CKAD Application Deployment Practice Question
During a rolling update of a Deployment, you notice that new pods are failing readiness probes. The rollout is stalled. Which command would you use to abort the rollout and revert to the previous revision?
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
✓
kubectl rollout undo deployment <name>
'kubectl rollout undo deployment <name>' reverts the rollout to the previous revision. Option A is correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
kubectl rollout undo deployment <name>
Why this is correct
The kubectl rollout undo deployment <name> command reverts a Deployment to its previous revision by scaling down the current ReplicaSet and scaling up the prior ReplicaSet according to the stored rollout history. This updates the pod template to the old spec, effectively reversing the changes made by the rolling update. Use --to-revision to target a specific revision, otherwise it selects the last available revision.
- ✗
kubectl rollout pause deployment <name>
Why it's wrong here
The kubectl rollout pause deployment <name> command toggles the Deployment's paused field to true, which halts further changes to the ReplicaSet progress but does not revert the current state. This is an operational control flag: the update remains in place with the new pods already created, and the controller stops scaling operations. It is intended to inspect or debug a rollout, not to undo it.
- ✗
kubectl rollout resume deployment <name>
Why it's wrong here
The kubectl rollout resume deployment <name> command lifts the paused status of a Deployment, allowing a previously paused rollout to proceed to completion. Rather than reversing the update, it actively pushes the rollout forward, meaning it would finish deploying the very version you want to discard. This command is the inverse of pause, not a rollback mechanism.
- ✗
kubectl delete deployment <name> --cascade=false
Why it's wrong here
The kubectl delete deployment <name> --cascade=false command removes only the Deployment resource, leaving its ReplicaSets and Pods running but orphaned from any controller management. This is a destructive administrative action that does not alter the pod templates or restore the previous revision; it eliminates the Deployment object entirely, after which you cannot use kubectl rollout commands. It is a manual cleanup approach, not a rollback.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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