Use this overview of the `kubectl` command line interface to help you start running commands against Kubernetes clusters. This overview quickly covers `kubectl` syntax, describes the command operations, and provides common examples. For details about each command, including all the supported flags and subcommands, see the [kubectl](kubectl/kubectl.md) reference documentation.
*`command`: Specifies the operation that you want to perform on one or more resources, for example `create`, `get`, `describe`, `delete`.
*`TYPE`: Specifies the [resource type](#resource-types). Resource types are case-sensitive and you can specify the singular, plural, or abbreviated forms. For example, the following commands produce the same output:
```
$ kubectl get pod pod1
$ kubectl get pods pod1
$ kubectl get po pod1
```
*`NAME`: Specifies the name of the resource. Names are case-sensitive. If the name is omitted, details for all resources are displayed, for example `$ kubectl get pods`.
When performing an operation on multiple resources, you can specify each resource by type and name or specify one or more files:
* To specify resources by type and name:
* To group resources if they are all the same type: `TYPE1 name1 name2 name<#>`<br/>
Example: `$ kubectl get pod example-pod1 example-pod2`
Example: `$ kubectl get pod/example-pod1 replicationcontroller/example-rc1`
* To specify resources with one or more files: `-f file1 -f file2 -f file<#>`
[Use YAML rather than JSON](config-best-practices.md) since YAML tends to be more user-friendly, especially for configuration files.<br/>
Example: `$ kubectl get pod -f ./pod.yaml`
*`flags`: Specifies optional flags. For example, you can use the `-s` or `--server` flags to specify the address and port of the Kubernetes API server.<br/>
**Important**: Flags that you specify from the command line override default values and any corresponding environment variables.
If you need help, just run `kubectl help` from the terminal window.
## Operations
The following table includes short descriptions and the general syntax for all of the `kubectl` operations:
`annotate` | `kubectl annotate (-f FILENAME | TYPE NAME | TYPE/NAME) KEY_1=VAL_1 ... KEY_N=VAL_N [--overwrite] [--all] [--resource-version=version] [flags]` | Add or update the annotations of one or more resources.
`api-versions` | `kubectl api-versions [flags]` | List the API versions that are available.
`apply` | `kubectl apply -f FILENAME [flags]`| Apply a configuration change to a resource from a file or stdin.
`attach` | `kubectl attach POD -c CONTAINER [-i] [-t] [flags]` | Attach to a running container either to view the output stream or interact with the container (stdin).
`autoscale` | `autoscale (-f FILENAME | TYPE NAME | TYPE/NAME) [--min=MINPODS] --max=MAXPODS [--cpu-percent=CPU] [flags]` | Automatically scale the set of pods that are managed by a replication controller.
`cluster-info` | `kubectl cluster-info [flags]` | Display endpoint information about the master and services in the cluster.
`config` | `kubectl config SUBCOMMAND [flags]` | Modifies kubeconfig files. See the individual subcommands for details.
`create` | `kubectl create -f FILENAME [flags]` | Create one or more resources from a file or stdin.
`delete` | `kubectl delete (-f FILENAME | TYPE [NAME | /NAME | -l label | --all]) [flags]` | Delete resources either from a file, stdin, or specifying label selectors, names, resource selectors, or resources.
`describe` | `kubectl describe (-f FILENAME | TYPE [NAME_PREFIX | /NAME | -l label]) [flags]` | Display the detailed state of one or more resources.
`edit` | `kubectl edit (-f FILENAME | TYPE NAME | TYPE/NAME) [flags]` | Edit and update the definition of one or more resources on the server by using the default editor.
`exec` | `kubectl exec POD [-c CONTAINER] [-i] [-t] [flags] [-- COMMAND [args...]]` | Execute a command against a container in a pod.
`expose` | `kubectl expose (-f FILENAME | TYPE NAME | TYPE/NAME) [--port=port] [--protocol=TCP|UDP] [--target-port=number-or-name] [--name=name] [----external-ip=external-ip-of-service] [--type=type] [flags]` | Expose a replication controller, service, or pod as a new Kubernetes service.
`get` | `kubectl get (-f FILENAME | TYPE [NAME | /NAME | -l label]) [--watch] [--sort-by=FIELD] [[-o | --output]=OUTPUT_FORMAT] [flags]` | List one or more resources.
`label` | `kubectl label (-f FILENAME | TYPE NAME | TYPE/NAME) KEY_1=VAL_1 ... KEY_N=VAL_N [--overwrite] [--all] [--resource-version=version] [flags]` | Add or update the labels of one or more resources.
`logs` | `kubectl logs POD [-c CONTAINER] [--follow] [flags]` | Print the logs for a container in a pod.
