CKA Services and Networking Practice Question
You need to create a Service that exposes port 80 on each node's IP at a static port (30080). Which Service type should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse NodePort with LoadBalancer, thinking a load balancer is required for external access, but NodePort directly satisfies the requirement of exposing a static port on each node's IP without any cloud dependency.
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
✓
NodePort
A NodePort Service exposes the application on a static port (30080) across every node's IP address in the cluster. This is the only Service type that allows you to specify a fixed port on the node's IP, making it the correct choice for this requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
NodePort
Why this is correct
NodePort allocates a static port from the default range (30000–32767) on every node's IP, satisfying the requirement for port 30080. kube-proxy programs iptables or IPVS rules forwarding that node port to the Service's cluster IP, then to backing pods.
- ✗
LoadBalancer
Why it's wrong here
LoadBalancer provisions a cloud provider's external load balancer with its own IP, not a static port on every node's IP. It would be correct when you need an externally reachable service with provider-managed load balancing, but it does not satisfy the nodePort requirement of 30080.
- ✗
ClusterIP
Why it's wrong here
ClusterIP allocates only an internal virtual IP reachable from within the cluster, so no node-level port is opened. It is the right choice for pod-to-pod communication inside the cluster, but it cannot satisfy exposing port 80 on every node's IP at 30080.
- ✗
ExternalName
Why it's wrong here
ExternalName maps a Service to a DNS CNAME record, returning no ClusterIP and allocating no node port at all. It suits referencing an external database by name from inside the cluster, but it cannot expose port 80 on each node at static port 30080.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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