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Shahzad Ali Ahmad
Shahzad Ali Ahmad

Posted on • Originally published at Medium

My CKA Troubleshooting Playbook: The Systematic Approach I Used to Fix Kubernetes Issues Fast

#kubernetes #cka #ckad #kubestonaut

When I started preparing for CKA, I spent most of my time creating Pods, Deployments, and Services.

But during practice exams, I realized something important:

The CKA exam doesn’t just test whether you can create Kubernetes resources. It tests whether you can quickly identify, isolate, and fix problems under pressure.

This article shares the troubleshooting framework I used throughout my preparation and during the exam.

Step 1: Always Start With the Symptoms
Before changing anything:

kubectl get pods -A
kubectl get nodes
kubectl get events -A
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Questions:

What is broken?
When did it break?
Is it a Pod issue?
Is it a Node issue?
Is it Networking?
Is it Storage?

Step 2: Pod Troubleshooting
Common issues:

CrashLoopBackOff

kubectl logs pod-name
kubectl describe pod pod-name
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Check:

Wrong image
Missing environment variables
Application errors
Failed mounts

ImagePullBackOff
Check:

kubectl describe pod pod-name
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Look for:

Invalid image name
Missing imagePullSecrets
Registry access issues

Step 3: Deployment Troubleshooting
Commands:

kubectl get deploy
kubectl describe deploy deployment-name
kubectl rollout status deployment-name
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Check:

Replica count
Image version
Labels
Selectors

Step 4: Service Troubleshooting
Verify:

kubectl get svc
kubectl describe svc service-name
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Then:

kubectl get endpoints
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Big lesson:

A Service without endpoints is usually a label mismatch problem.

Step 5: Networking Troubleshooting
Check DNS:

kubectl exec -it pod-name -- nslookup kubernetes.default
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Check connectivity:

kubectl exec -it pod-name -- wget service-name
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Check Network Policies:

kubectl get networkpolicy
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Step 6: Storage Troubleshooting
Verify:

kubectl get pv
kubectl get pvc
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Check:

kubectl describe pvc pvc-name
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Common issues:

Pending PVC
Wrong StorageClass
Access mode mismatch

Step 7: Node Troubleshooting
Commands:

kubectl get nodes
kubectl describe node node-name
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Check:

Ready status
Taints
Resource pressure
Scheduling issues

Step 8: Use Events Aggressively
Most candidates forget this.

kubectl get events -A --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp
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Events often tell you exactly what is wrong.

My Personal CKA Troubleshooting Flow
Observe
↓
Describe
↓
Logs
↓
Events
↓
Verify Configuration
↓
Apply Fix
↓
Test Again

Final Thoughts
The biggest lesson I learned during CKA preparation was that troubleshooting is not about memorizing commands.
It’s about following a repeatable process.

When you develop a systematic troubleshooting mindset, Kubernetes problems become far less intimidating — and that’s exactly the skill the CKA exam is designed to test.

Connect With Me
If you’re preparing for Kubernetes certifications, pursuing the Kubestronaut journey, or working in the cloud-native ecosystem, I’d love to connect.

Follow me for more articles on Kubernetes, CNCF certifications, DevOps, Platform Engineering, and Cloud-Native technologies.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahzadaliahmad/

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