CKA Practice Question: Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration
Which TWO components are part of the Kubernetes control plane? (Select 2)
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse node-level components like kubelet and kube-proxy with control plane components, because they are essential for cluster operation but run on worker nodes, not on the control plane nodes.
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
✓
etcd
Option A, etcd, is correct because it is the control plane's distributed key-value store that persistently holds all cluster state and configuration data, which the API server reads and writes. Option E, kube-apiserver, is correct because it is the central control plane component that exposes the Kubernetes API, validates and processes REST requests, and is the entry point through which all other components interact with the cluster. The unmarked options do not belong: kubelet (B) is a node agent that runs on each worker node to manage pods and containers, kube-proxy (C) is a node-level network proxy implementing Service networking rules, and the container runtime (D) is the node software (e.g., containerd or CRI-O) that actually runs containers — all three are node components, not control plane components.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
etcd
Why this is correct
etcd is the control plane's distributed key-value store, holding all cluster state and configuration. The API server reads and writes every object through it, making etcd a required control plane component rather than a worker node process.
- ✗
kubelet
Why it's wrong here
kubelet is the node agent that starts and monitors pods via the container runtime; it runs on every worker node, not the control plane. It is tempting because it is essential cluster machinery, and would be correct when asked which component registers nodes and reports pod status.
- ✗
kube-proxy
Why it's wrong here
kube-proxy runs on each node, implementing Service virtual IPs and load balancing for pod traffic; it is a node component, not control plane. It is tempting because it is core to cluster networking, and would be correct when asked which components run on worker nodes.
- ✗
container runtime
Why it's wrong here
The container runtime executes containers on each node, invoked by the kubelet; it is a node-level dependency, not a control plane component. It is tempting because Kubernetes cannot run workloads without it, and would be correct when listing software required on worker nodes.
- ✓
kube-apiserver
Why this is correct
The kube-apiserver is a core control plane component, exposing the Kubernetes API that every other component and user interacts with. It validates and processes REST requests, then persists cluster state to etcd, satisfying the stem's requirement for a control plane member rather than a worker node component such as kubelet or kube-proxy.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Configuring Core Cluster Components
Key term
Container Runtime
A container runtime is software that runs containers by using the host operating system's kernel to isolate processes, manage filesystem layers, and handle networking.
Key term
Kubernetes Node Roles
Kubernetes Node Roles are labels assigned to machines in a cluster that define whether a node runs application containers (worker) or manages the cluster (control plane).
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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