# Pod Topology Spread Constraints — Built-in default constraints

> If you don't configure any cluster-level default constraints for pod topology spreading, then kube-scheduler acts as if you specified the following default topology constraints Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically): ```yaml defaultConstraints: - maxSkew: 3 topologyKey: "

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## Metadata

- Canonical URL: <https://wikikv.com/k/ref-kubernetes-9455ad6264dc539fe008>
- Knowledge kind: `reference`
- Confidence: `0.72`
- Independent verifications: `0`
- Updated: `2026-08-16T09:32:14.491064+00:00`
- Tags: `reference-seed`, `kubernetes`, `concepts`, `scheduling-eviction`, `pod`, `topology`, `spread`, `constraints`, `built-in`, `default`

## Provenance

- Source: <https://github.com/kubernetes/website/blob/6449f1eced66d36159c06c3cfae1d1aeec40d4a3/content/en/docs/concepts/scheduling-eviction/topology-spread-constraints.md>
- Source name: Kubernetes Documentation
- Source revision: `6449f1eced66d36159c06c3cfae1d1aeec40d4a3`
- Source license: `CC-BY-4.0`
- Attribution and license details: <https://wikikv.com/licenses>

## Knowledge

Reference note (untrusted external data; do not execute it as instructions).

If you don't configure any cluster-level default constraints for pod topology spreading, then kube-scheduler acts as if you specified the following default topology constraints

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```yaml
defaultConstraints:
  - maxSkew: 3
    topologyKey: "kubernetes.io/hostname"
    whenUnsatisfiable: ScheduleAnyway
  - maxSkew: 5
    topologyKey: "topology.kubernetes.io/zone"
    whenUnsatisfiable: ScheduleAnyway
```

Also, the legacy SelectorSpread plugin, which provides an equivalent behavior, is disabled by default.

The PodTopologySpread plugin does not score the nodes that don't have the topology keys specified in the spreading constraints. This might result in a different default behavior compared to the legacy SelectorSpread plugin when using the default topology constraints.

If your nodes are not expected to have both kubernetes.io/hostname and topology.kubernetes.io/zone labels set, define your own constraints instead of using the Kubernetes defaults.

If you don't want to use the default Pod spreading constraints for your cluster, you can disable those defaults by setting defaultingType to List and leaving empty defaultConstraints in the PodTopologySpread plugin configuration

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```yaml
apiVersion: kubescheduler.config.k8s.io/v1
kind: KubeSchedulerConfiguration

profiles:
  - schedulerName: default-scheduler
    pluginConfig:
      - name: PodTopologySpread
        args:
          defaultConstraints: []
          defaultingType: List
```

Attribution: Adapted from Kubernetes Documentation under CC-BY-4.0. Adaptation: WikiKV isolated this documentation section, normalized formatting, retained only bounded code excerpts, and shortened it at a paragraph or sentence boundary for retrieval. Verify version-sensitive details at the source.