kubectl describe pod <name>
Shows events, conditions, and the exact reason a pod is failing. Always start here.
kubectl logs <pod>
Shows container stdout/stderr. Use --previous for crashed containers.
kubectl get events
Cluster-wide events sorted by time. Shows pull errors, OOMKill, scheduling failures.
kubectl get pod -o wide
Shows which node the pod is on, its IP, and current status at a glance.
kubectl edit pod <name>
Opens the live pod spec in your editor. Some fields cannot be edited on running pods.
kubectl delete pod <name> --force
Force deletes a stuck pod. Use when graceful deletion hangs.