kubectl Cheat Sheet: Commands for Everyday Kubernetes

The kubectl commands you run every day, plus the debugging ones you need under pressure.

Inspect, apply, roll out, and debug - the kubectl essentials.

Inspect

Command	Does
kubectl get pods -A	All pods, all namespaces
kubectl describe pod NAME	Pod details + events
kubectl logs -f NAME	Follow logs
kubectl get events --sort-by=.lastTimestamp	Recent events
kubectl top pods	CPU/memory usage

Command	Does
kubectl apply -f file.yaml	Apply manifest
kubectl rollout status deploy/NAME	Wait for rollout
kubectl rollout undo deploy/NAME	Roll back
kubectl scale deploy/NAME --replicas=3	Scale

Command	Does
kubectl exec -it NAME -- sh	Shell into a pod
kubectl describe node NAME	Node pressure/taints
kubectl get pod NAME -o yaml	Full pod spec
kubectl config current-context	Active cluster