Kubernetes Node NotReady
The control plane no longer considers a node healthy enough to host normal workload traffic.
Node status is now: NodeNotReadyAlso searched as: NotReady · NodeStatusUnknown · KubeletNotReady
What it means
The kubelet may be unhealthy or unable to report status, the container runtime or network may be broken, or the node may be under resource pressure. Existing Pods can remain temporarily before eviction policy acts.
Typical trigger conditions
- Kubelet stopped or hung
- Node-to-control-plane network loss
- Container runtime unavailable
- Severe disk, memory or certificate problem
First diagnostic checks
Read node conditions
The Ready condition reason and message separate kubelet health, pressure and unknown status.
kubectl describe node <node>
Check leases and events
Establish when heartbeats stopped and whether the problem affects one node or the cluster.
Inspect node services
On the node, check kubelet and container-runtime status and logs using approved access procedures.
Version and platform notes
Heartbeat and eviction timing depend on controller and kubelet configuration as well as Kubernetes version.
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