kubectl-exec

executes a command in a container running in a pod

TLDR

Execute command in pod

$ kubectl exec [pod-name] -- [command]

Open interactive shell

$ kubectl exec -it [pod-name] -- /bin/sh

Execute in specific container

$ kubectl exec [pod-name] -c [container] -- [command]

Execute bash in pod

$ kubectl exec -it [pod-name] -- /bin/bash

SYNOPSIS

kubectl exec [options] pod-name -- command [args...]

kubectl exec runs a command directly inside a container that is part of a running Kubernetes pod, functioning similarly to `docker exec`. It establishes a connection to the container's runtime environment through the Kubernetes API server and kubelet, allowing you to inspect files, run diagnostics, or open an interactive shell session.The double dash (--) is required to separate kubectl flags from the command and its arguments that should be passed to the container. When combined with -i (stdin) and -t (tty) flags, it provides a fully interactive terminal session. For pods with multiple containers, the -c flag lets you specify which container to target.

PARAMETERS

-c, --container name

Container name in multi-container pod.

-i, --stdin

Pass stdin to container.

-t, --tty

Allocate TTY.

-n, --namespace name

Kubernetes namespace.

INSTALL

sudo apt install kubectl

sudo pacman -S kubectl

sudo apk add kubectl

brew install kubectl

nix profile install nixpkgs#kubectl