What is the kubectl port-forward?

Question

Accepted Answer

**kubectl port-forward** — **port** tunneling.

```bash
# Pod
kubectl port-forward pod_name 3000:3000
kubectl port-forward pod_name 3000:3000 -n production

# Service
kubectl port-forward svc/service_name 8080:80
kubectl port-forward svc/service_name 8080:80 -n production

# Database (PostgreSQL)
kubectl port-forward svc/postgres 5432:5432
psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U postgres

# Redis
kubectl port-forward svc/redis 6379:6379
redis-cli -h localhost -p 6379

# Debugging
kubectl port-forward pod_name 3000:3000 &
curl http://localhost:3000
kill %1  # Stop the tunnel

# SSH tunnel
kubectl port-forward svc/bastion 2222:22
ssh -p 2222 user@localhost
```

**Use cases:**
- Debugging.
- Database access.
- Local development.
- Testing.

DevOps: What is the kubectl port-forward?