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Ankra lets you open an interactive terminal directly into any running pod container from the dashboard. Choose your shell, select the target container, and debug issues without leaving the browser.

Opening a Terminal

1

Navigate to a Pod

Go to Clusters → [Your Cluster] → Kubernetes → Workloads → Pods and select a running pod.
2

Open the Terminal Tab

Click the Terminal tab in the pod detail view.
3

Select Container and Shell

If the pod has multiple containers, select the target container from the dropdown. Choose your preferred shell (/bin/sh, /bin/bash, /bin/zsh, or /bin/ash).
4

Connect

Click Connect to start the terminal session. You’ll see a green “Connected” indicator when the session is active.

Features

FeatureDescription
Multi-container supportSelect any container in a pod, including init containers and sidecars
Shell selectionChoose between /bin/sh, /bin/bash, /bin/zsh, and /bin/ash
Auto-resizeTerminal automatically adjusts to your browser window size
Connection statusClear visual indicator showing disconnected, connecting, connected, or error states
ReconnectQuickly reconnect after a disconnection without leaving the page

Supported Shells

ShellPathNotes
sh/bin/shAvailable in virtually all containers (default)
bash/bin/bashAvailable in most full Linux-based images
zsh/bin/zshAvailable if installed in the container
ash/bin/ashCommon in Alpine-based images
If the container uses an Alpine-based image, use /bin/sh or /bin/ash. Bash is not included in Alpine by default.

Requirements

  • The cluster agent must be running and connected (cluster state: online).
  • The pod must be in a running state — terminal is not available for deleted or terminated pods.
  • The selected shell must be available inside the container image.

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
”Connection error” on connectVerify the cluster agent is online and the pod is still running
Shell exits immediatelyThe selected shell may not exist in the container — try /bin/sh
Terminal appears blankResize the browser window or click Reconnect
Session ends unexpectedlyThe pod may have been restarted or deleted — check pod status