CKA Services and Networking Practice Question
You run `kubectl port-forward service/my-svc 8080:80`. What does this command do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often mistakenly believe that `kubectl port-forward` routes traffic through the Service's ClusterIP. In reality, it resolves the Service's selector, picks a backing Pod, and establishes a direct tunnel to that Pod via the API server and the node's kubelet.
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
✓
It forwards local port 8080 to port 80 on a Pod selected by the Service, bypassing the Service's ClusterIP.
The `kubectl port-forward` command forwards connections from a local port to a port on a Pod. When you specify a Service (e.g., `service/my-svc`), kubectl automatically selects an active Pod matching the Service's selector and forwards the traffic directly to that Pod. It completely bypasses the Service's ClusterIP and kube-proxy routing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
It forwards local port 8080 to port 80 on a Pod selected by the Service, bypassing the Service's ClusterIP.
Why this is correct
Port-forward maps a local port to a port on a resource (pod or service).
- ✗
It forwards traffic from port 80 to port 8080 within the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Direction is local to cluster, not the reverse.
- ✗
It creates a LoadBalancer Service on port 8080 forwarding to port 80.
Why it's wrong here
Port-forward is local, not a Service modification.
- ✗
It exposes the Service on each node's port 8080.
Why it's wrong here
That would be a NodePort Service, not port-forward.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Configuring Storage Classes and Dynamic Provisioning
Key term
ClusterIP NodePort LoadBalancer
ClusterIP, NodePort, and LoadBalancer are three types of Kubernetes Services that control how traffic reaches your application pods inside the cluster or from outside.
Key term
kubectl Command Reference
kubectl is the command-line tool used to interact with and manage Kubernetes clusters by sending commands to the Kubernetes API.
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