Kubernetes Cheat Sheet
Quick reference for common Kubernetes commands (v1.27+). Always check the official Kubernetes docs for the most accurate details.
1. Show Kubernetes and kubectl Version
kubectl version
Displays both client and server versions.
2. List All Contexts
kubectl config get-contexts
Manage multiple clusters.
3. Switch Contexts
kubectl config use-context <context>
Swap clusters/namespaces quickly.
4. Inspect Current Config
kubectl config view
View merged kubeconfig settings.
5. List All Nodes
kubectl get nodes
Check node status and roles.
6. List Pods
kubectl get pods
List pods in the current namespace or use -n for others.
7. Describe a Pod
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
In-depth details on a specific pod.
8. Create or Update from a Manifest
kubectl apply -f <file.yml>
Declaratively manage cluster objects.
9. Edit a Live Resource
kubectl edit <resource> <name>
Opens in default editor to adjust running config.
10. Update a Container Image
kubectl set image deployment/<name> <container-name>=<image:tag>
Update container image in a Deployment.
11. Check Rollout History
kubectl rollout history deployment/<name>
View revision history of a deployment.
12. Undo Rollout
kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name>
Roll back to a previous stable version.
13. View Logs
kubectl logs <pod-name>
Check pod logs; add -f to follow, or -n for a specific namespace.
14. Execute a Command Inside a Pod
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- /bin/bash
Start an interactive shell in a container.
15. Port Forwarding
kubectl port-forward <pod/deployment/service> <local-port>:<remote-port>
Expose a local port to a cluster resource.
16. Monitor Resource Usage
kubectl top nodes or kubectl top pods
View CPU/Memory usage (metrics-server required).
17. Label a Resource
kubectl label pod <pod-name> environment=production
Add or update labels.
18. Annotate a Resource
kubectl annotate pod <pod-name> description='my pod'
Attach metadata to resources.
19. Scale a Deployment
kubectl scale deployment <name> --replicas=<count>
Adjust the number of pod replicas.
20. Safely Drain a Node
kubectl drain <node-name> --ignore-daemonsets --force --delete-emptydir-data
Move pods off a node before maintenance.