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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.

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1. Create the YAML file

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

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

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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).

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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

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5. Deploy the Pod

Apply the YAML manifest to create the Pod: 
kubectl apply -f pod.yaml
You should see: 
pod/nginx created
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.

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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"

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Quick Reference

CommandDescriptionExample
Create or update resourceApply YAML manifestkubectl apply -f pod.yaml
List PodsView Pod statuskubectl get pod nginx
Describe PodDetailed Pod and event logskubectl describe pod nginx
Next, explore advanced manifest templating with Kustomize and Helm.

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