CKAD Application Design and Build Practice Question
A user runs 'kubectl run nginx --image=nginx --restart=Never' and the pod goes into 'Pending' state. What is a likely reason?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The node has insufficient resources to schedule the pod
Pending often indicates resource constraints like insufficient CPU or memory.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The image name is incorrect
Why it's wrong here
The image name `nginx` is a valid and widely used public image, so this isn't an invalid reference. Even if the image were misspelled or unavailable, that error surfaces only after the pod has been scheduled to a node, because the kubelet pulls the image when starting containers. A scheduling-stage status like Pending occurs before any image pull attempt, so an incorrect image cannot explain why the pod remains Pending.
- ✗
The pod is missing a readiness probe
Why it's wrong here
Readiness probes are consulted only after a pod's containers have started; they determine whether a pod is marked Ready for Service endpoints. They have no role in the scheduler's decision of which node should host the pod. Since Pending means the pod hasn't been assigned to a node yet, the absence of a readiness probe is irrelevant to this status.
- ✗
The pod's restart policy is set to Never
Why it's wrong here
The `restart: Never` policy tells the kubelet not to restart containers after they exit, but that behavior only applies once the pod is running on a node. Scheduling decisions ignore restart policy entirely; the scheduler doesn't filter nodes based on it. In fact, `restart: Never` or `OnFailure` is commonly used for one-off jobs and does not cause a pod to stay Pending.
- ✓
The node has insufficient resources to schedule the pod
Why this is correct
Pending is the PodPhase Kubernetes uses while the scheduler attempts to bind the pod to a suitable node. If every node in the cluster lacks the CPU, memory, or other resources requested (or if no node meets the pod's resource requirements), the scheduler leaves the pod unschedulable, and it remains Pending. Running `kubectl describe pod` would show pod events with messages like `0/1 nodes are available: 1 Insufficient cpu/memory`, confirming this cause.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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