This CKA practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You want to view the resource usage of all pods in the cluster. What command should you run?
kubectl top pods --all-namespaces
Shows pod resource usage across all namespaces.
kubectl describe nodes
Why wrong: Describes nodes, not pods.
kubectl get pods -o wide
Why wrong: Shows pod details but not resource usage.
kubectl top nodes
Why wrong: Shows node resource usage, not pods.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
kubectl top pods --all-namespaces
The `kubectl top pods --all-namespaces` command retrieves real-time CPU and memory usage metrics for all pods across every namespace in the cluster. This is the correct way to view resource usage of all pods, as it relies on the metrics server to collect and expose pod-level resource consumption data.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
kubectl top pods --all-namespaces
Why this is correct
Shows pod resource usage across all namespaces.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
kubectl describe nodes
Why it's wrong here
Describes nodes, not pods.
kubectl get pods -o wide
Why it's wrong here
Shows pod details but not resource usage.
kubectl top nodes
Why it's wrong here
Shows node resource usage, not pods.
Common exam traps
CNCF often tests the distinction between `kubectl top pods` and `kubectl top nodes`, where candidates mistakenly choose `kubectl top nodes` thinking it covers all pods, but it only shows node-level aggregates, not per-pod usage.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Shows pod details but not resource usage.
Detailed technical explanation
The `kubectl top pods` command requires the metrics server to be deployed in the cluster; without it, the command will fail with an error indicating that the metrics API is not available. The metrics server collects resource usage from the kubelet's cAdvisor endpoint via the Summary API, which exposes per-pod CPU and memory metrics from the cgroups filesystem. In a real-world scenario, if the metrics server is not installed, you can use `kubectl top pods` only after deploying it with `kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/metrics-server/releases/latest/download/components.yaml`.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CKA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Troubleshooting — This question tests Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: kubectl top pods --all-namespaces — The `kubectl top pods --all-namespaces` command retrieves real-time CPU and memory usage metrics for all pods across every namespace in the cluster. This is the correct way to view resource usage of all pods, as it relies on the metrics server to collect and expose pod-level resource consumption data.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This CKA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF 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 CKA exam.
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