# Handling Multiple Environments With kubectl

# Introduction

To find what environment your `kubectl` is pointing to, you can check its current *context*. A context is a set of access parameters, like the cluster and user, defined in your kubeconfig file. 

Here are the most common `kubectl` commands to inspect your current environment:

## View your current context

To see only the name of the currently active context, use:

```
kubectl config current-context
```

This is a quick and simple way to verify your target environment before running commands that modify resources. 

* * * * *

## List all contexts

To see a table of all available contexts defined in your kubeconfig file, run:

```
kubectl config get-contexts
```
The output will list each context, its associated cluster and user, and its default namespace. The currently active context is marked with an asterisk (*). 

Example output:
```
CURRENT   NAME         CLUSTER      AUTHINFO       NAMESPACE
*         dev          minikube     minikube       default
          prod         prod-cluster user-prod      prod-ns
          qa           qa-cluster   user-qa        qa-ns

```

In this example, the `dev` context is the active one.

* * * * *

## View the full kubeconfig file 

To view the complete details of your kubeconfig file, including cluster URLs, authentication information, and all defined contexts, run:

```
kubectl config view
```

This command provides a comprehensive overview of your entire configuration. 

* * * * *

## Switch contexts

If you need to change your environment, you can switch to a different context using the `use-context` command:

```
kubectl config use-context <context-name>
```

Replace <context-name> with the name of the context you want to use, such as prod or qa. 
For example, to switch to the production environment:

```
kubectl config use-context prod
```

# Conclusion
To summarize, the environment your `kubectl` is pointing to is determined by its active *context*, which is configured in your kubeconfig file. This context includes the cluster, user, and namespace for your `kubectl` commands.

The essential commands for managing your environments are:

-   `kubectl config current-context`: Shows the name of the environment you are currently connected to.
-   `kubectl config get-contexts`: Lists all available environments defined in your kubeconfig file. The active context is marked with an asterisk (`*`).
-   `kubectl config use-context <context-name>`: Switches your active environment to the specified context.