Pod Troubleshooting – SRE’s Fast Lane
When a pod fails in Kubernetes, every second counts.
SREs need to quickly determine if the issue is due to configuration errors, resource limits, or application-level failures. The key is to follow a fast, structured troubleshooting flow that reduces MTTR.
- Start with Pod Status
- Run: kubectl get pods -n <namespace>
- Look for states: CrashLoopBackOff, OOMKilled, Pending, Evicted.
- Status gives the first hint: scheduling issue vs runtime failure.
- Check Pod Events
- Run: kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>
- Look for: FailedScheduling, ImagePullBackOff, Readiness/Liveness probe failures.
- Events often pinpoint the root cause faster than logs.
- Analyze Logs
- Run: kubectl logs <pod-name> -n <namespace>
- For previous container crashes:
kubectl logs –previous <pod-name> -n <namespace> - Look for stack traces, memory errors, or connection issues.
- Correlate with Metrics
- Check Prometheus metrics for the pod:
- CPU throttling → container_cpu_usage_seconds_total
- Memory spikes → container_memory_working_set_bytes
- Correlation ensures the issue isn’t just application-level but possibly resource starvation.
- Typical Fixes
- CrashLoopBackOff: Check init containers, configs, secrets.
- OOMKilled: Increase memory limits or optimize app usage.
- ImagePullBackOff: Validate image name, registry credentials.
- Pending: Node resource shortage or taints blocking scheduling.
- KubeHA Advantage
Instead of running 5 commands, KubeHA automates the flow:
- Collects logs, events, and metrics in one view.
- Correlates failures with alerts.
- Suggests remediation:
- kubectl set resources deployment frontend-service -n prod –limits=memory=512Mi
Bottom Line: Pod troubleshooting doesn’t have to be a firefight. By following a structured flow — status → events → logs → metrics → fix — and with tools like KubeHA automating correlation + remediation, SREs move from alert to resolution in minutes, not hours.
Follow KubeHA(https://lnkd.in/gV4Q2d4m)for more hands-on troubleshooting workflows, YAML templates, and automated RCA playbooks for Kubernetes.
Experience KubeHA today: www.KubeHA.com
KubeHA’s introduction, 👉 https://lnkd.in/gjK5QD3i