How to exit the kubectl exec command (interactive session in a Kubernetes pod)?

To exit an interactive session started with kubectl exec -it <pod> -- /bin/bash or a similar command, you should:

• Press the key combination Ctrl + P then Ctrl + Q. This will detach you from the session, leaving the process inside the pod running.

• If you want to completely end the session and the process inside, you can simply type exit or Ctrl + D inside the interactive shell.

Thus, Ctrl+P Ctrl+Q is a safe way to exit the session without killing the process inside the container.