kubernetes/kubernetes · error

ImagePullBackOff

Error message

ImagePullBackOff

What it means

Error "ImagePullBackOff" thrown in kubernetes/kubernetes.

Source

Thrown at pkg/kubelet/images/types.go:29

distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
*/

package images

import (
	"context"
	"errors"

	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
	runtimeapi "k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/runtime/v1"
)

var (
	// ErrImagePullBackOff - Container image pull failed, kubelet is backing off image pull
	ErrImagePullBackOff = errors.New("ImagePullBackOff")

	// ErrImageInspect - Unable to inspect image
	ErrImageInspect = errors.New("ImageInspectError")

	// ErrImagePull - General image pull error
	ErrImagePull = errors.New("ErrImagePull")

	// ErrImageNeverPull - Required Image is absent on host and PullPolicy is NeverPullImage
	ErrImageNeverPull = errors.New("ErrImageNeverPull")

	// ErrInvalidImageName - Unable to parse the image name.
	ErrInvalidImageName = errors.New("InvalidImageName")
)

// ImageManager provides an interface to manage the lifecycle of images.
// Implementations of this interface are expected to deal with pulling (downloading),
// managing, and deleting container images.
// Implementations are expected to abstract the underlying runtimes.

View on GitHub (pinned to b882c60b40)

Solutions

  1. Check the image name and tag for typos and that the image exists in the registry
  2. Verify registry credentials via imagePullSecrets are correct and not expired
  3. Confirm network access from the node to the registry (proxy, firewall, DNS)
  4. Check registry rate limits or quota if pulls are failing with 429 errors

When it happens

Trigger: Container image pull has failed repeatedly and the kubelet is backing off before retrying; root cause is registry unreachable, bad credentials, or missing image tag.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of kubernetes/kubernetes@b882c60b40 (2026-08-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0cd3f1c32261ddf5. Report an issue: GitHub.