kubectl describe is used to obtain detailed information about Kubernetes resources, including configuration, status, events and related objects. Its core uses are three: one is to view the complete details of specific resources (such as Pods and Services), such as IP, node names, container status, etc.; the second is to display resource-related event logs to help troubleshoot scheduling failures, mirror pull errors, etc.; the third is to display dependencies, such as the Pods and tag selectors associated with Service, to facilitate verification of whether the configuration is correct.

The kubectl describe command is used to get detailed information about a specific Kubernetes resource. While kubectl get gives you a quick overview of resources, kubectl describe dives deeper, showing configuration details, status, events, and other helpful data that can be cruel for troubleshooting or understanding the current state of a resource.

Get Detailed Info About a Resource

When you run kubectl describe , you're asking Kubernetes to give you a full picture of a particular object — like a pod, service, or node. For example:

 kubectl describe pod my-pod

This will show things like:

• The pod's IP address
• Which node it's running on
• Container statuses and images
• Restart counts
• Port mappings
• Labels and annotations

It's especially useful when you need more than just the name and status — say, when debugging why a container keeps crashing.

See Events Related to the Resource

One of the most helpful parts of kubectl describe is the Events section at the bottom. This shows what Kubernetes has been doing with your resource, such as scheduling attempts, image pulls, or errors.

Common events you might see:

• FailedScheduling : Indicates issues with node selection or resource availability
• BackOff : A container is crashing and Kubernetes is waiting before restarting it
• Pulling Image : Shows whether the image is being pulled correctly

These events are time-stamped and usually in chronological order, making it easier to trace what went wrong.

Understand Dependencies and Connections

When you describe certain resources like services or deployments, kubectl describe also shows related objects. For example:

Running this:

 kubectl describe service my-service

Will include:

• Endpoints (which pods are selected)
• Selector labels used to find those pods
• Port mappings

This helps you quickly verify if a service is pointing to the right pods or if label selectors don't match.

If you're debugging or just trying to understand how things are wired together in your cluster, kubectl describe is one of the first tools you should reach for. It's not fancy, but it gives exactly the info you need without fluff.

Basically that's it.

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