This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of services and networking. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 user creates a Deployment with 3 replicas and a Service of type ClusterIP. The Service selects pods with label 'app: web'. The user wants external clients to access the application via a stable IP address. Which additional resource is required?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
An Ingress resource
A ClusterIP Service is only reachable within the cluster. To expose a Deployment to external clients via a stable IP, an Ingress resource is required because it provides HTTP/HTTPS routing from outside the cluster to the Service, typically using a load balancer or a reverse proxy like NGINX. Ingress also offers a stable external IP (or hostname) and can manage TLS termination, making it the correct choice for external access with a stable endpoint.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
A second Service of type NodePort
Why it's wrong here
This could work, but an Ingress is more common for external HTTP access and provides a stable IP via the ingress controller.
✗
A NetworkPolicy
Why it's wrong here
NetworkPolicy controls traffic, but does not expose services externally.
✓
An Ingress resource
Why this is correct
An Ingress provides external HTTP/HTTPS access and can be configured with a stable IP.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A ConfigMap
Why it's wrong here
ConfigMaps are for configuration data, not networking.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CNCF often tests the misconception that a ClusterIP Service alone can be accessed externally, or that a NodePort Service provides a stable IP, when in fact NodePort exposes on ephemeral node IPs and ports, while Ingress provides a stable external endpoint with path-based routing.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, an Ingress resource relies on an Ingress controller (e.g., NGINX, Traefik) that runs as a pod in the cluster and listens on ports 80 and 443. The controller watches Ingress resources and configures itself to route traffic to the appropriate ClusterIP Service based on rules (e.g., hostname or path). For external clients, the Ingress controller is typically exposed via a LoadBalancer Service or NodePort, providing a stable IP (or DNS name) that remains constant even if backend pods are rescheduled. In real-world scenarios, Ingress can also handle multiple services under the same IP, reducing the need for multiple load balancers.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CKAD question in full detail.
Services and Networking — This question tests Services and Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: An Ingress resource — A ClusterIP Service is only reachable within the cluster. To expose a Deployment to external clients via a stable IP, an Ingress resource is required because it provides HTTP/HTTPS routing from outside the cluster to the Service, typically using a load balancer or a reverse proxy like NGINX. Ingress also offers a stable external IP (or hostname) and can manage TLS termination, making it the correct choice for external access with a stable endpoint.
What should I do if I get this CKAD question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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