Kubernetes readiness probes are a crucial component of container orchestration that verify whether a container is fully functional and ready to accept traffic. They work by attempting to connect to the container using various protocols such as TCP, HTTP, or running a command inside the container. The purpose of readiness probes is to check if the container has finished its startup tasks and is responsive, ensuring that it can handle incoming requests. Readiness probes are essential for confirming that an application is fully operational before accepting traffic, preventing potential issues with delayed responses, cascading failures, and resource constraints. By configuring and customizing probe options, such as initial delays, timeout periods, and success thresholds, users can optimize the effectiveness of readiness probes in their Kubernetes-based applications. Additionally, understanding how to troubleshoot probe failures and apply best practices for using readiness probes is crucial for ensuring the reliability and performance of containerized workloads.