This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application environment, configuration and security. 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 deployment runs a container that needs to read a file from a host path '/var/log/app' on the node. The file must be available to all pods on that node. Which volume type should be used?
emptyDir
Why wrong: Ephemeral and not shared across pods.
hostPath
Correctly mounts host node path.
persistentVolumeClaim
Why wrong: PVCs are for persistent storage, but not tied to a specific node path.
configMap
Why wrong: ConfigMaps are for configuration data, not file access.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
hostPath
B is correct because hostPath mounts a file or directory from the host node's filesystem into the pod, making it available to all pods scheduled on that node. This is the only volume type that directly accesses a specific host path like '/var/log/app', ensuring the file is shared across all pods on the same node.
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.
emptyDir
Why it's wrong here
Ephemeral and not shared across pods.
hostPath
Why this is correct
Correctly mounts host node path.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
persistentVolumeClaim
Why it's wrong here
PVCs are for persistent storage, but not tied to a specific node path.
configMap
Why it's wrong here
ConfigMaps are for configuration data, not file access.
Common exam traps
CNCF often tests hostPath vs. emptyDir by emphasizing 'available to all pods on that node' — candidates mistakenly choose emptyDir because it is shared among containers in the same pod, but it is not shared across different pods on the same node.
Detailed technical explanation
hostPath volumes map a specific path on the node's filesystem into the container, using the same Linux mount semantics as bind mounts. This is useful for daemon sets that need access to node-level logs or devices, but it can cause issues if pods are rescheduled to different nodes where the path does not exist or has different content. The volume's 'type' field (e.g., DirectoryOrCreate) controls behavior when the path is missing, and hostPath volumes are not portable across nodes, making them unsuitable for multi-node workloads without nodeSelector constraints.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Application Environment, Configuration and Security — This question tests Application Environment, Configuration and Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: hostPath — B is correct because hostPath mounts a file or directory from the host node's filesystem into the pod, making it available to all pods scheduled on that node. This is the only volume type that directly accesses a specific host path like '/var/log/app', ensuring the file is shared across all pods on the same node.
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 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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