KodeKloud Notes

In this guide, you'll author a pod.yaml manifest and deploy a simple NGINX Pod without using kubectl run. Defining Pods in YAML is ideal for version control, reproducibility, and automation in CI/CD pipelines.

1. Create the YAML file

Open your terminal and launch your editor to create pod.yaml:
```
vim pod.yaml
```
Every Pod manifest requires four top-level fields:
```
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
spec:
```

2. Add metadata

Under metadata, set a unique name and labels to organize and select resources:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: nginx
  labels:
    app: nginx
    tier: frontend
spec:

Indentation Tip

YAML is sensitive to spaces. Always use two spaces per indent level and avoid tabs.

3. Define the Pod spec

Inside spec, list your containers. Each entry needs at least name and image:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: nginx
  labels:
    app: nginx
    tier: frontend
spec:
  containers:
    - name: nginx
      image: nginx

Add more containers by appending additional list items under containers.

Save and exit your editor (e.g., in Vim: Esc then :wq).

4. Verify the manifest

Inspect the content to ensure indentation and syntax are correct:

cat pod.yaml

Expected output:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: nginx
  labels:
    app: nginx
    tier: frontend
spec:
  containers:
    - name: nginx
      image: nginx

5. Deploy the Pod

Apply the YAML manifest to create the Pod:

kubectl apply -f pod.yaml

You should see:

pod/nginx created

Apply vs. Create

kubectl apply -f is idempotent and tracks changes, while kubectl create -f errors if the object already exists. For iterative edits, prefer apply.

Use this command to check the Pod's status:

kubectl get pod nginx

Wait until STATUS transitions to Running.

6. Inspect and debug

For detailed Pod information and events:

kubectl describe pod nginx

Sample output highlights Pod health, container state, and recent events:

Name:         nginx
Namespace:    default
Status:       Running
IP:           172.17.0.3
Containers:
  nginx:
    Image:     nginx
    State:     Running
    Ready:     True
    Restart Count: 0
Events:
  Type    Reason     Age   Message
  ----    ------     ----  -------
  Normal  Scheduled  10s   Successfully assigned default/nginx to minikube
  Normal  Pulling    10s   Pulling image "nginx"

Quick Reference

Command	Description	Example
Create or update resource	Apply YAML manifest	`kubectl apply -f pod.yaml`
List Pods	View Pod status	`kubectl get pod nginx`
Describe Pod	Detailed Pod and event logs	`kubectl describe pod nginx`

Links and References

Next, explore advanced manifest templating with Kustomize and Helm.

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