Kubernetes Pods: Phases, Logs and CrashLoopBackOff

A pod that crashed three times in under a minute. This episode reads exactly why, in three commands, after building up what a pod is: the part you write, the part the cluster adds, its phases, and the helper containers that run before and beside your app. Episode 4 of Kubernetes Unlocked, a free hands-on Kubernetes course. New here? Start with Episode 1:    • What Is Kubernetes? The Problem It Actuall...   Code and labs for this episode: https://github.com/sanjeevkkansal/kub... Full series playlist:    • Kubernetes Tutorial for Beginners: Kuberne...   Chapters 0:00 Cold open 0:19 What you will be able to do 0:42 Where this fits 0:59 Objects: why they matter 1:15 Objects: what they are 1:40 Command anatomy: write a pod 2:03 Write a pod 2:56 What the cluster adds 3:42 The pod lifecycle: why it matters 4:01 The pod lifecycle: what it is 4:35 Phases, live 5:32 Command anatomy: look inside 6:02 Look inside 7:01 Helper containers: why they exist 7:17 Helper containers: what they are 7:40 An init container 8:38 A sidecar 9:45 Read a CrashLoopBackOff 11:08 Fix it: the refusal 11:58 Command anatomy: replace 12:12 Fix it 12:30 Break it on purpose 13:41 Check your work 13:59 Commands in this episode 14:08 Recap 14:33 Try this yourself Prerequisites The local cluster from Episode 2 (./cluster/up.sh in the repo). Commands used kubectl run web --image=IMAGE --dry-run=client -o yaml kubectl explain pod.spec.containers kubectl get pod web -o yaml kubectl get pods -w kubectl logs api --previous kubectl exec -it web -- sh kubectl describe pod web kubectl replace --force -f FILE Recorded against Kubernetes v1.37.0 and kind 0.33.0, October 2026. Previous: Episode 3, Kubernetes Architecture Explained    • Kubernetes Architecture Explained With a R...   Next: Labels, Selectors and Namespaces (coming soon) #kubernetes #k8s #crashloopbackoff #kubectl #devops #ckad