Troubleshooting / symptôme

A Kubernetes Pod stays in CrashLoopBackOff

The container repeatedly starts and exits while Kubernetes progressively increases the restart delay.

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Real-world problem · V2

Quick troubleshooting view

What you are seeing

The container repeatedly starts and exits while Kubernetes progressively increases the restart delay.

Likely causes
  1. Application startup failure
  2. Missing secret, variable, or volume
  3. Overly aggressive probe
First checks
  1. Use kubectl describe pod for events
  2. Use kubectl logs --previous for the prior crash
  3. Review probes and resource limits
Recommended actions
  1. Correct only the component confirmed by the checks
  2. Retest the original symptom after the change
  3. Escalate with collected evidence when the cause remains unclear
Start Symptom → Cause →
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Open the complete detailed guideDetailed explanations and original troubleshooting content.

The container repeatedly starts and exits while Kubernetes progressively increases the restart delay.

Likely causes

  • Application startup failure
  • Missing secret, variable, or volume
  • Overly aggressive probe
  • Memory limit exceeded

Checks in priority order

  1. Use kubectl describe pod for events
  2. Use kubectl logs –previous for the prior crash
  3. Review probes and resource limits
  4. Check the Deployment configuration

When to escalate

Escalate when the failure affects multiple users, a production dependency is unavailable, or logs show a component outside your control. Include timestamps, scope, tests already performed, and the last known working state.

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