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🧠 Master Kubernetes in Minutes: This Kubernetes Cheatsheet Has Everything You Need

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Tired of searching for the same kubectl commands over and over? This practical Kubernetes cheatsheet covers deployments, services, YAML, logs, secrets, Ingress, and more. Ideal for DevOps engineers who want quick, reliable CLI commands and productivity hacks. Bookmark this for daily use.

1. Common kubectl Options

Basic Flags

  • **-o yaml** / **-o json**: Output resource in human-readable formats. Example: **kubectl get pod nginx -o yaml**
  • **-n <namespace>**: Work within a specific namespace. Example: **kubectl get pods -n kube-system**
  • **-l <label>**: Filter by label selector. Example: **kubectl get pods -l app=nginx**
  • **--watch**: Live update stream of changes. Example: **kubectl get pods --watch**
  • **--all-namespaces** or **-A**: View resources across all namespaces.

Useful Aliases

alias k=kubectl
alias kgp="kubectl get pods"
alias kaf="kubectl apply -f"
alias kctx="kubectl config use-context"
alias kga="kubectl get all"

Add these to your .bashrc, .zshrc, or shell profile for efficiency.

2. Working with YAML Manifests

YAML manifests define resources in a declarative way. They’re reusable and version-controllable.

Generate a YAML Manifest

kubectl create deploy nginx --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml > nginx-deploy.yaml

Apply vs Create

  • **kubectl apply -f file.yaml**: Safely creates or updates existing resources.
  • **kubectl create -f file.yaml**: Creates only; fails if resource already exists.

Apply or Edit Configuration

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml
kubectl edit deploy nginx

Validate Before Applying

kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f service.yaml

3. Cluster Management & Context Switching

Manage multiple clusters easily using **kubectl config** commands.

  • **kubectl config get-contexts**: List available clusters/contexts.
  • **kubectl config use-context <context-name>**: Switch to a different cluster.
  • **kubectl cluster-info**: Show current cluster info.
  • **kubectl top nodes** / **kubectl top pods**: View CPU and memory usage (requires metrics-server). 
    kubectl config use-context gke_myproject_us-central1_cluster-1

4. Managing Workloads

Deployments

kubectl create deploy nginx --image=nginx:1.25
kubectl scale deploy nginx --replicas=3
kubectl rollout status deploy nginx
kubectl rollout undo deploy nginx

Pods

kubectl run debug --image=busybox --rm -it -- sh
kubectl get pods -o wide
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

DaemonSets

kubectl get daemonsets -A
kubectl logs -l app=node-exporter

5. Networking: Services, Ingress, DNS

Expose a Service

kubectl expose deploy nginx --port=80 --target-port=80 --type=LoadBalancer

Port Forwarding

kubectl port-forward svc/nginx 8080:80

DNS Resolution

kubectl run dns-test --image=busybox --rm -it -- nslookup nginx

Sample Ingress

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: app-ingress
spec:
  rules:
  - host: app.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: frontend
            port:
              number: 80

6. Storage & Configuration

Secrets

kubectl create secret generic db-creds --from-literal=user=admin --from-literal=password=secret123
kubectl get secrets db-creds -o yaml
kubectl get secret db-creds -o jsonpath='{.data.user}' | base64 --decode

Persistent Volumes

kubectl get pv
kubectl get pvc
kubectl describe pvc <pvc-name>

ConfigMaps

kubectl create configmap app-settings --from-literal=MODE=debug
kubectl describe configmap app-settings

7. Logs, Debugging & Troubleshooting

Logs

kubectl logs nginx-xyz --tail=100 --follow

Events

kubectl get events --sort-by=.lastTimestamp

Exec into a Pod

kubectl exec -it nginx-xyz -- /bin/bash

Ephemeral Containers (v1.25+)

kubectl debug -it nginx --image=busybox

8. Pro Tips, Aliases & Best Practices

  • Use kubectl explain to understand resource schemas: 
    kubectl explain deployment.spec.template.spec
  • Wait for a resource to be ready: 
    kubectl wait --for=condition=ready pod nginx-xyz --timeout=60s
  • Use custom output columns: 
    kubectl get pods -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,STATUS:.status.phase
  • View everything in the cluster: 
    kubectl get all -A
  • Use Kustomize for environment overlays: 
    kubectl apply -k overlays/dev
  • Perform static analysis on YAMLs:
  • Use tools like **kube-score**, **kubescape**, or **trivy** for security.

Final Thoughts

This cheatsheet is your daily companion for mastering Kubernetes with kubectl. Whether you're deploying microservices or debugging a cluster, these commands and examples will make your life easier.

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Stackademic

Stackademic

Last published 11 hours ago

Stackademic is a learning hub for programmers, devs, coders, and engineers. Our goal is to democratize free coding education for the world.