DevOps Shack

50 Common Kubernetes Errors With

. Troubleshooting & Examples

1. Pod in CrashLoopBackOff State:

o Error: The pod keeps crashing and restarting.

o Troubleshooting: Check pod logs for errors, ensure required resources are
available, check for misconfigurations.
o Example: kubectl logs <pod-name>

2. ImagePullBackOff:

o Error: Kubernetes is unable to pull the container image.

o Troubleshooting: Verify image name and access permissions, check network
connectivity.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

3. Pod Pending:

o Error: Pod is stuck in the Pending state.

o Troubleshooting: Insufficient resources, node issues, pod scheduling
constraints.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
4. Invalid Pod Specification:

o Error: Pod spec contains invalid configurations.

o Troubleshooting: Review pod YAML file for syntax errors, missing fields, or
incorrect values.
o Example: kubectl apply -f <pod-spec.yaml> --dry-run=client

5. Service Unavailable:

o Error: Service is not reachable.

o Troubleshooting: Check service configuration, endpoint readiness, network
policies.
o Example: kubectl get svc

6. Node Not Ready:

o Error: Node is not ready to accept pods.

o Troubleshooting: Inspect node status, check system logs, monitor resource
usage.
o Example: kubectl describe node <node-name>

7. Volume Mount Errors:

o Error: Issues with mounting volumes in pods.

o Troubleshooting: Verify volume configuration, permissions, and storage
availability.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

8. RBAC Permission Denied:

o Error: User or service account lacks necessary permissions.

o Troubleshooting: Review RBAC roles and bindings, check cluster role
permissions.
o Example: kubectl auth can-i <verb> <resource> --as <user>
9. Pod Evicted:

o Error: Pod is evicted from the node.

o Troubleshooting: Resource constraints, node issues, pod priority
configuration.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

10. Network Policy Issues:

o Error: Network policies are blocking pod communication.

o Troubleshooting: Review network policy configurations, check pod labels and
selectors.
o Example: kubectl describe networkpolicy <policy-name>

11. ImageNotFound:

o Error: Kubernetes cannot find the specified container image.

o Troubleshooting: Verify image name and repository, check image availability.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

12. Init Container Errors:

o Error: Issues with init containers failing to start or complete.

o Troubleshooting: Check init container logs, verify dependencies, and
container startup order.
o Example: kubectl logs <pod-name> -c <init-container-name>

13. Node Out of Disk Space:

o Error: Node has insufficient disk space.

o Troubleshooting: Free up disk space, resize volumes, or add additional
storage.
o Example: df -h
14. Pod Stuck in Terminating State:

o Error: Pod is stuck terminating and not being removed.

o Troubleshooting: Manually delete pod finalizers, check controller-manager
logs.
o Example: kubectl delete pod <pod-name> --grace-period=0 –force

15. Invalid Namespace:

o Error: Specified namespace does not exist or is misspelled.

o Troubleshooting: Check namespace spelling, create namespace if necessary.
o Example: kubectl get namespace

16. Invalid Pod IP:

o Error: Pod IP is not assigned or is invalid.

o Troubleshooting: Check networking configurations, restart kubelet service.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

17. DNS Resolution Failure:

o Error: Pod cannot resolve DNS names.

o Troubleshooting: Verify DNS configurations, check network policies, test DNS
resolution.
o Example: kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- nslookup <domain>

18. CrashLoopBackOff with Custom Controllers:

o Error: Custom controller-managed pods are in CrashLoopBackOff state.

o Troubleshooting: Check controller logs, review controller implementation,
inspect pod resources.
o Example: kubectl logs <controller-pod-name>
19. ConfigMap Errors:

o Error: Issues with ConfigMap creation or usage in pods.

o Troubleshooting: Verify ConfigMap configurations, check for syntax errors.
o Example: kubectl describe configmap <configmap-name>

20. Pod Security Context Violation:

o Error: Pod security context constraints are violated.

o Troubleshooting: Review pod security context, check security policies.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

21. Node NotReady Condition:

o Error: Node is marked as NotReady.

o Troubleshooting: Check node status, inspect kubelet logs, monitor node
health.
o Example: kubectl describe node <node-name>

22. PersistentVolumeClaim Pending:

o Error: PVC is stuck in Pending state.

o Troubleshooting: Check storage class availability, inspect PV/PVC bindings.
o Example: kubectl describe pvc <pvc-name>

23. Scheduler Errors:

o Error: Issues with pod scheduling.

o Troubleshooting: Inspect scheduler logs, check resource requests/limits.
o Example: kubectl logs -n kube-system <scheduler-pod-name>

24. Missing Resource Quotas:

o Error: Resource quota limits are exceeded.

o Troubleshooting: Review resource quotas, adjust resource requests/limits.
o Example: kubectl describe quota <quota-name>
25. Container Terminated Unexpectedly:

o Error: Container inside the pod is terminated unexpectedly.

o Troubleshooting: Check container logs, inspect container health checks,
review application code.
o Example: kubectl logs <pod-name>

26. Secret Decryption Error:

o Error: Unable to decrypt secrets.

