kubectl exec

Learn to run commands inside a Pod with kubectl exec.

kubectl exec

If logs aren't enough, you look inside the container: is the config file right, did the environment variables arrive, does the service name resolve?

kubectl exec -it deploy/api -- sh
$ printenv | grep DB_
$ cat /etc/resolv.conf
$ wget -qO- http://db:5432 || echo "bağlantı yok"
kubectl exec deploy/api -- ls -l /etc/ayar

Small (distroless, scratch) images may have no shell; in that case exec doesn't work.

kubectl debug

kubectl debug adds a temporary (ephemeral) container full of tools to a running pod; with --target it sees the target container's processes. It's also used to inspect a copy of the pod or the node itself:

kubectl debug -it api-xyz --image=busybox:1.36 --target=api
kubectl debug api-xyz -it --copy-to=api-kopya --container=api -- sh
kubectl debug node/worker-1 -it --image=ubuntu:24.04

Exercise Look inside

Write three commands: run printenv DB_HOST in deploy/api; run cat /etc/resolv.conf in deploy/api; add an interactive debug container with the busybox:1.36 image targeting the api container to the api-xyz pod.

Show example solution

kubectl exec deploy/api -- printenv DB_HOST
kubectl exec deploy/api -- cat /etc/resolv.conf
kubectl debug -it api-xyz --image=busybox:1.36 --target=api

Test yourself

Which is used to debug an image that has no shell?
- Adding a temporary debug container with kubectl debug
- kubectl exec -it -- sh
- Deleting the image
- kubectl logs
Show answer

Adding a temporary debug container with kubectl debug — kubectl debug adds an ephemeral container with tools to the pod.

Add a debug container to the pod.

kubectl ____ -it api-xyz --image=busybox:1.36 --target=api

Show answer

kubectl debug -it api-xyz --image=busybox:1.36 --target=api

Match.

exec -it ... -- sh

Shell in the container
debug --target

Temporary container with tools
--copy-to

Inspect in a pod copy
debug node/

Inspect the node

Next lesson: kubectl describe pod

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