How does a pod inside a cluster communicate with other pods?

In a Kubernetes pod within a cluster, communication with other pods occurs through the cluster's internal network. Each pod receives its own IP address, accessible within the cluster.

For communication between pods, the following are typically used:

• ClusterIP services — an abstraction that provides a stable IP and DNS name for a group of pods, ensuring load balancing.
• DNS — Kubernetes automatically creates DNS records for services, allowing them to be accessed by name.

Example: if pod A wants to contact pod B via a service named my-service in the default namespace, it can use the address http://my-service.default.svc.cluster.local.

Thus, communication occurs via IP and DNS within the cluster's virtual network, without the need for external addresses.