Kubernetes Standard API Reference
This document provides a comprehensive list of standard, built-in Kubernetes API groups, their associated API versions, key resources, and functional descriptions.
1. Core API Group (/api/v1)
The core API group handles primary operational building blocks, runtime workloads, network primitives, and foundational storage resources.
| API Group | Version | Key Resources | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Core ("") | v1 | Pod, Service, Namespace, ConfigMap, Secret, Node, PersistentVolume, PersistentVolumeClaim, ServiceAccount, Endpoints, Event, ResourceQuota, LimitRange | Essential infrastructure primitives and execution workloads. |
2. Workloads & Orchestration
APIs responsible for application execution, deployment strategies, scaling, and scheduled execution.
| API Group | Version | Key Resources | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
apps | v1 | Deployment, StatefulSet, DaemonSet, ReplicaSet | Controller definitions for managing stateless and stateful application workloads. |
batch | v1 | Job, CronJob | Controllers for running finite, batch, or cron-driven workloads to completion. |
autoscaling | v2 | HorizontalPodAutoscaler | Dynamic autoscaling of workloads based on CPU, memory, or custom metrics. |
3. Networking & Traffic Routing
APIs governing external ingress routing, internal microservice connectivity, and network security policies.
| API Group | Version | Key Resources | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
networking.k8s.io | v1 | Ingress, IngressClass, NetworkPolicy, EndpointSlice | Ingress rules, load balancing parameters, microsegmentation policies, and scalable service endpoints. |
4. Storage & Persistent Volumes
APIs for dynamic storage provisioning, volume lifecycle management, and CSI driver configuration.
| API Group | Version | Key Resources | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
storage.k8s.io | v1 | StorageClass, VolumeAttachment, CSINode, CSIDriver | Dynamic storage allocation, volume mounting state, and Container Storage Interface (CSI) integration. |
5. Security, Authentication & Access Control
APIs handling identity verification, token validation, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and TLS certificate signing.
| API Group | Version | Key Resources | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
rbac.authorization.k8s.io | v1 | Role, ClusterRole, RoleBinding, ClusterRoleBinding | Granular permission definitions and subject bindings across namespaces or cluster-wide. |
authentication.k8s.io | v1 | TokenRequest, TokenReview | Programmatic requesting and server-side validation of authentication tokens. |
authorization.k8s.io | v1 | SubjectAccessReview, SelfSubjectAccessReview, LocalSubjectAccessReview | Policy evaluation endpoints to query user/service account permissions. |
certificates.k8s.io | v1 | CertificateSigningRequest | Automated TLS X.509 certificate issuance and lifecycle management. |
6. Governance, Policy & Scheduling
APIs defining scheduling priority tiers and operational availability constraints during cluster maintenance.
| API Group | Version | Key Resources | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
policy | v1 | PodDisruptionBudget | Defines minimum available pods or maximum unavailable pods during voluntary disruptions. |
scheduling.k8s.io | v1 | PriorityClass | Defines relative scheduling priority and preemption behavior for Pods. |
7. Extensibility, Core Infrastructure & Meta
Infrastructure APIs that enable API aggregation, runtime engine selection, leader election, and custom resource schema registration.
| API Group | Version | Key Resources | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
apiextensions.k8s.io | v1 | CustomResourceDefinition | Schema definitions used to inject custom API types (CRDs) into the API server. |
apiregistration.k8s.io | v1 | APIService | Registration mechanism for secondary aggregated API servers. |
coordination.k8s.io | v1 | Lease | Distributed lock and heartbeat primitive used by control plane components. |
node.k8s.io | v1 | RuntimeClass | Configures underlying container runtime engines (e.g., runc, gVisor, Kata). |
Cluster Verification Commands
To inspect the live API resources on a cluster:
# List all API resources, groups, versions, and namespaced status
kubectl api-resources -o wide
# List all active API group versions supported by the API server
kubectl api-versions
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