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    kubectl Cheat Sheet (2026): every command you actually use

    Haythem RehoumaBy 10 Mins Read
    kubectl Cheat Sheet (2026): every command you actually use

    Overview

    kubectl is your interface to Kubernetes clusters. This cheat sheet covers the commands you reach for 90% of the time: checking cluster state, viewing resources, viewing and following logs, running commands inside containers, port-forwarding, applying manifests, and debugging. Every command below is tested against Kubernetes 1.30.

    Cluster and config

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl config view Show current kubeconfig file kubectl config view
    kubectl config use-context <ctx> Switch to a cluster context kubectl config use-context prod
    kubectl config current-context Print active context kubectl config current-context
    kubectl config get-contexts List all configured contexts kubectl config get-contexts
    kubectl config set-context <name> --cluster=<cluster> --user=<user> Create a new context kubectl config set-context dev --cluster=kind-dev --user=admin@kind-dev
    kubectl cluster-info Display cluster API server address kubectl cluster-info
    kubectl auth can-i <verb> <resource> Check if you can perform an action kubectl auth can-i create deployments --namespace prod

    Get and describe: viewing resources

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl get pods List pods in the current namespace kubectl get pods
    kubectl get pods -A List pods in all namespaces kubectl get pods -A
    kubectl get pods -n <ns> List pods in a specific namespace kubectl get pods -n prod
    kubectl get nodes List cluster nodes kubectl get nodes
    kubectl get services List services kubectl get services or kubectl get svc
    kubectl get deployments List deployments kubectl get deploy
    kubectl get statefulsets List stateful sets kubectl get statefulsets or kubectl get sts
    kubectl get daemonsets List daemon sets kubectl get ds
    kubectl get jobs List jobs kubectl get jobs
    kubectl get cronjobs List cron jobs kubectl get cronjobs
    kubectl get pvc List persistent volume claims kubectl get pvc
    kubectl get ingress List ingress resources kubectl get ingress
    kubectl get all List all common resources in namespace kubectl get all
    kubectl get all -A List all resources across all namespaces kubectl get all -A
    kubectl describe pod <name> Show full details of a pod kubectl describe pod web-abc123
    kubectl describe node <name> Show node details and conditions kubectl describe node node-1
    kubectl describe svc <name> Show service configuration and endpoints kubectl describe svc api

    Logs

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl logs <pod> Print pod logs to stdout kubectl logs web-abc123
    kubectl logs -f <pod> Stream logs continuously (follow) kubectl logs -f web-abc123
    kubectl logs <pod> -c <container> View logs from a specific container in a pod kubectl logs web-abc123 -c app
    kubectl logs <pod> --previous Show logs from the previous (crashed) container kubectl logs web-abc123 --previous
    kubectl logs -l <label> Show logs from pods matching a label kubectl logs -l app=web
    kubectl logs <pod> --tail=50 Show only the last 50 lines kubectl logs web-abc123 --tail=50
    kubectl logs <pod> --since=1h Show logs from the last 1 hour kubectl logs web-abc123 --since=1h
    kubectl logs <pod> -f -l <label> Stream logs from all pods with a label kubectl logs -f -l app=web

    Exec and interactive commands

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl exec -it <pod> -- bash Open a bash shell in a pod kubectl exec -it web-abc123 -- bash
    kubectl exec -it <pod> -- sh Open a shell (works in minimal images) kubectl exec -it web-abc123 -- sh
    kubectl exec -it <pod> -c <container> -- bash Exec into a specific container in a multi-container pod kubectl exec -it web-abc123 -c app -- bash
    kubectl exec <pod> -- <command> Run a command without interactive mode kubectl exec web-abc123 -- ps aux
    kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/bash --user=1000 Exec as a different user (UID) kubectl exec -it web-abc123 -- bash --user=1000

