CrashLoopBackOff in Kubernetes: A Common but Solvable Problem
Dive into what CrashLoopBackOff errors mean, why they happen, and how to troubleshoot them so you can get your Kubernetes Pods back up and running quickly once they occur.


CrashLoopBackOff may sound like the name of a 90s grunge band, or possibly a vague reference to an obscure Ringo Starr song from the 1970s. But in actuality, CrashLoopBackOffs have nothing to do with the music industry and everything to do with Kubernetes performance and reliability. For a variety of reasons, Kubernetes Pods can end up in a state known as CrashLoopBackOff, and until you fix it, any applications that depend on those Pods won't run correctly.
Keep reading for a dive into what CrashLoopBackOff errors mean, why they happen and how to troubleshoot them so you can get your Pods back up and running quickly.
What is a CrashLoopBackOff error?
A CrashLoopBackOff error is a condition where containers inside a Kubernetes Pod restart and subsequently crash in a never-ending loop. When this happens, Kubernetes will begin introducing a delay – known as a backoff period – between restarts, in an effort to give admins time to correct whichever issue is triggering the recurring crashes.
So, although CrashLoopBackOff may sound like a nonsensical term, it actually makes sense when you think about it: It refers to a state where your containers are in a loop of repeated crashes, with backoff periods introduced between the crashes.
Causes of CrashLoopBackOff
Although all CrashLoopBackOff states result in the same type of problem – a never-ending loop of crashes – there are many potential causes:

• ImagePullBackOff: Your containers might not be starting properly because an image can't be pulled.
• OutOfMemory (OOM): The containers could be exceeding their allowed memory limits.
• Configuration errors: Configuration issues like improper environment variables or command arguments could be triggering a crash loop.
• Application bugs: Errors in application code could be causing the containers to crash shortly after they start.
• Resource conflicts: Multiple containers may be competing for the same resources in ways that cause them to crash.
• Persistent storage issues: If there is an issue accessing persistent storage volumes, containers may not be starting properly.
• Network connectivity problems: Network issues, which could result either from networking configuration problems or a network failure, could be triggering crashes.
In short, basically any condition that could cause containers to crash right after they start has the potential to create a CrashLoopBackOff. If the containers repeatedly try to restart and repeatedly fail, you get this error.
What does a CrashLoopBackOff error look like in Kubernetes?
No red light starts flashing on your Kubernetes console when a CrashLoopBackOff event occurs. Kubernetes doesn't explicitly warn you about the issue.
But you can figure out that it's happening by checking on the state of your Pods with a command like: