# kubectl

URL: https://softwaredictionary.org/terms/kubectl
Category: DevOps & Cloud
Last updated: 2026-10-05
Pronunciation: KOOB kun-TROHL

In short: kubectl is the command-line tool for Kubernetes: it sends requests to a cluster's API server to deploy applications, inspect them and change them.

## What is kubectl?

kubectl is how most people talk to a Kubernetes cluster. Every command becomes a request to the cluster's API server: `kubectl get pods` lists the running pods, `kubectl describe` shows the details and recent events of one object, `kubectl logs` prints a container's output, and `kubectl exec` runs a command inside a container. Which cluster it talks to, and as whom, comes from a kubeconfig file, usually `~/.kube/config`, which can hold several clusters as named contexts.

There are two ways to change a cluster. Imperative commands such as `kubectl create deployment` or `kubectl scale` say what to do right now. The declarative way, preferred for anything that lasts, is to describe the desired state in YAML files and run `kubectl apply -f`, which compares the files with what is running and makes only the changes needed. Keeping those files in Git turns every change into a reviewed commit, and tools built on the same idea, such as Helm and GitOps controllers, take it further.

kubectl is to a cluster what a remote control is to a television: the work happens elsewhere, and the tool only sends instructions. Because it can change anything the credentials allow, access to production is usually narrowed with role-based access control (RBAC), and `kubectl diff` or `--dry-run=server` show what a change would do before it is applied. People say its name in several ways, such as kube control, kube cuttle or kube C-T-L.

## Key takeaways

- kubectl is the Kubernetes command-line tool; every command is a call to the API server.
- `get`, `describe`, `logs` and `exec` inspect what is running.
- `kubectl apply -f` makes the cluster match YAML files that describe the desired state.
- The kubeconfig file decides which cluster kubectl talks to, and as whom.

## Example: Everyday kubectl commands

```bash
kubectl config get-contexts               # the clusters you can talk to
kubectl get pods -n shop                   # pods in the "shop" namespace
kubectl describe pod web-7d9f-x2kq -n shop # details and recent events
kubectl logs -f deploy/web -n shop         # follow the logs of the deployment's pod
kubectl diff -f web.yaml                   # what applying the file would change
kubectl apply -f web.yaml                  # make the cluster match the file
kubectl rollout undo deploy/web -n shop    # go back to the previous version
```

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the difference between kubectl apply and kubectl create?**

`kubectl create` makes a new object and fails if it already exists. `kubectl apply` creates the object or updates it to match the file, so you can run it again and again; that is why it suits configuration kept in files.

**Where does kubectl get its credentials?**

From a kubeconfig file, `~/.kube/config` unless the `KUBECONFIG` variable points elsewhere. It lists clusters, users and contexts, each context pairing a cluster with a user and a namespace; `kubectl config use-context` switches between them.

## Sources

- [Kubernetes documentation: Command line tool (kubectl)](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/)
- [Kubernetes documentation: kubectl Quick Reference](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/quick-reference/)

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