Expose a Service¶

When to Use This Guide¶

Use this guide when you need to make an application accessible through a Kubernetes Service.

Services provide a stable network endpoint that allows other pods or external clients to access your application.

kubectl expose deployment web-app --port=80 --target-port=8080
kubectl get services

Service Types¶

Step 1 — Verify the Deployment¶

Check that your application pods are running.

kubectl get pods

Example:

web-app-6f9c8c7b7d-xk92
web-app-6f9c8c7b7d-lm12a

Step 2 — Create the Service¶

Expose the deployment.

kubectl expose deployment web-app \
  --type=ClusterIP \
  --port=80 \
  --target-port=8080

This creates a service that forwards traffic to the application pods.

Step 3 — Verify the Service¶

Check service status.

kubectl get services

Example:

NAME      TYPE        CLUSTER-IP     PORT(S)
web-app   ClusterIP   10.96.120.45   80/TCP

Step 4 — Test Internal Access¶

Test the service from another pod.

kubectl run curl --image=curlimages/curl -it --rm -- sh

Then inside the pod:

curl http://web-app

Common Issues¶

Service Cannot Reach Pods Check service selectors.

kubectl describe service web-app

Verify labels match pod labels.

Pods Not Ready

Services only route traffic to ready pods.

Check readiness:

kubectl get pods

Quick Workflow

kubectl get pods
kubectl expose deployment web-app --port=80 --target-port=8080
kubectl get services

Related Guides¶

Networking

• Expose Service with Ingress
• Port Forward Pod

Troubleshooting

• Debug a Crashing Pod