How to Identify and Resolve Problems with Kubernetes Services

May 16, 2025
Cloud Education
5 min read

When managing containerized applications, Kubernetes services play a key role in connecting workloads and exposing them to internal or external traffic. But like any complex system, Kubernetes isn’t immune to issues. From misconfigured services to network bottlenecks and DNS resolution problems, many things can disrupt your cluster’s performance.

At Neon Cloud, we help businesses make the most of Kubernetes by offering managed Kubernetes microservices environments that are fast, scalable, and reliable. This blog will guide you through how to identify and resolve problems with Kubernetes services, so you can ensure your deployments are always up and running.

Let’s get started.

Understanding the Role of Kubernetes Services

Before diving into troubleshooting, it’s important to understand what a Kubernetes services actually does. In Kubernetes, a service is an abstraction that defines a set of pods and how to access them—usually via labels and selectors. It enables stable networking for applications, regardless of how many times the underlying pods are replaced or restarted. There are different types of services in Kubernetes, including:

  • ClusterIP: Exposes the service on a cluster-internal IP.
  • NodePort: Exposes the service on each node’s IP at a static port.
  • LoadBalancer: Uses cloud provider’s load balancer to expose services externally.
  • ExternalName: Maps the service to a DNS name instead of a selector.

Each type has its use case, and understanding them helps in pinpointing where issues might occur.

Common Problems with Kubernetes Services

1. Service Not Accessible

One of the most common issues is that a Kubernetes service is not reachable. This could be due to:

  • Incorrect port definitions
  • Missing service selectors
  • Network policies blocking traffic
  • Pod not running or failing readiness checks

Use the following steps to debug:

kubectl get svc  

kubectl describe svc <service-name>  

kubectl get pods -o wide

Check if the pods have the correct labels that match the selectors defined in the service.

2. DNS Resolution Failing

Services in Kubernetes rely on internal DNS to route traffic. If DNS is misconfigured, your services won’t find each other. Check the CoreDNS pods:

kubectl get pods -n kube-system -l k8s-app=kube-dns

Also, try running a DNS test inside a pod using tools like nslookup or dig to see if the domain resolves properly.

3. Network Connectivity Issues

Sometimes the Kubernetes service is running fine, but the pods cannot communicate with each other. This could be due to:

  • Network plugin (CNI) issues
  • IP conflicts or routing errors
  • Security groups/firewall rules (especially in cloud environments)

Use kubectl exec to hop into a pod and run network tests (e.g., curl, ping, or telnet) to other pods or services.

4. Load Balancer Not Creating

In cloud-hosted Kubernetes clusters, the Load Balancer service type may not work if permissions or cloud integrations are missing. Check your cloud IAM roles and make sure the Kubernetes cluster has permissions to create load balancers. On Neon Cloud, our managed Kubernetes clusters come with pre-integrated load balancing, so clients don’t have to manage cloud configs manually.

Read Also: Kubernetes Service Debugging Guide

How to Resolve Kubernetes Service Issues

At Neon Cloud, our DevOps teams follow a systematic approach when resolving service issues:

Step 1: Verify Service and Pod Configuration

Check service YAML for correct ports, protocols, and selectors. Confirm that the pods match the selector labels and are in Running state.

selector:  

  app: myapp

Then make sure your pod has:

labels:  

  app: myapp

Step 2: Validate Networking and Firewall Rules

Use kubectl exec to test connectivity. Also, ensure that Kubernetes network policies or firewalls aren’t unintentionally blocking communication. If you’re using Neon Cloud’s Kubernetes microservices, we offer in-built diagnostics tools for this.

Step 3: Test DNS and Service Discovery

Sometimes the app can’t connect to another service due to DNS failures. Use tools like:

nslookup myservice.default.svc.cluster.local

Or try:

dig +short myservice.default.svc.cluster.local 

Step 4: Review Logs and Events

Run the following commands to identify what went wrong:

kubectl logs <pod-name>  

kubectl describe pod <pod-name>  

kubectl describe svc <service-name> 

Often, the event logs can help identify configuration issues, port mismatches, or health check failures.

Step 5: Monitor with Probes

Use readiness and liveness probes in your deployment to ensure the Kubernetes service routes traffic only to healthy pods.

Example:

readinessProbe:  

  httpGet:  

    path: /healthz  

    port: 8080  

  initialDelaySeconds: 5  

  periodSeconds: 10  

Tips to Prevent Future Service Issues

To ensure your Kubernetes services run smoothly in the long term, it’s essential to follow best practices and implement preventive measures. Here are a few tips that can help avoid common service-related issues in the future.

  • Use consistent labels across deployments and services
  • Define clear network policies that allow necessary traffic
  • Document your service architecture, especially when using Kubernetes microservices
  • Use managed Kubernetes providers like Neon Cloud for simplified scaling and troubleshooting

Why Neon Cloud Is the Right Kubernetes Partner

We understand that Kubernetes can be complex. That’s why Neon Cloud offers fully managed Kubernetes service environments that are optimized for performance, security, and ease of use. From intelligent load balancing to automatic service discovery and real-time issue resolution, our platform is built for modern DevOps teams. Plus, our expert support team is available 24/7 to help you debug, optimize, and scale your services in Kubernetes with confidence. Whether you’re deploying monolithic applications or adopting a Kubernetes microservices architecture, Neon Cloud makes sure your services are always reachable, healthy, and scalable.

Final Thoughts

A reliable Kubernetes service setup is essential for smooth operations. The key lies in understanding the architecture, knowing how the types of services in Kubernetes behave, and having the right tools and partners to support you. At Neon Cloud, we help businesses deploy with confidence and scale without worry. So if you’re struggling with services in Kubernetes or looking for better reliability and performance, we’re here to help.

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