{"id":50038,"date":"2025-07-11T03:12:20","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T03:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/?p=50038"},"modified":"2025-07-12T05:56:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T05:56:31","slug":"openshift-top-oc-commands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/openshift-top-oc-commands\/","title":{"rendered":"Openshift: Top oc Commands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Absolutely! Here\u2019s a comprehensive list of the Top 100 most frequently used oc<\/code> (OpenShift CLI) commands<\/strong>, with a quick explanation for each. This will help you navigate OpenShift clusters efficiently, whether you\u2019re a beginner or an experienced SRE\/DevOps engineer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Top 100 Most Frequently Used oc<\/code> Commands and Their Usage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Authentication & Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. oc login <server><\/code><\/strong>
    Authenticate to an OpenShift cluster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. oc whoami<\/code><\/strong>
    Show your current user.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. oc whoami -t<\/code><\/strong>
    Display your current token.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. oc projects<\/code><\/strong>
    List all available projects (namespaces).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. oc project <project><\/code><\/strong>
    Switch to a different project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. oc logout<\/code><\/strong>
    Log out of the current cluster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. oc config view<\/code><\/strong>
    Show kubeconfig details.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. oc config get-contexts<\/code><\/strong>
    List contexts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. oc config use-context <context><\/code><\/strong>
    Switch context.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. oc config set-context ...<\/code><\/strong>
    Set context options.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    General Cluster Info<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. oc status<\/code><\/strong>
      See an overview of your project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. oc get all<\/code><\/strong>
      List all resources in the namespace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. oc version<\/code><\/strong>
      Show client and server versions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. oc explain <resource><\/code><\/strong>
      Get documentation on a resource.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. oc api-resources<\/code><\/strong>
      List all resource types.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n

      Get & List Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. oc get pods<\/code><\/strong>
        List all pods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. oc get pod <podname><\/code><\/strong>
        Show a specific pod.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. oc get deployments<\/code><\/strong>
        List all deployments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. oc get deployment <name><\/code><\/strong>
        Show a deployment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. oc get svc<\/code><\/strong>
        List services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. oc get svc <name><\/code><\/strong>
        Show a service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      7. oc get routes<\/code><\/strong>
        List all routes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      8. oc get route <name><\/code><\/strong>
        Show a specific route.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      9. oc get secrets<\/code><\/strong>
        List all secrets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      10. oc get configmaps<\/code><\/strong>
        List configmaps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      11. oc get nodes<\/code><\/strong>
        List nodes in the cluster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      12. oc get namespaces<\/code><\/strong>
        List all namespaces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      13. oc get events<\/code><\/strong>
        Show recent events.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      14. oc get pv<\/code><\/strong>
        List persistent volumes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      15. oc get pvc<\/code><\/strong>
        List persistent volume claims.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      16. oc get rs<\/code><\/strong>
        List replica sets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      17. oc get dc<\/code><\/strong>
        List deployment configs (OpenShift classic).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      18. oc get builds<\/code><\/strong>
        List builds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      19. oc get buildconfigs<\/code><\/strong>
        List build configs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      20. oc get imagestreams<\/code><\/strong>
        List image streams.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n

        Create & Apply Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. oc new-project <name><\/code><\/strong>
          Create a new project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. oc new-app <image\/template><\/code><\/strong>
          Deploy an app from an image or template.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. oc create -f <file.yaml><\/code><\/strong>
          Create resources from a YAML\/JSON file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. oc apply -f <file.yaml><\/code><\/strong>
          Apply a configuration to a resource by file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. oc process -f <template.yaml><\/code><\/strong>
          Process a template.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        6. oc create secret generic ...<\/code><\/strong>
          Create a generic secret.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        7. oc create configmap ...<\/code><\/strong>
          Create a configmap.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        8. oc expose svc\/<svc-name><\/code><\/strong>
          Create a route to a service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        9. oc expose deployment\/<deploy-name><\/code><\/strong>
          Expose a deployment as a service.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n

          Update & Edit Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. oc edit <resource> <name><\/code><\/strong>
            Edit a resource in your default editor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. oc set image deployment\/<name> <container>=<image><\/code><\/strong>
            Update container image.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. oc set resources ...<\/code><\/strong>
            Update CPU\/memory requests and limits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          4. oc patch <resource> <name> -p '<json-patch>'<\/code><\/strong>
            Patch a resource.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          5. oc annotate <resource> <name> <key>=<value><\/code><\/strong>
            Add annotation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          6. oc label <resource> <name> <key>=<value><\/code><\/strong>
            Add label.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n

            Delete Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. oc delete pod <name><\/code><\/strong>
              Delete a pod.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. oc delete deployment <name><\/code><\/strong>
              Delete a deployment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. oc delete svc <name><\/code><\/strong>
              Delete a service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            4. oc delete route <name><\/code><\/strong>
              Delete a route.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            5. oc delete project <name><\/code><\/strong>
              Delete a project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            6. oc delete -f <file.yaml><\/code><\/strong>
              Delete resources from file.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \n\n\n\n

