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Naga Teja
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25 Most Common Kubernetes Errors and How to Solve Them

In Kubernetes, users frequently encounter errors during deployment, scaling, or maintenance. Here are 25 of the most frequent Kubernetes errors and how to resolve them with specific commands.

1.Error: CrashLoopBackOff
Cause: A pod repeatedly fails to start, typically due to an issue with
the container itself.
Solution:
Check the logs of the failing pod:

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Correct the underlying issue, often related to missing dependencies or
configuration errors

2. Error: ImagePullBackOff
Cause: Kubernetes can't pull the container image.
Solution:
Verify the image name and tag are correct

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Ensure you are using the correct Docker image and repository.

3. Error: ImagePullBackOff
Cause: Failure to pull the specified container image from the
registry.
Solution: Check your image and registry credentials

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Ensure your image is available or the credentials to pull from a private repository are correct.

4. Error: Pod Stuck in Pending State
Cause: Kubernetes can't find resources (CPU, memory) to schedule the
pod.
Solution: Check for node capacity and resource limits

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Increase resource limits or add nodes to the cluster.

5. Error: Node NotReady
Cause: The node has gone offline or has insufficient resources.
Solution: Check node status

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Fix issues such as networking or resource exhaustion.

6. Error: Container OOMKilled
Cause: The container used more memory than was allocated.
Solution: Increase memory limits

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Adjust your pod’s memory requests/limits in the YAML configuration.

7. Error: Unauthorized Error While Accessing the API Server
Cause: The kubeconfig file has wrong credentials or is expired.
Solution: Update the kubeconfig file:

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Fix credentials by generating a new kubeconfig or ensuring correct access permissions.

8. Error: PersistentVolumeClaim (PVC) Not Bound
Cause: No PersistentVolume is available to match the PVC request.
Solution: Check available PersistentVolumes

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Ensure the requested storage class matches an available PersistentVolume.

9. Error: Pod Evicted
Cause: The node ran out of resources (like disk or memory), causing
Kubernetes to evict the pod.
Solution: Check resource limits and node status

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Free up resources or add more capacity.

10. Error: Kubelet Not Running
Cause: Kubelet service on a node has stopped or failed.
Solution: Restart Kubelet on the node

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11. Error: DNS Issues in Cluster
Cause: DNS resolution is failing for service discovery within the
cluster.
Solution: Check CoreDNS pods

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Restart CoreDNS pods if needed:

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12. Error: Kubectl Context Not Set Correctly
Cause: Incorrect or missing Kubernetes context.
Solution: Set the correct context

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13. Error: Service Not Exposing
Cause: Service is not exposing the application properly.
Solution: Check the service configuration

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Ensure proper type (ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer) and port configuration.

14. Error: Cannot Attach Volume
Cause: Volume can't be attached to the pod, possibly due to multiple
mounts.
Solution: Check for pod conflicts:

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Ensure no other pod is using the same volume.

15. Error: Pod in Terminating State
Cause: Pod termination is taking too long, possibly due to stuck
processes or finalizers.
Solution: Force delete the pod

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16. Error: Insufficient CPU or Memory
Cause: The requested resources exceed node capacity.
Solution: Check node and pod resource usage

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Either reduce pod resource requests or scale the cluster.

17. Error: RBAC Forbidden Error
Cause: The service account does not have the necessary permissions.
Solution: Create or modify a RoleBinding
kubectl create rolebinding rolebinding-name --clusterrole= --serviceaccount=namespace-name:serviceaccount --namespace=namespace-name

18. Error: HPA Not Working
Cause: HPA metrics aren't available.
Solution: Ensure the metrics-server is running

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19. Error: Kube-apiserver Fails to Start
Cause: Misconfiguration or failure of kube-apiserver.
Solution: Check the apiserver logs

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Correct any configuration errors found.

20. Error: Service Mesh Issues (e.g., Istio)
Cause: Misconfiguration of sidecar proxies or traffic routing.
Solution: Check pod logs and services

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Verify Istio configuration and virtual services.

21. Error: Scheduler Fails to Bind Pod
Cause: No node meets the requirements to schedule the pod.
Solution: View scheduler logs

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22. Error: Invalid Resource Requests
Cause: Resource requests are higher than the node limits.
Solution: Adjust resource requests and limits
resources:
requests:
memory: "64Mi"
cpu: "250m"

23. Error: Ingress Controller Not Working
Cause: Ingress resource or controller misconfiguration.
Solution: Check Ingress controller pods and logs

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24. Error: Failed to List Nodes
Cause: Kubelet can't communicate with the API server.
Solution: Check network configuration and API server status

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25. Error: Certificate Expired
Cause: TLS certificates used by Kubernetes components have expired.
Solution: Renew the certificates

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Conclusion:
These are some of the most common Kubernetes issues you might encounter in production environments. The solutions listed above should help you quickly diagnose and fix these problems. Always ensure you are using proper configurations, monitor your cluster’s health, and apply best practices to prevent these issues from happening.

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