How to fix deployment not found in Kubernetes

First, confirm you're connected to the right cluster:

kubectl config current-context
kubectl cluster-info
kubectl config get-contexts  # List all available contexts

If wrong, switch context:

kubectl config use-context <correct-context-name>

For easier context switching, install kubectx: brew install kubectx or sudo git clone https://github.com/ahmetb/kubectx /opt/kubectx

Search all namespaces:

kubectl get deployments --all-namespaces
kubectl get deploy -A | grep <deployment-name>

If found in a different namespace, use -n flag:

kubectl get deployment <name> -n <found-namespace>

If deployment isn't in any namespace, it was either never created or deleted.

If deployment is in a specific namespace, you can set it as default:

kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=<namespace>

Now subsequent commands default to that namespace. Verify:

kubectl config current-context
kubectl get deployments  # Should show deployments in your namespace

For one-off commands, use -n flag: kubectl get deployment <name> -n <namespace>

Kubernetes names are case-sensitive. Confirm exact spelling:

kubectl get deployments -n <namespace>  # Shows all deployments

Compare with your command. Common typos:
- "myapp" vs "my-app" (hyphen)
- "MyApp" vs "myapp" (case)
- "myapp-deploy" vs "myapp" (suffix)

If you're referencing it in code or scripts, check those strings match exactly.

If you used kubectl run, you may have created a Pod, not a Deployment:

kubectl get pods -n <namespace> | grep <name>

To create an actual Deployment:

kubectl create deployment <name> --image=<image:tag>
# or from manifest:
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

For kubectl run to create a Deployment (instead of Pod), use --restart=Always (default in older versions): kubectl run <name> --image=<image:tag> --restart=Always

If deploying from a manifest, validate it:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml --dry-run=client

This shows validation errors without applying. Common issues:
- Incorrect indentation
- Wrong apiVersion (should be "apps/v1" for Deployments)
- Missing required fields (name, spec, containers)
- Invalid resource names (must start with letter, no special chars)

Fix errors and retry:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

If namespace doesn't exist:

kubectl get namespaces

Create if missing:

kubectl create namespace <namespace-name>

Then deploy to it:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml -n <namespace-name>

Or set it in the manifest:

metadata:
  name: myapp
  namespace: myapp-ns  # Explicitly set namespace

View recent changes:

kubectl describe namespace <namespace>  # Shows recent events
kubectl get events -n <namespace> --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'  # Recent events

If you deleted it accidentally, restore from backup or redeploy. If deleted by automated cleanup (e.g., CI/CD tear-down), reapply the manifest:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

For easier management, install helper tools:
- kubectx: Switch between clusters

kubectx <context-name>

- kubens: Switch between namespaces

kubens <namespace>

These are faster than typing full kubectl commands. Find them at https://github.com/ahmetb/kubectx