CGOA Gitops Principles Practice Question
A DevOps team is storing its Kubernetes manifests in a Git repository. To adhere strictly to the principle of versioned and immutable desired state in Git, how should the team manage changes to an existing deployment's container image tag?
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
✓
Commit a change updating the image tag in the manifest file within the Git repository and merge it via a pull request.
GitOps principles require that the desired state stored in Git is versioned and immutable. Modifying the manifest in Git via a new commit or pull request creates a traceable, versioned audit trail. Directly mutating live cluster resources using kubectl violates the single source of truth principle.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Commit a change updating the image tag in the manifest file within the Git repository and merge it via a pull request.
Why this is correct
Updating the manifest in Git creates a versioned, immutable record of the state change, allowing automated reconciliation.
- ✗
Exec into the running pod using 'kubectl exec' and update the container image binary directly.
Why it's wrong here
This causes direct runtime mutation and destroys environment repeatability.
- ✗
Run 'kubectl set image deployment/my-app my-app=image:v2' against the live cluster without updating Git.
Why it's wrong here
Modifying the live cluster directly introduces configuration drift and bypasses Git as the source of truth.
- ✗
Delete the deployment using 'kubectl delete' and manually re-apply a temporary local manifest file.
Why it's wrong here
Manual deletion and local re-application bypass version control and automated reconciliation mechanisms.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official CNCF / Linux Foundation exam blueprint
This CGOA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF / Linux Foundation 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 CGOA exam.