`patch` | `kubectl patch (-f FILENAME | TYPE NAME | TYPE/NAME) --patch PATCH [flags]` | Update one or more fields of a resource by using the strategic merge patch process.
`port-forward` | `kubectl port-forward POD [LOCAL_PORT:]REMOTE_PORT [...[LOCAL_PORT_N:]REMOTE_PORT_N] [flags]` | Forward one or more local ports to a pod.
`proxy` | `kubectl proxy [--port=PORT] [--www=static-dir] [--www-prefix=prefix] [--api-prefix=prefix] [flags]` | Run a proxy to the Kubernetes API server.
`replace` | `kubectl replace -f FILENAME` | Replace a resource from a file or stdin.
`rolling-update` | `kubectl rolling-update OLD_CONTROLLER_NAME ([NEW_CONTROLLER_NAME] --image=NEW_CONTAINER_IMAGE | -f NEW_CONTROLLER_SPEC) [flags]` | Perform a rolling update by gradually replacing the specified replication controller and its pods.
`run` | `kubectl run NAME --image=image [--env="key=value"] [--port=port] [--replicas=replicas] [--dry-run=bool] [--overrides=inline-json] [flags]` | Run a specified image on the cluster.
`scale` | `kubectl scale (-f FILENAME | TYPE NAME | TYPE/NAME) --replicas=COUNT [--resource-version=version] [--current-replicas=count] [flags]` | Update the size of the specified replication controller.
`stop` | `kubectl stop` | Deprecated: Instead, see `kubectl delete`.
`version` | `kubectl version [--client] [flags]` | Display the Kubernetes version running on the client and server.
Remember: For more about command operations, see the [kubectl](kubectl/kubectl.md) reference documentation.
## Resource types
The following table includes a list of all the supported resource types and their abbreviated aliases:
Resource type | Abbreviated alias
-------------------- | --------------------
`componentstatuses` | `cs`
`events` | `ev`
`endpoints` | `ep`
`horizontalpodautoscalers` | `hpa`
`limitranges` | `limits`
`nodes` | `no`
`namespaces` | `ns`
`pods` | `po`
`persistentvolumes` | `pv`
`persistentvolumeclaims` | `pvc`
`resourcequotas` | `quota`
`replicationcontrollers` | `rc`
`secrets` |
`serviceaccounts` |
`services` | `svc`
`ingress` | `ing`
## Output options
Use the following sections for information about how you can format or sort the output of certain commands. For details about which commands support the various output options, see the [kubectl](kubectl/kubectl.md) reference documentation.
### Formatting output
The default output format for all `kubectl` commands is the human readable plain-text format. To output details to your terminal window in a specific format, you can add either the `-o` or `-output` flags to a supported `kubectl` command.
Depending on the `kubectl` operation, the following output formats are supported:
Output format | Description
--------------| -----------
`-o=custom-columns=<spec>` | Print a table using a comma separated list of [custom columns](#custom-columns).
`-o=custom-columns-file=<filename>` | Print a table using the [custom columns](#custom-columns) template in the `<filename>` file.
`-o=json` | Output a JSON formatted API object.
`-o=jsonpath=<template>` | Print the fields defined in a [jsonpath](jsonpath.md) expression.
`-o=jsonpath-file=<filename>` | Print the fields defined by the [jsonpath](jsonpath.md) expression in the `<filename>` file.
`-o=name` | Print only the resource name and nothing else.
`-o=wide` | Output in the plain-text format with any additional information. For pods, the node name is included.
`-o=yaml` | Output a YAML formatted API object.
##### Example
In this example, the following command outputs the details for a single pod as a YAML formatted object:
`$ kubectl get pod web-pod-13je7 -o=yaml`
Remember: See the [kubectl](kubectl/kubectl.md) reference documentation for details about which output format is supported by each command.
#### Custom columns
To define custom columns and output only the details that you want into a table, you can use the `custom-columns` option. You can choose to define the custom columns inline or use a template file: `-o=custom-columns=<spec>` or `-o=custom-columns-file=<filename>`.
##### Examples
* Inline:
```console
$ kubectl get pods <pod-name> -o=custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,RSRC:.metadata.resourceVersion
```
* Template file:
```console
$ kubectl get pods <pod-name> -o=custom-columns-file=template.txt
To output objects to a sorted list in your terminal window, you can add the `--sort-by` flag to a supported `kubectl` command. Sort your objects by specifying any numeric or string field with the `--sort-by` flag. To specify a field, use a [jsonpath](jsonpath.md) expression.
// List the replication controller with the specified name in plain-text output format. Tip: You can shorten and replace the 'replicationcontroller' resource type with the alias 'rc'.