kubectl-describe

Describe pod

$ kubectl describe pod [pod-name]

$ kubectl describe node [node-name]

$ kubectl describe deployment [deployment-name]

$ kubectl describe pods -l [app=myapp]

$ kubectl describe pod [pod-name] -n [namespace]

kubectl describe [options] resource [name]

kubectl describe produces a detailed, human-readable summary of one or more Kubernetes resources. Unlike `kubectl get`, which returns structured data fields, describe aggregates information from multiple API calls to present a comprehensive view that includes resource metadata, spec, current status, conditions, allocated resources, mounted volumes, and associated events.
The command is particularly valuable for troubleshooting, as the Events section at the bottom of the output shows recent actions taken by controllers, schedulers, and the kubelet -- such as image pull failures, scheduling decisions, readiness probe results, and container restarts. For nodes, it displays capacity, allocatable resources, running pods, and system conditions.
Output from describe is formatted for human consumption and should not be parsed programmatically. For structured data suitable for scripting, use `kubectl get -o json` or `kubectl get -o yaml` instead.

RESOURCE

Resource type (pod, node, deployment, etc.).

Resource name (optional).

Label selector.

Target namespace.

Search all namespaces.

Display help information.

Subcommand of kubectl. Output not for parsing. Use get -o json for structured data.

kubectl describe provides detailed resource inspection for Kubernetes troubleshooting.

kubectl(1), kubectl-get(1), kubectl-logs(1)