K3s Pod cannot pull an image due to missing or incorrect image pull secret.

A pod is unable to access the required image because the image pull secret is either missing or incorrectly configured.

Understanding K3s and Its Purpose

K3s is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution designed for resource-constrained environments and edge computing. It simplifies the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters by reducing the overhead and complexity associated with traditional Kubernetes setups. For more information, visit the official K3s website.

Identifying the Symptom: PodImagePullSecretNotFound

When deploying applications in K3s, you might encounter the error PodImagePullSecretNotFound. This error indicates that a pod is unable to pull the specified container image due to a missing or incorrectly configured image pull secret.

What You Observe

In the event of this error, you will notice that the pod remains in a Pending state, and upon further inspection using kubectl describe pod <pod-name>, you will see an error message indicating that the image pull secret is not found.

Explaining the Issue: Image Pull Secrets

Image pull secrets are Kubernetes resources that store credentials needed to access private container registries. When a pod tries to pull an image from a private registry, it uses these secrets to authenticate. If the secret is missing or incorrectly referenced, the pod cannot access the image, resulting in the PodImagePullSecretNotFound error.

Common Causes

  • The image pull secret does not exist in the namespace where the pod is deployed.
  • The pod specification does not reference the correct image pull secret.
  • The credentials within the image pull secret are incorrect or expired.

Steps to Fix the PodImagePullSecretNotFound Issue

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Step 1: Verify the Image Pull Secret

Ensure that the image pull secret exists in the same namespace as the pod. Use the following command to list secrets in the namespace:

kubectl get secrets -n <namespace>

If the secret is missing, create it using:

kubectl create secret docker-registry <secret-name> \
--docker-server=<registry-url> \
--docker-username=<username> \
--docker-password=<password> \
--docker-email=<email> -n <namespace>

Step 2: Update the Pod Specification

Ensure that the pod specification correctly references the image pull secret. Edit the deployment or pod YAML file to include the secret under imagePullSecrets:

spec:
imagePullSecrets:
- name: <secret-name>

Apply the changes using:

kubectl apply -f <deployment-file>.yaml

Step 3: Validate the Credentials

If the secret exists and is correctly referenced, verify that the credentials are valid. You may need to update the secret if the credentials have changed or expired.

Further Resources

For more detailed guidance on managing image pull secrets, refer to the Kubernetes documentation. Additionally, explore the K3s documentation for specific configurations related to K3s.

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