    Port forwarding

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl port-forward pod/<name> 8080:8080 Forward local port 8080 to pod port 8080 kubectl port-forward pod/web-abc123 8080:8080
    kubectl port-forward svc/<name> 5432:5432 Forward to a service (connects to any pod backing it) kubectl port-forward svc/database 5432:5432
    kubectl port-forward pod/<name> 9000:8080 Forward local 9000 to pod 8080 kubectl port-forward pod/app 9000:8080
    kubectl port-forward <pod> 0:8080 Assign a random local port kubectl port-forward app 0:8080
    kubectl port-forward pod/<name> 8080:8080 --address 0.0.0.0 Allow external clients to connect (not just localhost) kubectl port-forward pod/api 8080:8080 --address 0.0.0.0

    Apply, delete, and manifest management

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl apply -f <file.yaml> Create or update a resource from a manifest kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml
    kubectl apply -f <dir>/ Apply all YAML files in a directory kubectl apply -f manifests/
    kubectl apply -f <url> Apply a manifest from a URL kubectl apply -f https://example.com/config.yaml
    kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f <file> Preview what would be applied without making changes kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f deployment.yaml
    kubectl apply --dry-run=server -f <file> Server-side dry run (webhook validation) kubectl apply --dry-run=server -f deployment.yaml
    kubectl delete pod <name> Delete a pod kubectl delete pod web-abc123
    kubectl delete -f <file.yaml> Delete all resources in a manifest kubectl delete -f deployment.yaml
    kubectl delete <resource-type> -l <label> Delete resources matching a label kubectl delete pods -l app=web
    kubectl delete <resource-type> --all Delete all resources of a type in current namespace kubectl delete pods --all
    kubectl delete <resource-type> --all -A Delete all resources of a type across all namespaces kubectl delete pods --all -A

    Rollout and updates

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl rollout status deployment/<name> Watch rollout progress kubectl rollout status deployment/web
    kubectl rollout history deployment/<name> Show revision history kubectl rollout history deployment/web
    kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name> Revert to the previous revision kubectl rollout undo deployment/web
    kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name> --to-revision=3 Revert to a specific revision kubectl rollout undo deployment/web --to-revision=3
    kubectl set image deployment/<name> <container>=<new-image> Update the container image kubectl set image deployment/web web=nginx:1.26 && kubectl annotate deployment/web kubernetes.io/change-cause="nginx 1.26"
    kubectl patch deployment/<name> -p '{"spec":{"replicas":5}}' Patch a resource inline kubectl patch deployment/web -p '{"spec":{"replicas":5}}'

    Scale and resource management

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl scale deployment/<name> --replicas=3 Scale a deployment to a number of replicas kubectl scale deployment/web --replicas=3
    kubectl scale statefulset/<name> --replicas=5 Scale a stateful set kubectl scale statefulset/db --replicas=5
    kubectl top nodes Show CPU and memory usage by node (requires metrics-server) kubectl top nodes
    kubectl top pod Show CPU and memory usage by pod kubectl top pod
    kubectl top pod -l <label> Show usage for pods with a label kubectl top pod -l app=web

    Labels and selectors

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl label pod <name> <key>=<value> Add a label to a pod kubectl label pod web-abc tier=frontend
    kubectl label pod <name> <key>=<value> --overwrite Update an existing label kubectl label pod web-abc tier=backend --overwrite
    kubectl label pod <name> <key>- Remove a label from a pod kubectl label pod web-abc tier-
    kubectl label nodes <node> <key>=<value> Label a node kubectl label nodes node-1 disktype=ssd
    kubectl get pods -l <key>=<value> Get pods matching a label kubectl get pods -l app=web
    kubectl get pods -l <key>!=<value> Get pods where label does not match kubectl get pods -l app!=db
    kubectl get pods -l '<key> in (val1, val2)' Get pods where label is in a list kubectl get pods -l 'tier in (frontend, backend)'

    Debugging and troubleshooting

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl describe pod <name> Show events and state of a pod kubectl describe pod web-abc123
    kubectl get events -n <namespace> List recent cluster events kubectl get events -n prod
    kubectl get events -n <namespace> --sort-by='.lastTimestamp' Sort events by time kubectl get events -n prod --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
    kubectl debug pod/<name> Start a debug container in the pod namespace (Kubernetes 1.16+) kubectl debug pod/web-abc123
    kubectl debug pod/<name> -it --image=busybox Debug pod with a specific image kubectl debug pod/app -it --image=busybox
    kubectl logs <pod> --previous Show logs from a crashed container kubectl logs web-abc123 --previous
    kubectl top pod <name> Show CPU and memory of a specific pod kubectl top pod web-abc123
    kubectl api-resources List all resource types available in the cluster kubectl api-resources
    kubectl get pod/<name> -o yaml Export a pod’s definition as YAML kubectl get pod/web-abc123 -o yaml

