Kubernetes

Cluster control without the typing

Managing Kubernetes shouldn't feel like you're programming in kubectl. These shortcuts make it tolerable.

Core Aliases

Alias	Command	Description
k	kubectl	Save 6 keystrokes every time
kx	kubectx	Context switcher
kns	kubens	Namespace switcher

You'll type k get pods so much it'll become muscle memory.

Common Operations

Alias	Command	Description
kgp	kubectl get pods	List pods
kaf	kubectl apply -f	Apply manifest
keti	kubectl exec -ti	Interactive exec into pod

These cover 80% of daily kubectl usage.

Functions

kconfig — Switch Kubeconfig

Manage multiple kubeconfig files:

kconfig dev
# Switches to ~/.kube/configs/dev

kconfig prod
# Switches to ~/.kube/configs/prod

Store different cluster configs in ~/.kube/configs/ and switch between them easily.

klogs — Quick Pod Logs

Tail logs from a pod:

klogs my-pod
# Shows last 100 lines with follow (-f)

Add -c container-name if the pod has multiple containers.

khelp — Quick Reference

Forgot that kubectl command?

khelp
# Shows common kubectl commands
# Organized by category

Your personal kubectl cheatsheet.

Context & Namespace Management

kubectx

Switch between clusters:

kx              # List contexts (with fzf if available)
kx production   # Switch to production
kx staging      # Switch to staging
kx -            # Switch back to previous context

Critical for multi-cluster workflows. One command to switch environments.

kubens

Switch between namespaces:

kns             # List namespaces (with fzf if available)
kns kube-system # Switch to kube-system
kns default     # Back to default
kns -           # Switch to previous namespace

Stop typing -n namespace on every command.

Krew Plugin Manager

Krew extends kubectl with plugins. The path is already configured.

# Install plugins
kubectl krew install ctx ns

# Update krew
kubectl krew upgrade

# List installed
kubectl krew list

Recommended plugins:

• ctx / ns — Context/namespace management
• tree — Show resources in tree format
• view-secret — Decode secrets easily
• tail — Tail logs from multiple pods

k9s Integration

k9s is the ultimate Kubernetes TUI. Works seamlessly with these configs.

k9s            # Open k9s in current context/namespace
k9s -n default # Open in specific namespace
k9s --context prod  # Open with specific context

Learn k9s keyboard shortcuts:

• 0 — Show all namespaces
• :pod — Jump to pods
• :svc — Jump to services
• :deploy — Jump to deployments
• l — View logs
• d — Describe resource
• e — Edit resource
• s — Shell into container

Common Workflows

Debug a Pod

# Find the pod
kgp

# Check logs
klogs my-pod-abc123

# Or shell into it
keti my-pod-abc123 -- bash
# or: keti my-pod-abc123 -- sh

# Describe it
k describe pod my-pod-abc123

Apply Configuration Changes

# Apply single file
kaf deployment.yaml

# Apply directory
k apply -f ./manifests/

# Apply with kustomize
k apply -k ./overlays/production/

Switch Environments

Multi-environment workflow:

# Check current context
kx

# Switch to staging
kx staging

# Switch namespace
kns my-app

# Verify you're in the right place
kgp

# Make changes
kaf deployment.yaml

# Switch back to dev
kx dev
kns default

Port Forward for Local Access

# Forward pod port
k port-forward my-pod 8080:80

# Forward service port
k port-forward svc/my-service 8080:80

# Run in background
k port-forward my-pod 8080:80 &

Access the service at localhost:8080.

Scale Deployments

# Scale up
k scale deployment/my-app --replicas=5

# Scale down
k scale deployment/my-app --replicas=1

# Scale to zero (careful!)
k scale deployment/my-app --replicas=0

Check Resource Usage

# Node resources
k top nodes

# Pod resources
k top pods

# Specific namespace
k top pods -n production

Requires metrics-server installed in the cluster.

Watch Resources

# Watch pods
k get pods -w

# Watch with timestamp
k get pods -w --show-labels

# Watch events
k get events -w

The -w flag watches for changes. Useful during deployments.

Quick Debugging

Pod Won't Start

kgp              # Check status
k describe pod <name>   # Look for events
klogs <name>     # Check logs

Usually: ImagePullBackOff (image doesn't exist) or CrashLoopBackOff (app crashes on start).

Service Not Accessible

k get svc        # List services
k get ep         # List endpoints
k describe svc <name>  # Check selector
kgp -l app=myapp # Verify pods match selector

Often the service selector doesn't match pod labels.

Config Not Applying

# Dry-run first
k apply -f config.yaml --dry-run=client

# Check diff
k diff -f config.yaml

# Then apply
kaf config.yaml

Check Cluster Health

k get nodes      # Node status
k get pods -A    # All pods, all namespaces
k get events -A --sort-by='.lastTimestamp' | tail -20

Pro Tips

Always set context and namespace first: Use kx and kns before running commands. Prevents accidents in production.

Use k9s for exploration: Typing kubectl commands is fine for scripts, but k9s is faster for ad-hoc exploration.

Label everything: Use consistent labels on resources. Makes selectors and debugging easier.

Dry-run before apply: Always run --dry-run=client on changes to critical resources.

Keep kube configs separate: Use kconfig to manage different cluster credentials. Never accidentally apply dev config to prod.

Learn one good TUI: Either k9s, or another like kdash/lens. GUIs are faster than kubectl for many tasks.

Watch during deployments: Use -w flag to watch rollout status in real-time.