200-901 Application Deployment and Security Practice Question
A DevOps engineer is deploying a containerized application to a Kubernetes cluster. The application requires a configuration file that contains non-sensitive settings, such as the application's log level and API endpoint. The engineer wants to manage this configuration separately from the container image and make it easily updatable without rebuilding the image. Which Kubernetes resource should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is selecting Secret for any configuration data, but Secret is meant for confidential information.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
ConfigMap
ConfigMap is the Kubernetes resource specifically for storing non-sensitive configuration data. It decouples configuration from the container image, allowing updates without rebuilding. Secrets are for sensitive data, while PersistentVolume and Deployment serve different purposes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
ConfigMap
Why this is correct
ConfigMap is designed to store non-confidential configuration data in key-value pairs. It can be consumed by pods as environment variables, command-line arguments, or configuration files in a volume. This allows updating configuration without rebuilding the container image, exactly matching the requirement.
- ✗
Secret
Why it's wrong here
Secret is intended for sensitive data like passwords, tokens, and keys, not for non-sensitive configuration. While it can store configuration, using it for non-sensitive data is unnecessary and may complicate management. The scenario explicitly states non-sensitive settings, so Secret is not the best fit.
- ✗
Deployment
Why it's wrong here
Deployment manages the desired state of pods and ReplicaSets, such as rolling updates and scaling. It does not store configuration data itself. While a Deployment can reference a ConfigMap, it is not the resource that holds the configuration. The question asks for the resource to manage the configuration, which is ConfigMap.
- ✗
PersistentVolume
Why it's wrong here
PersistentVolume provides storage that persists beyond pod lifecycle, but it does not manage configuration data. It is used for stateful workloads requiring durable storage, not for injecting configuration settings. Using it for configuration would be an overcomplication and not align with Kubernetes best practices.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-901 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-901 exam.