# Stop pods getting evicted for ephemeral storage

## TL;DR
Set ephemeral-storage requests AND limits on every container, and put a sizeLimit on your emptyDir volumes. Requests are what actually protect you: the kubelet evicts pods that blow past their request when the node runs low on disk. Limits alone will not save you from eviction.

```text
Kubernetes pod "evicted: ephemeral storage": how to set storage limits
```

## Steps

1. **Confirm the eviction reason.** Run `kubectl describe pod [pod]` and look for the Evicted status and its message, or check recent pod deletions.
   Expected: the reason explicitly names ephemeral storage.

2. **Find what is writing to disk.** Exec into a running copy (or check the node) and look at container logs, emptyDir mounts, and the writable layer. Big log files and unrotated output are the usual suspects.
   Expected: you know which path is growing and roughly how fast.

3. **Add ephemeral-storage requests and limits.** In the container resources:
   ```yaml
   resources:
     requests:
       ephemeral-storage: "2Gi"
     limits:
       ephemeral-storage: "4Gi"
   ```
   Expected: the pod spec shows both values and the pod schedules.

4. **Cap emptyDir volumes.** Add `sizeLimit` to each emptyDir volume:
   ```yaml
   volumes:
     - name: scratch
       emptyDir:
         sizeLimit: "1Gi"
   ```
   Expected: the volume config shows the cap, and the kubelet evicts the pod if it exceeds it instead of letting it eat the node.

5. **Redeploy and watch.** Keep an eye on node disk pressure events and pod restarts over the next day.
   Expected: no further evictions, no new DiskPressure events on the node.

## Use this when
- Pods show Evicted with an ephemeral storage message
- Disk-hungry workloads: heavy logging, scratch files, large temp downloads
- You never set storage requests and want to do it right

## Not for this skill when
- The pod was OOMKilled (that is memory, a different resource)
- A PersistentVolumeClaim is full (different storage, different fix)
- The node has DiskPressure from system components rather than your pods

## Variant phrasings
- pod evicted disk kubernetes
- ephemeral storage exceeded
- kubernetes pod disk limit
- emptyDir sizeLimit eviction

## Why it happens
The kubelet tracks each container's writable layer plus logs plus emptyDir usage against its ephemeral-storage request. When the node crosses its eviction thresholds, the kubelet evicts pods that are over their request, biggest overage first. No request means no protection.

## Edge cases
- Limits alone do not prevent eviction. The request is the number the kubelet compares against.
- Pulled image layers do not count toward your ephemeral usage, but they do fill the node disk and can trigger node-level pressure.
- Container log rotation settings change how fast usage grows. Check them if the numbers do not add up.
- Init containers share the pod's storage accounting. A chatty init container counts too.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_LdqjWJj1ZtqjNEBcM2Uiug