# Server-side apply: what happens when you run kubectl apply

DevFeed: [Server-side apply: what happens when you run kubectl apply](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/server-side-apply-what-happens-when-you-run-kubectl-apply-19145.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://learnkube.com/server-side-apply-kubernetes>)

Author: Chiara Salvatore

Published: 2026-06-30T00:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Learnk8s](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/learnk8s.md>)

Topics: [Kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/kubernetes.md>), [kubectl](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/kubectl.md>), [API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api.md>), [OpenAPI Specification](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/openapi.md>), [Deployment](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/deployment.md>)

Tags: [apply](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apply.md>), [deployment](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/deployment.md>), [how-to](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/how-to.md>), [kubectl](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kubectl.md>), [kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kubernetes.md>), [openapi](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/openapi.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial explains how Kubernetes client-side and server-side apply handle shared object state. It focuses on field ownership, API server interactions, and how different tools can overwrite or preserve changes.

## Source excerpt

Client-side apply can silently overwrite changes made by other tools. Server-side apply moves field ownership to the API server. Here is how it works and why it matters.