> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/resilience-testing/chaos-testing/probes/container-probe.md).

# Container Probe

Container probe executes commands inside a new container and validates the output. Unlike the Command probe which runs inside the experiment pod (inline mode) or a simple source pod, the Container probe gives you full control over the container specification - image, volumes, security context, resource limits, and more.

{% hint style="info" %}
Container probe is only supported on Kubernetes infrastructure driven by Harness Delegate (Kubernetes HD).
{% endhint %}

### When to use <a href="#when-to-use" id="when-to-use"></a>

* Run validation commands that require a specific container image with pre-installed tools (e.g., database clients, custom SDKs)
* Execute checks that need mounted volumes, secrets, or ConfigMaps from the cluster
* Validate application state where the command needs specific security contexts, resource limits, or service account permissions
* Perform checks that must run with specific node affinity, tolerations, or network access

### Steps to configure <a href="#steps-to-configure" id="steps-to-configure"></a>

1. Navigate to **Project Settings** > **Chaos Probes** and click **+ New Probe**
2. Select **Container Probe** and provide a name, and optionally a description and tags
3. Under **Variables**, define any reusable values you want to reference in probe properties or run properties. For each variable, specify the type (`String` or `Number`), name, value (fixed or runtime input), and whether it's required at runtime.
4. Under **Probe Properties**, configure:

   | Field                                | Description                                                  |
   | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
   | **Container Image**                  | The image to use (e.g., `bitnami/kubectl:latest`)            |
   | **Command**                          | The command to execute (e.g., `/bin/sh`, `-c`)               |
   | **Arguments**                        | The script or arguments to pass (e.g., `echo "Hello World"`) |
   | **Environment Variables** (optional) | Name-value pairs passed to the container                     |
   | **Namespace**                        | Target Kubernetes namespace (e.g., `default`)                |
   | **Image Pull Policy**                | `IfNotPresent`, `Always`, or `Never`                         |

   **Advanced Configuration** (optional):

   | Field                                | Description                                              |
   | ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
   | **Service Account Name**             | Service account for the probe pod (e.g., `default`)      |
   | **Image Pull Secrets**               | Secrets for pulling private container images             |
   | **Labels**                           | Key-value labels for the probe pod                       |
   | **Annotations**                      | Key-value annotations for the probe pod                  |
   | **Node Selector**                    | Key-value pairs to constrain pod scheduling              |
   | **Tolerations**                      | Tolerations for node taints                              |
   | **Required/Preferred Node Affinity** | Node affinity rules for pod scheduling                   |
   | **Resource Limits**                  | **Limit Memory** and **Limit CPU** for the container     |
   | **Resource Requests**                | **Request Memory** and **Request CPU** for the container |

   **Volumes** (optional):

   | Field          | Description                     |
   | -------------- | ------------------------------- |
   | **Name**       | Volume name (e.g., `my-volume`) |
   | **Type**       | Volume type (e.g., `EmptyDir`)  |
   | **Medium**     | Storage medium for EmptyDir     |
   | **Size Limit** | Maximum size (e.g., `1Gi`)      |

   **Volume Mounts** (optional):

   | Field                                  | Description                                   |
   | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
   | **Name**                               | Volume name to mount                          |
   | **Mount Path**                         | Path inside the container (e.g., `/mnt/data`) |
   | **Sub Path** / **Sub Path Expression** | Subpath within the volume                     |
   | **Mount Propagation**                  | Mount propagation mode                        |
   | **Read Only**                          | Whether the mount is read-only                |

   **Security Configuration** (optional):

   | Field                                       | Description                                      |
   | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
   | **Host Network**, **HostPID**, **Host IPC** | Toggle access to host namespaces                 |
   | **Allow Privilege Escalation**              | Allow container process to gain more privileges  |
   | **Read Only Root Filesystem**               | Mount root filesystem as read-only               |
   | **Privileged**                              | Run container in privileged mode                 |
   | **Run As Non Root**                         | Require the container to run as a non-root user  |
   | **Run as user** / **Run as group**          | UID/GID for the container process (e.g., `1000`) |
   | **FS Group**                                | Filesystem group for volumes (e.g., `2000`)      |

   **Data Comparison**:

   | Field                   | Description                                                      |
   | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
   | **Type**                | Data type of the output: `String`, `Int`, or `Float`             |
   | **Comparison Criteria** | Comparison operator: `matches`, `==`, `!=`, `>`, `<`, `>=`, `<=` |
   | **Value**               | The expected value to compare against (e.g., `Hello World`)      |
5. Provide the **Run Properties**:

   | Field                          | Description                                     |
   | ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------- |
   | **Timeout**                    | Maximum time for probe execution (e.g., `10s`)  |
   | **Interval**                   | Time between successive executions (e.g., `2s`) |
   | **Attempt**                    | Number of retry attempts (e.g., `1`)            |
   | **Polling Interval**           | Time between retries (e.g., `30s`)              |
   | **Initial Delay**              | Delay before first execution (e.g., `5s`)       |
   | **Verbosity**                  | Log detail level                                |
   | **Stop On Failure** (optional) | Stop the experiment if the probe fails          |
6. Click **Create Probe**