Today, I want to share a comprehensive command reference for everyday Kubernetes use - cleaner, deeper, and more practical than the standard cheat sheets
Kubectl Cheat Sheet
🔧 Context & Configuration
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl config get-contexts | List all contexts |
kubectl config use-context <context> | Switch to a different context |
kubectl config current-context | Show the active context |
kubectl config view --minify | View config of current context |
kubectl config set-context | Create or modify a context |
kubectl config set-cluster | Set a cluster config |
kubectl config set-credentials | Configure user credentials |
kubectl config unset users.<user> | Remove a user from config |
📦 Pods
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get pods | List all pods in current namespace |
kubectl get pods -A | List pods across all namespaces |
kubectl get pod <name> -o wide | Show pod details including IP and node |
kubectl describe pod <name> | Detailed pod information |
kubectl logs <pod> | Logs from main container |
kubectl logs <pod> -c <container> | Logs from a specific container |
kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/sh | Open shell session in pod |
kubectl delete pod <pod> | Delete a pod (useful for restart) |
🚀 Deployments
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get deploy | List deployments |
kubectl describe deploy <name> | View deployment details |
kubectl scale deploy <name> --replicas=3 | Scale deployment |
kubectl rollout status deploy <name> | Track rollout progress |
kubectl rollout history deploy <name> | Show rollout history |
kubectl rollout undo deploy <name> | Roll back to previous revision |
kubectl edit deploy <name> | Edit deployment in-place |
kubectl delete deploy <name> | Delete a deployment |
📋 Services
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get svc | List services |
kubectl describe svc <name> | Detailed service info |
kubectl expose pod nginx --port=80 --type=ClusterIP | Expose pod as service |
kubectl port-forward svc/<svc> 8080:80 | Forward local port to service |
kubectl get endpoints | Show service endpoints |
🌐 Ingress
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get ingress | List ingress resources |
kubectl describe ingress <name> | Details of an ingress resource |
📦 ConfigMaps & Secrets
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get configmap | List ConfigMaps |
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-literal=key=value | Create from literal |
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-file=file.txt | Create from file |
kubectl get secret | List Secrets |
kubectl create secret generic <name> --from-literal=password=secret | Create basic secret |
kubectl get secret <name> -o yaml | View base64-encoded secret |
kubectl get secret <name> -o jsonpath="{.data.key}" \| base64 -d | Decode a secret |
🔐 RBAC & ServiceAccounts
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl create sa <name> | Create a ServiceAccount |
kubectl get sa | List ServiceAccounts |
kubectl get clusterrolebinding -A | List all ClusterRoleBindings |
kubectl describe clusterrolebinding <name> | Show details of binding |
kubectl auth can-i get pods --as=system:serviceaccount:ns:sa | Check access for a ServiceAccount |
📂 Namespaces
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get ns | List namespaces |
kubectl create ns <name> | Create a namespace |
kubectl delete ns <name> | Delete a namespace |
kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=<ns> | Set default namespace for current context |
🛠 Jobs & CronJobs
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl create job hello --image=busybox -- echo Hello | Run one-time job |
kubectl get jobs | List jobs |
kubectl delete job <name> | Delete a job |
kubectl create cronjob hello --image=busybox --schedule="*/5 * * * *" -- echo Hi | Schedule recurring job |
kubectl get cronjob | List CronJobs |
📦 Storage (PVs & PVCs)
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get pv | List PersistentVolumes |
kubectl get pvc | List PersistentVolumeClaims |
kubectl describe pvc <name> | PVC details |
kubectl delete pvc <name> | Delete a PVC |
🔍 Debugging & Troubleshooting
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl get events --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp | Show recent events |
kubectl logs <pod> --previous | Logs from a crashed pod |
kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/sh | Open shell in pod |
kubectl debug -it <pod> --image=busybox --target=<container> | Ephemeral debug container |
kubectl top pod | Show pod CPU/memory usage |
kubectl get pods -o wide | Show node assignments and IPs |
📤 YAML & Apply
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl apply -f <file>.yaml | Apply a YAML manifest |
kubectl delete -f <file>.yaml | Delete resource defined in YAML |
kubectl apply -f <file>.yaml --dry-run=client -o yaml | Preview resource definition |
kubectl explain <resource> | Show schema for a resource |
📊 Output Formatting
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
-o wide | Show more details (e.g. IPs, nodes) |
-o yaml | Output full YAML |
-o jsonpath="{.items[*].metadata.name}" | Query JSON paths |
--field-selector status.phase=Running | Filter by field |
-l app=nginx | Filter by label |
--sort-by=.metadata.name | Sort output |
🔁 Port Forwarding & Proxies
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl port-forward pod/<pod> 8080:80 | Port forward to pod |
kubectl port-forward svc/<svc> 9090:80 | Port forward to service |
kubectl proxy | Run API proxy at localhost:8001 |
🧼 Cleanup & Deletion
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kubectl delete all --all | Delete all resources in namespace |
kubectl delete pod,svc -l app=nginx | Delete resources by label |
kubectl delete pvc --all | Remove all PVCs |
🧪 Common Shortcuts
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Restart a pod | kubectl delete pod <pod> (Deployment auto-recreates) |
| Watch pod status | watch kubectl get pods |
| Quick deploy NGINX | kubectl create deploy nginx --image=nginx |
| Expose NGINX | kubectl expose deploy nginx --port=80 --type=LoadBalancer |