---
title: Configure Quality of Service for Pods
---


{% capture overview %}

This page shows how to configure Pods so that they will be assigned particular
Quality of Service (QoS) classes. Kubernetes uses QoS classes to make decisions about
scheduling and evicting Pods.

{% endcapture %}


{% capture prerequisites %}

{% include task-tutorial-prereqs.md %}

{% endcapture %}


{% capture steps %}

## QoS classes

When Kubernetes creates a Pod it assigns one of these QoS classes to the Pod:

* Guaranteed
* Burstable
* BestEffort

## Create a namespace

Create a namespace so that the resources you create in this exercise are
isolated from the rest of your cluster.

```shell
kubectl create namespace qos-example
```

## Create a Pod that gets assigned a QoS class of Guaranteed

For a Pod to be given a QoS class of Guaranteed:

* Every Container in the Pod must have a memory limit and a memory request, and they must be the same.
* Every Container in the Pod must have a cpu limit and a cpu request, and they must be the same.

Here is the configuration file for a Pod that has one Container. The Container has a memory limit and a
memory request, both equal to 200 MiB. The Container has a cpu limit and a cpu request, both equal to 700 millicpu:

{% include code.html language="yaml" file="qos-pod.yaml" ghlink="/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod.yaml" %}

Create the Pod:

```shell
kubectl create -f https://k8s.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod.yaml --namespace=qos-example
```

View detailed information about the Pod:

```shell
kubectl get pod qos-demo --namespace=qos-example --output=yaml
```

The output shows that Kubernetes gave the Pod a QoS class of Guaranteed. The output also
verifies that the Pod's Container has a memory request that matches its memory limit, and it has
a cpu request that matches its cpu limit.

```yaml
spec:
  containers:
    ...
    resources:
      limits:
        cpu: 700m
        memory: 200Mi
      requests:
        cpu: 700m
        memory: 200Mi
...
  qosClass: Guaranteed
```

**Note:** If a Container specifies its own memory limit, but does not specify a memory request, Kubernetes
automatically assigns a memory request that matches the limit. Similarly, if a Container specifies its own
cpu limit, but does not specify a cpu request, Kubernetes automatically assigns a cpu request that matches
the limit.
{: .note}

Delete your Pod:

```shell
kubectl delete pod qos-demo --namespace=qos-example
```

## Create a Pod that gets assigned a QoS class of Burstable

A Pod is given a QoS class of Burstable if:

* The Pod does not meet the criteria for QoS class Guaranteed.
* At least one Container in the Pod has a memory or cpu request.

Here is the configuration file for a Pod that has one Container. The Container has a memory limit of 200 MiB
and a memory request of 100 MiB.

{% include code.html language="yaml" file="qos-pod-2.yaml" ghlink="/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod-2.yaml" %}

Create the Pod:

```shell
kubectl create -f https://k8s.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod-2.yaml --namespace=qos-example
```

View detailed information about the Pod:

```shell
kubectl get pod qos-demo-2 --namespace=qos-example --output=yaml
```

The output shows that Kubernetes gave the Pod a QoS class of Burstable.

```yaml
spec:
  containers:
  - image: nginx
    imagePullPolicy: Always
    name: qos-demo-2-ctr
    resources:
      limits:
        memory: 200Mi
      requests:
        memory: 100Mi
...
  qosClass: Burstable
```

Delete your Pod:

```shell
kubectl delete pod qos-demo-2 --namespace=qos-example
```

## Create a Pod that gets assigned a QoS class of BestEffort

For a Pod to be given a QoS class of BestEffort, the Containers in the Pod must not
have any memory or cpu limits or requests.

Here is the configuration file for a Pod that has one Container. The Container has no memory or cpu
limits or requests:

{% include code.html language="yaml" file="qos-pod-3.yaml" ghlink="/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod-3.yaml" %}

Create the Pod:

```shell
kubectl create -f https://k8s.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod-3.yaml --namespace=qos-example
```

View detailed information about the Pod:

```shell
kubectl get pod qos-demo-3 --namespace=qos-example --output=yaml
```

The output shows that Kubernetes gave the Pod a QoS class of BestEffort.

```yaml
spec:
  containers:
    ...
    resources: {}
  ...
  qosClass: BestEffort
```

Delete your Pod:

```shell
kubectl delete pod qos-demo-3 --namespace=qos-example
```

## Create a Pod that has two Containers

Here is the configuration file for a Pod that has two Containers. One container specifies a memory
request of 200 MiB. The other Container does not specify any requests or limits.

{% include code.html language="yaml" file="qos-pod-4.yaml" ghlink="/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod-4.yaml" %}

Notice that this Pod meets the criteria for QoS class Burstable. That is, it does not meet the
criteria for QoS class Guaranteed, and one of its Containers has a memory request.

Create the Pod:

```shell
kubectl create -f https://k8s.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/qos-pod-4.yaml --namespace=qos-example
```

View detailed information about the Pod:

```shell
kubectl get pod qos-demo-4 --namespace=qos-example --output=yaml
```

The output shows that Kubernetes gave the Pod a QoS class of Burstable:

```yaml
spec:
  containers:
    ...
    name: qos-demo-4-ctr-1
    resources:
      requests:
        memory: 200Mi
    ...
    name: qos-demo-4-ctr-2
    resources: {}
    ...
  qosClass: Burstable
```

Delete your Pod:

```shell
kubectl delete pod qos-demo-4 --namespace=qos-example
```

## Clean up

Delete your namespace:

```shell
kubectl delete namespace qos-example
```

{% endcapture %}

{% capture whatsnext %}


### For app developers

* [Assign Memory Resources to Containers and Pods](/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/assign-memory-resource/)

* [Assign CPU Resources to Containers and Pods](/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/assign-cpu-resource/)

### For cluster administrators

* [Configure Default Memory Requests and Limits for a Namespace](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/memory-default-namespace/)

* [Configure Default CPU Requests and Limits for a Namespace](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/cpu-default-namespace/)

* [Configure Minimum and Maximum Memory Constraints for a Namespace](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/memory-constraint-namespace/)

* [Configure Minimum and Maximum CPU Constraints for a Namespace](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/cpu-constraint-namespace/)

* [Configure Memory and CPU Quotas for a Namespace](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/quota-memory-cpu-namespace/)

* [Configure a Pod Quota for a Namespace](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/quota-pod-namespace/)

* [Configure Quotas for API Objects](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/quota-api-object/)
{% endcapture %}


{% include templates/task.md %}


