kubectl-exec

Execute command in pod

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

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

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

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

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.

-c, --container name

Container name in multi-container pod.

Pass stdin to container.

Allocate TTY.

Kubernetes namespace.

kubectl(1), kubectl-attach(1)