Port forwarding is a subcommand of kubectl, which allows you to forward local ports to a specific Pod using the kubectl port-forward command.
Pod Port Forwarding
Local ports can be forwarded to a port on a specified Pod.
# Listen on ports 5000 and 6000 locally, forwarding data to/from ports 5000 and 6000 in the pod
kubectl port-forward mypod 5000 6000
# Listen on port 8888 locally, forwarding to 5000 in the pod
kubectl port-forward mypod 8888:5000
# Listen on a random port locally, forwarding to 5000 in the pod
kubectl port-forward mypod :5000
# Listen on a random port locally, forwarding to 5000 in the pod
kubectl port-forward mypod 0:5000
Service Port Forwarding
You can also forward local ports to the ports of services, replication controllers, or deployments.
# Forward to deployment
kubectl port-forward deployment/redis-master 6379:6379
# Forward to replicaSet
kubectl port-forward rs/redis-master 6379:6379
# Forward to service
kubectl port-forward svc/redis-master 6379:6379
Tunneling into Kubernetes: Port Forwarding
Port forwarding is a handy tool from the toolbox of kubectl, which quickly creates a communication tunnel from your local machine to any pod within Kubernetes.
Making Connections to Pods
Local ports can be effortlessly connected to a specific Pod's port to allow for immediate data flow in both directions.
# Establish connections between local ports 5000 and 6000 and the same ports on the pod
kubectl port-forward mypod 5000 6000
# Map your local port 8888 to port 5000 on the pod, creating a portal for interaction
kubectl port-forward mypod 8888:5000
# Assign a random local port to connect to port 5000 on your pod for a flexible link
kubectl port-forward mypod :5000
# Similarly, another way to bind to a random local port and forward to port 5000 on the pod
kubectl port-forward mypod 0:5000
Linking Up with Services
You're not limited to pods! Cast a line from your local port to the ports designated for services, replication controllers, or entire deployments and get direct access to your Kubernetes resources.
# Dive straight into a deployment's port, linking the local 6379 with the deployment's
kubectl port-forward deployment/redis-master 6379:6379
# Connect with a replicaSet, mirroring the port 6379 on both local and remote ends
kubectl port-forward rs/redis-master 6379:6379
# Or channel into a service's port with local port 6379 serving as your Kubernetes conduit
kubectl port-forward svc/redis-master 6379:6379
