200-901 Application Deployment and Security Practice Question
Which THREE steps are essential in a typical CI/CD pipeline for a containerized application? (Choose THREE.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between development practices (like code review) and automated pipeline steps, so candidates mistakenly include code review as a CI/CD step when it is actually a prerequisite.
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
✓
Build the Docker image
Option B (Build the Docker image) is correct because a containerized CI/CD pipeline must compile the application and package it into an immutable Docker image artifact (e.g., via docker build) that can be versioned and promoted through environments. Option C (Push the image to a container registry) is correct because the built image must be stored in a registry such as Docker Hub, Amazon ECR, or Harbor so that downstream deployment stages and orchestrators like Kubernetes can pull the exact tested artifact. Option D (Run unit and integration tests) is correct because automated testing is a core CI gate that validates the code and image before promotion, catching regressions and ensuring quality prior to deployment. Option A (Perform code review) is a valuable practice but is a human/process step typically handled in pull requests rather than an essential automated pipeline stage, and Option E (Deploy directly to production without testing) is incorrect because it bypasses the testing and validation gates that define a proper CI/CD pipeline.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform code review
Why it's wrong here
Code review is part of development, not typically a pipeline stage.
- ✓
Build the Docker image
Why this is correct
Building the Docker image is the foundational pipeline step, converting source code and a Dockerfile into a runnable artefact. Without this stage, subsequent testing and registry push actions have no image to operate on, so it is essential in a containerised CI/CD workflow.
- ✓
Push the image to a container registry
Why this is correct
Pushing the built image to a container registry publishes the tested artefact so deployment environments can pull it. This stage makes the image available beyond the build agent, completing the delivery half of the pipeline and enabling downstream orchestration platforms to consume it.
- ✓
Run unit and integration tests
Why this is correct
Running unit and integration tests validates the built image's behaviour before release. This stage catches regressions and functional defects, acting as the quality gate that determines whether the artefact proceeds to the registry push, and is therefore essential to a containerised pipeline.
- ✗
Deploy directly to production without testing
Why it's wrong here
Skipping tests is risky and not a best practice.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.