kubectl-get

lists Kubernetes resources

TLDR

List pods

$ kubectl get pods

List all resources

$ kubectl get all

Output a specific pod as YAML

$ kubectl get pod [pod-name] -o yaml

Output all pods as JSON

$ kubectl get pods -o json

Watch for changes to pods

$ kubectl get pods --watch

List pods across all namespaces

$ kubectl get pods -A

Filter pods by label

$ kubectl get pods -l [app=nginx]

List pods with additional columns (node, IP)

$ kubectl get pods -o wide

Custom columns output

$ kubectl get pods -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,STATUS:.status.phase

Get resources from a file

$ kubectl get -f [path/to/manifest.yaml]

SYNOPSIS

kubectl get [options] TYPE[.VERSION][.GROUP] [NAME | -l label]

kubectl get retrieves and displays one or more Kubernetes resources from the cluster. It is the most frequently used kubectl subcommand for inspecting cluster state, supporting every resource type including pods, deployments, services, nodes, configmaps, and custom resources defined by CRDs.The command provides flexible output formatting through the `-o` flag, including human-readable tables, YAML, JSON, JSONPath expressions, and custom column definitions. Results can be filtered by label selectors, field selectors, and namespaces, or retrieved across all namespaces with the `-A` flag. The `--watch` flag enables real-time streaming of resource changes via the Kubernetes watch API.By default, the output shows a summary table with key fields like name, status, and age. The `wide` output format adds additional columns such as node assignments and IP addresses, while structured formats like YAML and JSON return the complete resource specification for scripting and automation.

PARAMETERS

RESOURCE

Resource type (pods, deployments, services, etc.).

NAME

Resource name (optional).

-o, --output FORMAT

Output format: json, yaml, wide, name, custom-columns, jsonpath, go-template, and more.

-w, --watch

Watch for changes after listing the requested objects.

--watch-only

Watch for changes without listing/getting first.

-A, --all-namespaces

List objects across all namespaces.

-l, --selector SELECTOR

Label selector (supports =, ==, !=, in, notin).

-n, --namespace NAMESPACE

Namespace scope for this request.

-f, --filename FILE

Filename, directory, or URL to files identifying the resource.

-k, --kustomize DIR

Process the kustomization directory.

--sort-by JSONPATH

Sort list output by the specified JSONPath expression.

--field-selector SELECTOR

Filter by field selector (e.g., status.phase=Running).

-L, --label-columns LABELS

Comma-separated list of labels to present as columns.

--show-labels

Show all labels as the last column of output.

--show-kind

List the resource type for the requested objects.

--no-headers

Omit table headers from output.

--chunk-size N

Return large lists in chunks rather than all at once (default 500).

--ignore-not-found

Suppress NotFound errors when getting specific resources.

-R, --recursive

Process the directory used in -f recursively.

--help

Display help information.

CAVEATS

Subcommand of kubectl. By default, only resources in the current namespace are shown; use `-A` to see all namespaces. The `--watch` flag uses the Kubernetes watch API and may miss events during brief disconnections. The `--chunk-size` flag (default 500) controls pagination for large result sets.

HISTORY

kubectl get is the primary resource listing command for Kubernetes cluster inspection.