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 developer is creating a Deployment with 4 replicas. The application requires a rolling update with zero downtime. Which TWO strategies ensure zero downtime during an update?
Set maxSurge=1
Allows one extra pod to be created first.
Set maxUnavailable=1
Why wrong: Allows one pod to be unavailable, possibly causing capacity drop.
Use Recreate strategy
Why wrong: Recreate terminates all pods before creating new ones.
Set maxUnavailable=0
Ensures no pods are unavailable during update.
Set maxSurge=0
Why wrong: No extra pods allowed; may cause downtime if maxUnavailable>0.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Set maxSurge=1
Option A is correct because setting maxSurge=1 allows Kubernetes to spin up one new Pod before terminating any old Pod during a rolling update. This ensures that the total number of available Pods never drops below the desired replica count, maintaining service capacity and achieving zero downtime.
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.
Set maxSurge=1
Why this is correct
Allows one extra pod to be created first.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Set maxUnavailable=1
Why it's wrong here
Allows one pod to be unavailable, possibly causing capacity drop.
Use Recreate strategy
Why it's wrong here
Recreate terminates all pods before creating new ones.
Set maxUnavailable=0
Why this is correct
Ensures no pods are unavailable during update.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Set maxSurge=0
Why it's wrong here
No extra pods allowed; may cause downtime if maxUnavailable>0.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse maxSurge and maxUnavailable, thinking that allowing one Pod to be unavailable (maxUnavailable=1) is safe, but in a strict zero-downtime requirement, even a single unavailable Pod can cause capacity loss if the application cannot tolerate reduced replicas.
Detailed technical explanation
The RollingUpdate strategy uses maxSurge and maxUnavailable to control the update pace. maxSurge defines the maximum number of Pods that can be created above the desired replica count, while maxUnavailable defines the maximum number of Pods that can be unavailable during the update. Setting maxUnavailable=0 ensures that no Pods are taken down until new ones are ready, and maxSurge=1 allows one extra Pod to be created, maintaining full capacity. Under the hood, the ReplicaSet controller manages the transition by scaling up the new ReplicaSet and scaling down the old one, respecting these parameters to avoid service disruption.
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Application Deployment — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Application Deployment practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All CKAD questions
991 questions across all exam domains
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer CKAD study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
CKAD practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise CKAD questions linked to Application Design and Build.
Practise CKAD questions linked to Application Deployment.
Practise CKAD questions linked to Application Environment, Configuration and Security.
Practise CKAD questions linked to Application Observability and Maintenance.
Practise CKAD questions linked to Services and Networking.
Practise CKAD questions linked to CKAD fundamentals.
Practise CKAD questions linked to CKAD scenario.
Practise CKAD questions linked to CKAD troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Application Deployment — This question tests Application Deployment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Set maxSurge=1 — Option A is correct because setting maxSurge=1 allows Kubernetes to spin up one new Pod before terminating any old Pod during a rolling update. This ensures that the total number of available Pods never drops below the desired replica count, maintaining service capacity and achieving zero downtime.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.