kubectl delete: Remove Resources in CI

Delete resources by name, file, or label selector.

kubectl delete removes resources, either by naming them, applying the same manifests used to create them, or matching a selector. In CI it tears down ephemeral preview environments. --ignore-not-found keeps cleanup idempotent so re-runs do not fail.

Common flags

-f file.yaml - delete what a manifest defines
-l key=value - delete by label selector
--ignore-not-found - exit 0 if the resource is already gone
--grace-period=0 --force - force-delete a stuck resource

Example in CI

Tear down a preview namespace idempotently.

shell

kubectl delete namespace pr-${PR_NUMBER} --ignore-not-found

Common errors in CI

Error from server (NotFound): ... not found - already deleted; add --ignore-not-found
namespace ... stuck Terminating - finalizers blocking deletion
Forbidden: ... is forbidden - RBAC denies delete on the resource

Key takeaways

Deletes resources by name, file, or selector.
Use --ignore-not-found to keep cleanup steps idempotent.
A namespace stuck Terminating usually has lingering finalizers.