This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application deployment. 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.
A company wants to deploy a stateful database on Kubernetes. The database requires stable network identities and persistent storage per pod. Which resource should be used?
Job
Why wrong: Job is for batch processing.
StatefulSet
StatefulSet provides stable network identities and persistent storage.
Deployment
Why wrong: Deployment does not guarantee stable pod identities.
DaemonSet
Why wrong: DaemonSet runs one pod per node, not suitable for databases.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
StatefulSet
StatefulSet is the correct resource because it provides stable, unique network identities (via headless Services and ordinal pod names like `db-0`, `db-1`) and persistent storage per pod (via PersistentVolumeClaims that are retained across rescheduling). This matches the requirement for a stateful database where each pod must maintain its identity and data independently.
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.
Job
Why it's wrong here
Job is for batch processing.
StatefulSet
Why this is correct
StatefulSet provides stable network identities and persistent storage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Deployment
Why it's wrong here
Deployment does not guarantee stable pod identities.
DaemonSet
Why it's wrong here
DaemonSet runs one pod per node, not suitable for databases.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often choose Deployment because they associate it with scaling and rolling updates, but they overlook the critical need for stable network identities and per-pod persistent storage, which only StatefulSet provides.
Detailed technical explanation
StatefulSet uses a headless Service (with `clusterIP: None`) to enable DNS-based pod identity via SRV records, allowing each pod to be reached by its stable hostname (e.g., `db-0.db-service.namespace.svc.cluster.local`). It also leverages `volumeClaimTemplates` to automatically create a unique PersistentVolumeClaim for each replica, ensuring data persistence even if the pod is rescheduled to a different node. In real-world scenarios, databases like Cassandra or MySQL Galera rely on this ordered pod creation and identity to manage cluster membership and quorum.
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 CKAD 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
Application Deployment — This question tests Application Deployment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: StatefulSet — StatefulSet is the correct resource because it provides stable, unique network identities (via headless Services and ordinal pod names like `db-0`, `db-1`) and persistent storage per pod (via PersistentVolumeClaims that are retained across rescheduling). This matches the requirement for a stateful database where each pod must maintain its identity and data independently.
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 11, 2026
This CKAD 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 CKAD exam.
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