias -g kex=kubectl exec -it
alias -g kdel=kubectl delete
alias -g ka=kubectl apply -f
alias -g kc=kubectl config

# Pods
alias -g kgp='kubectl get pods'
alias -g kgpa='kubectl get pods --all-namespaces'
alias -g kgpo='kubectl get pods -o wide'
alias -g kdp='kubectl describe pod'
alias -g klp='kubectl logs pod'

# Deployments
alias -g kgd='kubectl get deployments'
alias -g kdd='kubectl describe deployment'

# Nodes
alias -g kgno='kubectl get nodes'
alias -g kdno='kubectl describe node'

Useful Functions

# View pod logs with color filtering for errors
klerr() {
    kubectl logs $1 | grep -i error
}

# Get pod by partial name
kgp-grep() {
    kubectl get pods | grep $1
}

# Describe pod by partial name
kdp-grep() {
    kubectl describe pod $(kubectl get pods | grep $1 | awk '{print $1}')
}

# Port-forward to service
kpf-svc() {
    kubectl port-forward svc/$1 $2:$3 --namespace=$4
}

# Get all events sorted by time
kevents() {
    kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
}

# Show resource definitions as YAML
kshow() {
    kubectl get $1 $2 -o yaml
}

# Quick debug pod
kdebug() {
    kubectl debug $1 -it --image=alpine:latest
}

Shell Autocompletion

Enable autocompletion for kubectl in bash and zsh.

Bash Autocompletion

Install bash-completion:

# macOS with Homebrew
brew install bash-completion

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install bash-completion

Enable kubectl autocompletion:

# Add to ~/.bashrc
source <(kubectl completion bash)

# Or with alias
echo "complete -o default -F __start_kubectl k" >> ~/.bashrc

# Reload
source ~/.bashrc

Zsh Autocompletion

Enable kubectl autocompletion:

# Add to ~/.zshrc
source <(kubectl completion zsh)

# Or add this for alias support
compdef __start_kubectl k

# Reload
source ~/.zshrc

Fish Shell Autocompletion

# Generate and add completion
mkdir -p ~/.config/fish/completions
kubectl completion fish | sudo tee /usr/share/fish/vendor_completions.d/kubectl.fish

Quick Reference Tips

Pro Tips for Daily Use:

• Use -o wide to see more columns (node, IP addresses, restarts)
• Use -w flag to watch resources in real-time
• Use --dry-run=client before applying changes to preview
• Use --all-namespaces or -A to see all namespaces at once
• Use --show-labels to see pod/node labels
• Chain | with grep to filter output
• Use jq with JSON output for complex filtering
• Set namespace default with kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=<ns>
• Use -l flag to filter by labels
• Keep multiple kubeconfig files and switch with use-context
• Use -c for multi-container pod operations
• Use --previous to debug crashed containers
• Use kubectl explain to understand resource fields
• Use --sort-by to order output
• Use --field-selector for advanced filtering

Common Workflows

Deploy an application:

kubectl create deployment myapp --image=myapp:1.0
kubectl scale deployment myapp --replicas=3
kubectl expose deployment myapp --type=LoadBalancer --port=8080

Debug a failing pod:

kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
kubectl logs <pod-name> --previous
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- /bin/bash

Update image in deployment:

kubectl set image deployment/myapp app=myapp:2.0
kubectl rollout status deployment/myapp

Rollback deployment:

kubectl rollout history deployment/myapp
kubectl rollout undo deployment/myapp --to-revision=1

Create and manage secrets:

kubectl create secret docker-registry regcred --docker-server=docker.io --docker-username=user --docker-password=pass
kubectl create secret generic db-secret --from-literal=username=admin --from-literal=password=secret

Scale and autoscale:

kubectl scale deployment myapp --replicas=5
kubectl autoscale deployment myapp --min=2 --max=10 --cpu-percent=80

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Last Updated: March 21, 2026 | kubectl Version: 1.28+ | Maintained for CloudCaptain Learning Platform