Kubernetes' command line interface (CLI), kubectl, can be used to run commands against a Kubernetes cluster. Because OpenShift Container Platform is a certified Kubernetes distribution, you can use the supported kubectl binaries that ship with Azure Red Hat OpenShift, or you can gain extended functionality by using the oc binary.
The oc binary offers the same capabilities as the kubectl binary, but it extends to natively support additional Azure Red Hat OpenShift features, including:
Full support for Azure Red Hat OpenShift resources
Resources such as DeploymentConfigs, BuildConfigs, Routes, ImageStreams, and ImageStreamTags are specific to Azure Red Hat OpenShift distributions, and build upon standard Kubernetes primitives.
Authentication
The oc binary offers a built-in login command that allows authentication and enables you to work with Azure Red Hat OpenShift projects, which map Kubernetes namespaces to authenticated users. See Understanding authentication for more information.
Additional commands
The additional command oc new-app, for example, makes it easier to get new applications started using existing source code or pre-built images. Similarly, the additional command oc new-project makes it easier to start a project that you can switch to as your default.
The kubectl binary is provided as a means to support existing workflows and scripts for new Azure Red Hat OpenShift users coming from a standard Kubernetes environment, or for those who prefer to use the kubectl CLI. Existing users of kubectl can continue to use the binary to interact with Kubernetes primitives, with no changes required to the Azure Red Hat OpenShift cluster.
For more information, see the kubectl docs.