Targeted Pod List

The Targeted Pod List shows all pods currently being captured based on Capture Filters. Only traffic from these pods appears in the L7 API Stream.

Targeted Pods

How It Works

Kubeshark targets pods based on filter rules defined in Capture Filters:

FilterDescription
Pod regexPattern matching pod names (e.g., frontend-.*)
NamespacesInclude only specific namespaces
Excluded namespacesExclude specific namespaces
BPF overrideExplicit BPF expression

The targeted pod list is dynamic—it updates in real-time as:

  • New pods start that match the filter criteria
  • Existing pods are terminated
  • Filter rules are modified

Viewing the List

The targeted pod list appears in the blue dialog at the top of the dashboard. It displays:

FieldDescription
Pod nameFull pod name
NamespacePod’s namespace
NodeWorker node where pod runs
StatusRunning, pending, etc.

Impact on Traffic Capture

Traffic from pods not in the targeted list is discarded. This has two important implications:

  1. Resource efficiency — Limiting targeted pods reduces CPU and memory consumption
  2. Data availability — Only targeted pod traffic is available for viewing and analysis

If you’re not seeing expected traffic, verify the pod appears in the targeted list.

Modifying the List

Change which pods are targeted by updating Capture Filters:

Via Dashboard Settings

Open Settings and modify the capture filter rules. Changes apply immediately.

Via Helm Configuration

tap:
  regex: "frontend-.*|api-.*"
  namespaces:
    - production
    - staging
  excludedNamespaces:
    - kube-system

See Helm Configuration Reference for all options.

Cluster-Wide Scope

Capture filters and the targeted pod list are cluster-wide:

  • All users see the same targeted pod list
  • All dashboard sessions are affected
  • Changes impact everyone immediately

This differs from Display Filters, which are local to each browser tab.

Best Practices

Start Narrow

Begin with specific namespaces or pod patterns, then expand as needed:

tap:
  namespaces:
    - my-app

Exclude System Namespaces

Reduce noise by excluding infrastructure namespaces:

tap:
  excludedNamespaces:
    - kube-system
    - monitoring
    - logging

Use Pod Regex for Precision

Target specific workloads without capturing everything:

tap:
  regex: "payment-.*|checkout-.*"

What’s Next