How to fix must specify requests.cpu, requests.memory in Kubernetes

KubernetesBEGINNERMEDIUM

This admission error occurs when ResourceQuota or LimitRange requires containers to specify resource requests. Fix it by adding explicit requests.cpu and requests.memory to your container spec.

What this error means

The "must specify requests.cpu, requests.memory" error occurs when a namespace has policies requiring all containers to declare resource requests, but your Pod spec is missing these fields. Resource requests tell Kubernetes the minimum resources a container needs. The scheduler uses requests to find suitable nodes—a pod is only placed on a node if it has enough unrequested capacity. Without requests, Kubernetes can't properly schedule pods or track namespace resource consumption. When ResourceQuota tracks requests.cpu/requests.memory, all pods must specify these values so the quota controller can accurately measure usage against limits.

How to fix "must specify requests.cpu, requests.memory"

1Check namespace resource policies

View ResourceQuota and LimitRange requirements:

bash

# Check ResourceQuota
kubectl describe resourcequota -n <namespace>

# Check LimitRange
kubectl describe limitrange -n <namespace>

If ResourceQuota shows requests.cpu or requests.memory in spec.hard, pods must specify these.

2Add resource requests to pod spec

Add requests (and limits) to your container:

yaml

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: my-pod
spec:
  containers:
  - name: app
    image: nginx:latest
    resources:
      requests:
        cpu: "250m"          # Required - guaranteed minimum
        memory: "256Mi"      # Required - guaranteed minimum
      limits:
        cpu: "500m"
        memory: "512Mi"

Apply:

bash

kubectl apply -f pod.yaml -n <namespace>

3Update Deployment template

Add resources to all containers in the template:

yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: my-image
        resources:
          requests:
            cpu: "100m"
            memory: "128Mi"
          limits:
            cpu: "500m"
            memory: "512Mi"

Apply:

bash

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml
kubectl get pods -n <namespace>

4Size requests based on actual usage

Check current pod resource consumption:

bash

# View actual usage of running pods
kubectl top pods -n <namespace>

# Get detailed resource metrics
kubectl top pods -n <namespace> --containers

Set requests slightly above typical usage:

yaml

resources:
  requests:
    cpu: "100m"      # If typical usage is 80m
    memory: "128Mi"  # If typical usage is 100Mi
  limits:
    cpu: "500m"      # Allow bursting to 5x
    memory: "256Mi"  # Allow some headroom

5Configure LimitRange defaults

Admin can set defaults so pods without requests still work:

yaml

apiVersion: v1
kind: LimitRange
metadata:
  name: default-resources
  namespace: <namespace>
spec:
  limits:
  - type: Container
    defaultRequest:
      cpu: "100m"
      memory: "64Mi"
    default:
      cpu: "500m"
      memory: "256Mi"

Apply:

bash

kubectl apply -f limitrange.yaml

Now pods without explicit requests receive defaultRequest values.

6Verify pod scheduling

Confirm pods are created and scheduled:

bash

# Watch pod creation
kubectl get pods -n <namespace> -w

# Verify resource allocation
kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace> | grep -A3 "Requests"

# Check QoS class
kubectl get pod <pod-name> -o jsonpath='{.status.qosClass}'

If pod is Pending, check node capacity:

bash

kubectl describe nodes | grep -A5 "Allocated resources"

How to fix must specify requests.cpu, requests.memory in Kubernetes

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How to fix "must specify requests.cpu, requests.memory"

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