How do I run a container from the command line in Kubernetes (like docker run)?

The kubectl equivalent of

docker run --rm -it centos /bin/bash

is

kubectl run tmp-shell --restart=Never --rm -i --tty --image centos -- /bin/bash

Notes:

• This will create a Pod named tmp-shell. If you don’t specify --restart=Never, a Deploment will be created instead (credit: Urosh T’s answer).

• --rm ensures the Pod is deleted when the shell exits.

• If you want to detach from the shell and leave it running with the ability to re-attach, omit the --rm. You will then be able to reattach with: kubectl attach $pod-name -c $pod-container -i -t after you exit the shell.

• If your shell does not start, check whether your cluster is out of resources (kubectl describe nodes). You can specify resource requests with --requests:

  --requests="": The resource requirement requests for this container.  For example, 'cpu=100m,memory=256Mi'.  Note that server side components may assign requests depending on the server configuration, such as limit ranges.
  

(Credit: https://gc-taylor.com/blog/2016/10/31/fire-up-an-interactive-bash-pod-within-a-kubernetes-cluster)