Troubleshooting Kubernetes LoadBalancer Service Issues with kubectl

In Kubernetes, the LoadBalancer service type is widely used to expose applications externally using a cloud provider’s load balancer (like Azure, AWS, or GCP). However, there are times when the service gets stuck in a Pending or Terminating state, and the external IP never gets assigned — or the deletion never completes.

In this blog, we’ll walk through essential kubectl commands to help you diagnose and resolve these issues effectively.

Symptoms

• EXTERNAL-IP remains in Pending status

• Deleting the service hangs in Terminating

• The cloud load balancer is not created or deleted properly

• Stale finalizers prevent service deletion

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting with kubectl

1. Check the Service Status

kubectl get svc <your-service-name> -n <namespace>

2.Look for EXTERNAL-IP. If it shows:

<none> or pending

It means the cloud controller hasn’t provisioned the load balancer.

3.Describe the Service

kubectl describe svc <your-service-name> -n <namespace>

Look for:

• Events at the bottom

• Annotations like service.beta.kubernetes.io/* (incorrect ones may cause failure)

• Errors like:

• "Error syncing load balancer"

• "Unable to allocate IP"

4.Check for Finalizers (If Deleting is Stuck)

When a service is stuck in “Terminating,” it’s likely due to finalizers.

kubectl get svc <your-service-name> -n <namespace> -o json | jq .metadata.finalizers

To remove finalizers manually ( use carefully)

kubectl patch svc <your-service-name> -n <namespace> -p '{"metadata":{"finalizers":null}}' --type=merge

5.Ensure the Cloud Controller is Running

Check the logs for your cloud controller manager (varies by cloud).

kubectl get pods -n kube-system

kubectl logs <cloud-controller-pod> -n kube-system

6.Inspect Related Resources

In cloud-managed environments, sometimes an underlying cloud resource is stuck:

• For Azure:

  
  

  • Check Azure Load Balancer in the Portal

  • Make sure subnet/deployment has enough IPs

  
  

7. recreate the service

   
   

Conclusion

A stuck LoadBalancer service in Kubernetes can block deployments and impact availability. Thankfully, kubectl provides all the necessary tooling to inspect, diagnose, and resolve these issues.

By following these steps and understanding the underlying cloud-provider integration, you can efficiently handle issues with LoadBalancer services and keep your Kubernetes workloads running smoothly.