o Troubleshooting: Verify encryption configurations, check secret permissions.
o Example: kubectl describe secret <secret-name>

27. Pod Running Slow:

o Error: Pod is taking longer than expected to start or respond.

o Troubleshooting: Check pod resource utilization, inspect application
performance.
o Example: kubectl top pod <pod-name>

28. Node Crashed:

o Error: Node has crashed and is not recoverable.

o Troubleshooting: Diagnosenode hardware/software issues, replace node if
necessary.
o Example: kubectl describe node <node-name>

29. Deployment Rollout Stuck:

o Error: Deployment rollout is stuck or paused.

o Troubleshooting: Inspect deployment status, check for conflicts or blocking
conditions.
o Example: kubectl rollout status deployment <deployment-name>
30. Ingress Controller Errors:

o Error: Ingress controller is not routing traffic correctly.

o Troubleshooting: Check ingress controller logs, inspect ingress resources,
verify DNS resolution.
o Example: kubectl logs -n <ingress-controller-namespace> <ingress-
controller-pod-name>

31. Pod Affinity/Anti-Affinity Failures:

o Error: Pod scheduling based on affinity/anti-affinity rules fails.

o Troubleshooting: Review pod affinity/anti-affinity configurations, check node
labels.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

32. Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) Not Scaling:

o Error: HPA is not scaling pods as expected.

o Troubleshooting: Inspect HPA configurations, check resource metrics, review
pod utilization.
o Example: kubectl describe hpa <hpa-name>

33. Service Account Permissions:

o Error: Service account lacks necessary permissions to access resources.

o Troubleshooting: Review service account roles and role bindings.
o Example: kubectl describe sa <service-account-name>

34. Pod Disruption Budget Violation:

o Error: Pod disruption budget constraints are violated.

o Troubleshooting: Review PodDisruptionBudget configurations, check for pod
disruptions.
o Example: kubectl describe pdb <pdb-name>
35. Node Resource Exhaustion:

o Error: Node resources (CPU, memory) are exhausted.

o Troubleshooting: Monitor node resource utilization, adjust resource quotas.
o Example: kubectl top node

36. Custom Resource Definition (CRD) Errors:

o Error: Issues with custom resource definitions.

o Troubleshooting: Check CRD configurations, validate CR manifests.
o Example: kubectl get crd

37. Pod Security Policy Violation:

o Error: Pod does not comply with pod security policies.

o Troubleshooting: Review pod security policy configurations, check for policy
violations.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

38. Cluster Autoscaler Not Scaling:

o Error: Cluster autoscaler is not scaling nodes as expected.

o Troubleshooting: Inspect cluster autoscaler logs, check node utilization,
adjust autoscaler configurations.
o Example: kubectl logs -n kube-system <autoscaler-pod-name>

39. Pod Resource Contention:

o Error: Pods on the node are contending for resources.

o Troubleshooting: Review resource requests/limits, adjust pod scheduling
policies.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
40. Endpoint Not Ready:

o Error: Service endpoint is not ready to receive traffic.

o Troubleshooting: Check service health checks, review endpoint status.
o Example: kubectl describe endpoints <service-name>

41. Namespace Resource Quota Exceeded:

o Error: Resource quota limits in namespace exceeded.

o Troubleshooting: Adjust resource quotas, monitor namespace resource
usage.
o Example: kubectl describe quota -n <namespace-name>

42. Node Drain Failure:

o Error: Node drain operation fails.

o Troubleshooting: Manually evacuate pods from the node, check for stuck
processes.
o Example: kubectl drain <node-name>

43. Invalid Service Type:

o Error: Service type is invalid or unsupported.

o Troubleshooting: Review service type in service manifest.
o Example: kubectl describe service <service-name>

44. Cluster DNS Resolution Failure:

o Error: Cluster DNS service is not resolving names correctly.

o Troubleshooting: Verify CoreDNS configurations, check for DNS service
availability.
o Example: kubectl get svc -n kube-system
45. Pod Affected by Node Maintenance:

o Error: Pod is affected by node maintenance activities.

o Troubleshooting: Evacuate pods from the node, ensure node cordoning.
o Example: kubectl drain <node-name>

46. Ingress Resource Misconfiguration:

o Error: Ingress resource is misconfigured.

o Troubleshooting: Review ingress YAML file, check backend service
configurations.
o Example: kubectl describe ingress <ingress-name>

47. API Server Unavailable:

o Error: Kubernetes API server is unreachable.

o Troubleshooting: Check API server logs, review network connectivity.
o Example: kubectl cluster-info

48. Node Affinity Violation:

o Error: Pod scheduling based on node affinity rules fails.

o Troubleshooting: Review pod/node labels, inspect node affinity
configurations.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

49. Pod Priority Preemption:

o Error: Pods with lower priority are preempted by higher-priority pods.

o Troubleshooting: Adjust pod priority settings, review preemption policies.
o Example: kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

50. Volume Quota Exceeded:

o Error: Persistent volume quota limits exceeded.

o Troubleshooting: Adjust storage quotas, monitor persistent volume usage.
o Example: kubectl describe quota <quota-name>