Delete Namespace Stuck At Terminating State

kubectl delete namespace

Problem
Sometimes after deleting a namespace (for example foo), it sticks on “Terminating” state, and when you enter:

kubectl delete namespace foo
You get:

Error from server (Conflict): Operation cannot be fulfilled on namespaces "foo": The system is ensuring all content is removed from this namespace.  Upon completion, this namespace will automatically be purged by the system.
Solution
Let’s get rid of foo namespace!

Run this command:

kubectl get namespace foo -o json > tmp.json
Open tmp.json and remove kubernetes from finalizers. Just save it!

Now you need your cluster address:

kubectl cluster-info
Then run this command:

curl -k -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X PUT --data-binary @tmp.json https://[IP]:[PORT]/api/v1/namespaces/approo/finalize
Make sure to use your cluster address!

Oh! An error! You can’t do this action as anonymous?

namespaces "foo" is forbidden: User "system:anonymous" cannot update namespaces/finalize in the namespace "foo"
Don’t worry! Use magic kubernetes proxy:

kubectl proxy  
// Starting to serve on 127.0.0.1:8001
::: tip Note: this command won’t finish. So you can use & at the end, or continue in a new terminal. :::

Then, run the last command again, and use proxy IP and Port.

Now check your namespaces:

kubectl get namespaces
Namespace foo has been gone!