kubectl/docs/book/pages/container_debugging/copying_container_files.md

{% panel style="success", title="Providing Feedback" %} Provide feedback at the survey {% endpanel %}

{% panel style="info", title="TL;DR" %}

• Copy files to and from Containers in a cluster {% endpanel %}

Copying Container Files

Motivation

• Copying files from Containers in a cluster to a local filesystem
• Copying files from a local filesystem to Containers in a cluster

{% panel style="warning", title="Install Tar" %} Copy requires that tar be installed in the container image. {% endpanel %}

{% method %}

Local to Remote

Copy a local file to a remote Pod in a cluster.

• Local file format is <path>
• Remote file format is <pod-name>:<path>

{% sample lang="yaml" %}

kubectl cp /tmp/foo_dir <some-pod>:/tmp/bar_dir

{% endmethod %}

{% method %}

Remote to Local

Copy a remote file from a Pod to a local file.

• Local file format is <path>
• Remote file format is <pod-name>:<path>

{% sample lang="yaml" %}

kubectl cp <some-pod>:/tmp/foo /tmp/bar

{% endmethod %}

{% method %}

Specify the Container

Specify the Container within a Pod running multiple containers.

• -c <container-name>

{% sample lang="yaml" %}

kubectl cp /tmp/foo <some-pod>:/tmp/bar -c <specific-container>

{% endmethod %}

{% method %}

Namespaces

Set the Pod namespace by prefixing the Pod name with <namespace>/ .

• <pod-namespace>/<pod-name>:<path>

{% sample lang="yaml" %}

kubectl cp /tmp/foo <some-namespace>/<some-pod>:/tmp/bar

{% endmethod %}