---
id: 9f344e5c-9b87-4639-a4d3-61eda1f8d742
---

# Kubernetes Pod ImagePullBackOff Incident
---

A Kubernetes Pod ImagePullBackOff incident occurs when a pod in a Kubernetes cluster is unable to pull its container image. This can happen due to various reasons, such as incorrect image path or tag, or misconfigured image pulling credentials. This incident can cause the pod to fail to start and impact the availability of the application running in the pod. It requires investigation and resolution to ensure the pod can pull its container image and restart successfully.

### Parameters
```shell
# Environment Variables

export NAMESPACE="PLACEHOLDER"

export POD_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export CONTAINER_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export IMAGE_TAG="PLACEHOLDER"

export IMAGE_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export DEPLOYMENT_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"
```

## Debug

### Check the status of the pod
```shell
kubectl describe pod ${POD_NAME} -n ${NAMESPACE}
```

### Check the events related to the pod
```shell
kubectl get events -n ${NAMESPACE} --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp | grep ${POD_NAME}
```

### Check the credentials used for pulling the container image
```shell
kubectl get secrets -n ${NAMESPACE}
```

### Check the image path and tag specified in the pod configuration
```shell
kubectl describe pod ${POD_NAME} -n ${NAMESPACE} | grep image:
```

## Repair

### Restart the pod or the entire Kubernetes deployment to attempt to pull the image again.
```shell
#!/bin/bash

# Replace ${POD_NAME} and ${DEPLOYMENT_NAME} with the actual names of the pod and deployment

pod_name=${POD_NAME}

deployment_name=${DEPLOYMENT_NAME}

# Restart the pod by deleting and recreating it

kubectl delete pod $pod_name

kubectl get pod $pod_name -w

# Alternatively, restart the entire deployment

kubectl rollout restart deployment $deployment_name

kubectl get deployment $deployment_name -w


```

A Kubernetes Pod ImagePullBackOff incident occurs when a pod in a Kubernetes cluster is unable to pull its container image. This can happen due to various reasons, such as incorrect image path or tag, or misconfigured image pulling credentials. This incident can cause the pod to fail to start and impact the availability of the application running in the pod. It requires investigation and resolution to ensure the pod can pull its container image and restart successfully.


The Vault cluster health incident is related to the health of a Vault cluster instance. This incident type is triggered when the cluster instance is not healthy and requires attention to ensure it is functioning properly. The incident typically involves evaluating the current state of the cluster instance, diagnosing the issue, and taking corrective action to restore the health of the instance.


Vault cluster health incident on kubernetes

This incident type involves an issue with Kubernetes deployments where the expected number of pods to run is not matching the actual number of pods running. This can lead to alerts being triggered and potential disruptions in the system.


Kubernetes pods not starting - Deployment issue

This incident type involves monitoring the replicas of a Kubernetes Statefulset, which is a type of workload in Kubernetes used for stateful applications. The incident is triggered when more than one replica's pods are down, creating an unsafe situation for manual operations. This incident is critical and requires immediate attention to resolve the issue and ensure the smooth functioning of the stateful applications.


Kubernetes Statefulset Replicas Monitoring Incident

A Kubernetes Replicaset Incomplete incident typically occurs when a specific number of pods that should be running are not, due to reasons such as failed pod initialization, unavailability of resources in the cluster, or inability to pull the image. This incident is usually triggered when the difference between desired and running pods is greater than zero, and it can be detected through monitoring tools like Datadog.


Kubernetes Replicaset Incomplete

Kubernetes Pods Pending incident indicates that one or more pods in a Kubernetes cluster are not running as expected and are in a pending state. This can happen due to various reasons such as resource constraints, scheduling issues, or network problems. This incident can impact the availability and performance of the application running on the Kubernetes cluster. It requires immediate attention to diagnose and resolve the underlying issue to ensure the pods are running as expected.


Kubernetes Pods Pending

```shell
# Environment Variables

export NAMESPACE="PLACEHOLDER"

export POD_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export CONTAINER_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export IMAGE_TAG="PLACEHOLDER"

export IMAGE_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export DEPLOYMENT_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"
```


### Check the status of the pod

```shell
kubectl describe pod ${POD_NAME} -n ${NAMESPACE}
```

### Check the events related to the pod

```shell
kubectl get events -n ${NAMESPACE} --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp | grep ${POD_NAME}
```

### Check the credentials used for pulling the container image

```shell
kubectl get secrets -n ${NAMESPACE}
```

### Check the image path and tag specified in the pod configuration

```shell
kubectl describe pod ${POD_NAME} -n ${NAMESPACE} | grep image:
```


### Restart the pod or the entire Kubernetes deployment to attempt to pull the image again.

```shell
#!/bin/bash

# Replace ${POD_NAME} and ${DEPLOYMENT_NAME} with the actual names of the pod and deployment

pod_name=${POD_NAME}

deployment_name=${DEPLOYMENT_NAME}

# Restart the pod by deleting and recreating it

kubectl delete pod $pod_name

kubectl get pod $pod_name -w

# Alternatively, restart the entire deployment

kubectl rollout restart deployment $deployment_name

kubectl get deployment $deployment_name -w


```


Kubernetes Pod ImagePullBackOff Incident

Overview

Parameters

Debug

Check the status of the pod

Check the credentials used for pulling the container image

Check the image path and tag specified in the pod configuration

Repair

Restart the pod or the entire Kubernetes deployment to attempt to pull the image again.

Learn more

Related Runbooks

Vault cluster health incident on kubernetes

Kubernetes pods not starting - Deployment issue

Kubernetes Statefulset Replicas Monitoring Incident

Kubernetes Replicaset Incomplete

Support