How to fix Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed out in Kubernetes

KubernetesINTERMEDIATEHIGHUpdated Dec 6, 2025· 126 views

Pod readiness/liveness HTTP probes timeout when application does not respond quickly enough. Probes fail to reach the health check endpoint within the timeout window.

Quick fix

Fixes Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed out

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kubernetes — error
# Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed out
Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed out

What this error means

Kubernetes uses HTTP probes (readiness and liveness) to determine pod health. When application HTTP endpoints do not respond within the probe timeout, the health check fails. This causes Kubernetes to consider the pod unhealthy and may restart or remove it from service.

Typical symptoms

  • Pod marked unhealthy despite application running
  • Probe events: "Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe timeout"
  • Pod restarts repeatedly due to failed probes
  • Service traffic routed away from pod
  • Application logs show no errors but pod crashes
  • Probe timeout occurs consistently after deployment
  • Pod unable to recover from temporary slowness

Common causes

  1. Application endpoint too slow to respond (high latency)
  2. Probe timeout set too low (default 1 second)
  3. Application deadlocked or stuck in infinite loop
  4. CPU overcommitted, application cannot respond quickly
  5. Network issues between kubelet and pod
  6. Initial delay too short before first probe
  7. Resource exhaustion (file handles, memory)

How to fix "Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed out"

1Step 1

First diagnostic step

2Step 2

Second diagnostic step

3Step 3

Third diagnostic step

4Step 4

Fourth diagnostic step

5Step 5

Fifth diagnostic step

Advanced notes

Additional notes and platform-specific considerations.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed" mean?
Kubernetes uses HTTP probes (readiness and liveness) to determine pod health. When application HTTP endpoints do not respond within the probe timeout, the health check fails. This causes Kubernetes to consider the pod unhealthy and may restart or remove it from service.
How do I fix "Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed"?
Pod readiness/liveness HTTP probes timeout when application does not respond quickly enough. Probes fail to reach the health check endpoint within the timeout window.
What causes "Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed"?
Application endpoint too slow to respond (high latency) Probe timeout set too low (default 1 second) Application deadlocked or stuck in infinite loop
Is the "Liveness probe failed: HTTP probe: http://10.244.0.5:8080/health timed" error serious?
Yes. This is a high-severity error that usually blocks work until it is fixed, but the steps above resolve it.

Official resources & further reading