kubectl is a command-line tool used to manage and interact with Kubernetes clusters. It allows users to deploy applications, inspect and manage cluster resources, and view logs. With kubectl, you can perform various operations like scaling applications, rolling out updates, and troubleshooting issues. To use kubectl, you typically need to configure it to connect to your Kubernetes cluster. This involves setting up a configuration file that contains the necessary credentials and cluster information. Once configured, you can execute commands in your terminal to control your applications and resources within the cluster efficiently.