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crictl: Kubernetes Container Runtime Troubleshooting Tool

crictl is a command-line interface for CRI-compatible container runtimes. It is a lightweight tool used to inspect and troubleshoot containers and pods managed by Kubernetes, especially when you need to debug issues at the container runtime level.

What is crictl?​

  • crictl stands for "Container Runtime Interface Control".
  • It interacts directly with the container runtime (like containerd or CRI-O) used by Kubernetes, bypassing the kubelet and Kubernetes API.
  • Useful for low-level troubleshooting when kubectl is not enough or the kubelet is not functioning properly.

Why use crictl?​

  • Inspect and debug containers and pods at the runtime level.
  • View logs, status, and configuration of containers and pods.
  • Pull, run, and remove images directly from the runtime.
  • Essential for troubleshooting node-level issues.

Basic Usage​

  • List all pods: 
    crictl pods
  • List all containers: 
    crictl ps -a
  • Inspect a specific pod: 
    crictl inspectp <pod-id>
  • Inspect a specific container: 
    crictl inspect <container-id>
  • View container logs: 
    crictl logs <container-id>
  • Pull an image: 
    crictl pull <image-name>
  • Remove a container: 
    crictl rm <container-id>

Configuration​

  • crictl uses a config file (default: /etc/crictl.yaml) to connect to the container runtime socket.
  • Example config for containerd: 
    runtime-endpoint: unix:///run/containerd/containerd.sock
    image-endpoint: unix:///run/containerd/containerd.sock
    timeout: 10
    debug: false

Further Reading​