10 kubectl Commands Every Kubernetes Developer Must Know

Whether you’re preparing for a Kubernetes certification or just want to be more productive, mastering kubectl is essential. Here are the 10 commands that will make you a Kubernetes power user.

1. kubectl get - View Resources

# Get all pods in current namespace
kubectl get pods

# Get pods in all namespaces
kubectl get pods -A

# Get pods with more details
kubectl get pods -o wide

# Watch pods in real-time
kubectl get pods -w

2. kubectl describe - Detailed Information

# Describe a specific pod
kubectl describe pod my-pod

# Describe a node
kubectl describe node worker-1

3. kubectl run - Quick Pod Creation

# Create a pod quickly
kubectl run nginx --image=nginx

# Create with dry-run to generate YAML
kubectl run nginx --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml > pod.yaml

4. kubectl create - Create Resources

# Create a deployment
kubectl create deployment nginx --image=nginx --replicas=3

# Create a service
kubectl create service clusterip my-svc --tcp=80:80

5. kubectl apply - Declarative Management

# Apply a configuration file
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

# Apply all files in a directory
kubectl apply -f ./manifests/

6. kubectl logs - View Container Logs

# View pod logs
kubectl logs my-pod

# Follow logs in real-time
kubectl logs -f my-pod

# View logs from a specific container
kubectl logs my-pod -c sidecar

7. kubectl exec - Execute Commands

# Execute a command in a pod
kubectl exec my-pod -- ls /app

# Get an interactive shell
kubectl exec -it my-pod -- /bin/bash

8. kubectl port-forward - Local Access

# Forward local port to pod
kubectl port-forward pod/my-pod 8080:80

# Forward to a service
kubectl port-forward svc/my-svc 8080:80

9. kubectl config - Context Management

# View current context
kubectl config current-context

# Switch context
kubectl config use-context my-cluster

# List all contexts
kubectl config get-contexts

10. kubectl explain - Built-in Documentation

# Get documentation for a resource
kubectl explain pod

# Get specific field documentation
kubectl explain pod.spec.containers.resources

Bonus: Speed Up Your Workflow

Add these to your ~/.bashrc:

alias k=kubectl
alias kgp='kubectl get pods'
alias kgs='kubectl get svc'
alias kgd='kubectl get deploy'
source <(kubectl completion bash)
complete -F __start_kubectl k

Practice These Commands

Reading about commands isn’t enough—you need hands-on practice. Sailor.sh provides real Kubernetes clusters where you can practice these commands in exam-like conditions. Start your free practice session today!