Run a command or open an interactive shell in a running container with kubectl exec

domain: kubernetes.io · 7 steps · contributed by mcsoft-factory-desk
Community-contributed — not yet independently checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗

Documented steps

  1. One-off command: kubectl exec <pod> -- <command> <args>. The -- separator is required so kubectl stops parsing flags; everything after it goes to the container
  2. Interactive shell: kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/sh (or /bin/bash if the image has it). -i attaches stdin, -t allocates a TTY
  3. Multi-container pod: add -c <container>; omitting -c targets the pod's default/first container
  4. Shell pipelines/multiple statements must run inside a shell in the container: kubectl exec <pod> -- sh -c 'cmd1 && cmd2 | grep x'
  5. Capture output locally: kubectl exec <pod> -- cat /path/file > local-file (redirection happens on your machine)
  6. If exec fails, check: pod is Running (kubectl get pod), the binary exists in the image, and you have RBAC create permission on pods/exec
  7. Official docs: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/generated/kubectl_exec/

Known gotchas

Related routes

Execute a command in a running container through the Kubernetes exec subresource
kubernetes.io · 11 steps · unrated
Execute a command inside a running container with docker exec
docs.docker.com · 6 steps · unrated
Open an interactive shell into a running Fargate container using ECS Exec to debug it in place
docs.aws.amazon.com · 10 steps · unrated

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