    Output formats

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl get pods -o yaml Output as YAML kubectl get pods -o yaml
    kubectl get pods -o json Output as JSON kubectl get pods -o json
    kubectl get pods -o wide Include additional columns (node, IP, etc.) kubectl get pods -o wide
    kubectl get pods -o name Output only resource names kubectl get pods -o name
    kubectl get pods -o jsonpath='{.items[*].metadata.name}' Extract specific fields with JSONPath kubectl get pods -o jsonpath='{.items[*].metadata.name}'
    kubectl get pods -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,STATUS:.status.phase Define custom columns kubectl get pods -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,STATUS:.status.phase,IMAGE:.spec.containers[0].image
    kubectl get pods --no-headers Hide the header row kubectl get pods --no-headers
    kubectl get pods -L tier,app Show values of specific labels as columns kubectl get pods -L tier,app

    Namespaces

    Command What it does Example
    kubectl get ns List all namespaces kubectl get ns
    kubectl create namespace <name> Create a namespace kubectl create namespace prod
    kubectl delete namespace <name> Delete a namespace (and all resources in it) kubectl delete namespace staging
    kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=<namespace> Set default namespace for current context kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=prod
    kubectl get pods -n <namespace> Query a specific namespace kubectl get pods -n prod
    kubectl get pods -A Query all namespaces at once kubectl get pods -A

    Patterns you’ll reuse

    # Watch a deployment rollout in real time
kubectl rollout status deployment/<name> --watch

# Get YAML of running resource for editing
kubectl get deployment/<name> -o yaml | vim - | kubectl apply -f -

# Find pods in a failed state
kubectl get pods --field-selector=status.phase!=Running

# Get all events in the cluster sorted by time
kubectl get events -A --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'

# Stream logs from multiple pods with a label
kubectl logs -f -l app=<label> --all-containers=true --max-log-requests=10

# View and modify resource limits
kubectl set resources deployment/<name> --limits=cpu=500m,memory=512Mi --requests=cpu=250m,memory=256Mi

# Get the IP address of a service
kubectl get svc <name> -o jsonpath='{.spec.clusterIP}'

# Export pod manifest to a file for backup
kubectl get pod/<name> -o yaml > backup.yaml

    FAQ

    How do I switch Kubernetes contexts?

    Run kubectl config use-context <context-name> to switch. List available contexts with kubectl config get-contexts. View the current context via kubectl config current-context.

    What’s the difference between apply and create?

    create fails if the resource exists; apply creates or updates. Use apply in production so you can safely re-run your manifests. To track why a rollout happened, set the kubernetes.io/change-cause annotation (the old --record flag is removed).

    How do I stream logs from a pod?

    Use kubectl logs -f <pod> for live logs from one pod, or kubectl logs -f -l app=myapp to tail logs from all pods matching a label. Add --previous to see logs from a crashed container.

    Can I run a command inside a running container?

    Yes: kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/bash (or sh for minimal images). For multi-container pods, specify the container: kubectl exec -it <pod> -c <container> -- bash. Use --user to run as a different user.

    How do I port-forward from a pod?

    Run kubectl port-forward <pod> 8080:8080 to forward local 8080 to pod 8080. Use --address 0.0.0.0 to allow remote access. For services: kubectl port-forward svc/<service> 5432:5432.

    How this guide was verified

    Written by hand from the official documentation, every command re-checked, and reviewed a second time before publishing. Last reviewed on .

    Official sources read for this article

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    Haythem Rehouma builds and teaches DevOps and AI tooling: Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Claude Code, ChatGPT and n8n. Every KubPoint guide is written from the official docs and re-tested before it goes live.

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