              Resource Details & Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. oc describe <resource> <name><\/code><\/strong>
                Show details about a resource.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. oc logs <pod><\/code><\/strong>
                Show logs for a pod.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. oc logs deployment\/<name><\/code><\/strong>
                Show logs for a deployment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              4. oc rsh <pod><\/code><\/strong>
                Open a remote shell into a pod.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              5. oc exec <pod> -- <command><\/code><\/strong>
                Execute a command in a pod.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              6. oc port-forward <pod> <local-port>:<pod-port><\/code><\/strong>
                Forward port from pod to local machine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              7. oc cp <pod>:<src> <dest><\/code><\/strong>
                Copy files from pod to local (or vice versa).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n

                Scaling & Rollout<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. oc scale deployment\/<name> --replicas=3<\/code><\/strong>
                  Scale a deployment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. oc rollout status deployment\/<name><\/code><\/strong>
                  Watch rollout status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. oc rollout history deployment\/<name><\/code><\/strong>
                  View rollout history.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                4. oc rollout undo deployment\/<name><\/code><\/strong>
                  Roll back to previous revision.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \n\n\n\n

                  Builds & Images<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. oc start-build <buildconfig><\/code><\/strong>
                    Start a build.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. oc logs build\/<buildname><\/code><\/strong>
                    Show build logs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  3. oc tag <src-image> <dest-image><\/code><\/strong>
                    Tag images between streams.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    \n\n\n\n

                    Templates & Catalog<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. oc get templates<\/code><\/strong>
                      List templates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    2. oc process <template><\/code><\/strong>
                      Process a template.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    3. oc describe template <name><\/code><\/strong>
                      Show details about a template.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n

                      Security & Policies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. oc policy who-can <verb> <resource><\/code><\/strong>
                        See who can do what.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      2. oc adm policy add-role-to-user <role> <user><\/code><\/strong>
                        Add a role to a user.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      3. oc adm policy remove-role-from-user <role> <user><\/code><\/strong>
                        Remove role from user.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      4. oc adm policy add-scc-to-user <scc> <user><\/code><\/strong>
                        Add Security Context Constraint.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n

                        Admin & Diagnostics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        1. oc adm top pods<\/code><\/strong>
                          Show pod resource usage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        2. oc adm top nodes<\/code><\/strong>
                          Show node resource usage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        3. oc adm diagnostics<\/code><\/strong>
                          Run diagnostic checks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        4. oc adm prune images<\/code><\/strong>
                          Prune old images.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        5. oc adm manage-node <node> ...<\/code><\/strong>
                          Node management commands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        6. oc adm node-logs <node><\/code><\/strong>
                          Show logs from a node.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                          \n\n\n\n

                          Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                            \n
                          1. oc get jobs<\/code><\/strong>
                            List jobs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          2. oc get cronjobs<\/code><\/strong>
                            List cron jobs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          3. oc create job ...<\/code><\/strong>
                            Create a new job.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          4. oc debug node\/<node><\/code><\/strong>
                            Start a debug pod on node.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          5. oc run ...<\/code><\/strong>
                            Run a new pod.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          6. oc set env <resource> <KEY>=<VAL><\/code><\/strong>
                            Set environment variable(s).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          7. oc set volume ...<\/code><\/strong>
                            Attach\/detach volumes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          8. oc get networkpolicies<\/code><\/strong>
                            List network policies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          9. oc get serviceaccounts<\/code><\/strong>
                            List service accounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          10. oc get endpoints<\/code><\/strong>
                            List endpoints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          11. oc get ingress<\/code><\/strong>
                            List ingresses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          12. oc create role ...<\/code><\/strong>
                            Create a role.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          13. oc create rolebinding ...<\/code><\/strong>
                            Bind a role.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          14. oc explain <resource> --recursive<\/code><\/strong>
                            Show full resource documentation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          15. oc set probe deployment\/<name> ...<\/code><\/strong>
                            Set liveness\/readiness probes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          16. oc set selector ...<\/code><\/strong>
                            Update resource selector.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          17. oc set serviceaccount <resource> <serviceaccount><\/code><\/strong>
                            Set service account for deployment\/pod.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                            \n\n\n\n

                            Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                              \n
                            • Use -n <namespace><\/code> to specify a namespace\/project for any command.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Use -o yaml|json|wide<\/code> to output in different formats.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Tab completion works great for oc<\/code>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                              \n\n\n\n

                              Bonus: Get All Resource Types<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
                              oc api-resources\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
                              <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                              Absolutely! Here\u2019s a comprehensive list of the Top 100 most frequently used oc (OpenShift CLI) commands, with a quick explanation for each. This will help you navigate OpenShift clusters efficiently,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5153],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-openshift"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50039,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50038\/revisions\/50039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}