What is Dry Run?

kubectl --dry-run lets you test a command without actually creating/updating resources.

Types of Dry Run

1. Client Side (--dry-run=client)

Use kubectl dry-run for client side validation of a manifest.

• Runs locally (no cluster call)
• Just checks syntax
• Does NOT validate with Kubernetes server

kubectl create deployment my-app --image=nginx --dry-run=client -o yaml
OR
Kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml --dry-run-client

2. Server Side (--dry-run=server)

Use kubectl dry-run for server side validation of a manifest.

• Sends request to Kubernetes API server
• Validates:
  • Schema
  • Resource existence
• but does NOT create anything

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml --dry-run=server

Verify the deployment with following commands:

kubectl get deployments

Key Difference