An API version identifies the schema used to describe a Kubernetes resource kind, including its available fields and default values. It appears with kind in an object manifest’s type metadata. section 4.2.1 section 4.1.2
The value can include an API group as well as a version. Core resources such as Nodes use v1; grouped resources such as Deployments use apps/v1. section 4.2.1
API versions matter because they:
- Define which fields describe a kind and which default values apply. section 4.2.2
- Identify the representation used when accessing an object through an API resource. section 4.1.1
- Let kubectl explain display the schema for a selected version, including nested fields. section 4.2.2
A Pod manifest
apiVersion: v1 kind: Pod metadata: name: kiada spec: containers: - name: kiada image: luksa/kiada:0.1 ports: - containerPort: 8080 Here, v1 selects the Kubernetes API schema used to describe the Pod. section 5.2.1
Listing 5.1 A basic pod manifest file
apiVersion: v1 #1
kind: Pod #2
metadata:
name: kiada #3
spec:
containers:
- name: kiada #4
image: luksa/kiada:0.1 #5
ports:
- containerPort: 8080 #6
Inspect a complete basic Pod manifest and see the apiVersion field alongside kind, metadata, and spec. section 5.2.1
