This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of services and networking. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
During a security audit, it is discovered that a pod running a database is accessible from any other pod in the cluster. The database should only be accessible by pods with label 'role: backend'. Which resource should be applied to enforce this restriction?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A NetworkPolicy with an ingress rule selecting pods with label 'role: backend'
Option C is correct because a NetworkPolicy with an ingress rule that selects pods with label 'role: backend' explicitly restricts inbound traffic to the database pod to only those pods that match that label. NetworkPolicies are Kubernetes-native resources that enforce firewall rules at the IP address or port level (OSI layer 3 or 4) using the pod's labels as selectors, and they are the standard mechanism for controlling pod-to-pod traffic within a cluster.
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.
✗
An Ingress resource with TLS
Why it's wrong here
Ingress is for external traffic, not internal pod-to-pod access.
✗
A Service of type ClusterIP with a firewall rule
Why it's wrong here
Firewall rules are not native Kubernetes; NetworkPolicy is the correct resource.
✓
A NetworkPolicy with an ingress rule selecting pods with label 'role: backend'
Why this is correct
NetworkPolicy controls pod-to-pod traffic based on labels.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A PodSecurityPolicy
Why it's wrong here
PodSecurityPolicy controls security contexts, not network traffic.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse NetworkPolicies with Services or Ingress, assuming that a Service's ClusterIP or an Ingress rule can control internal pod access, but NetworkPolicies are the only native Kubernetes resource that enforces pod-level network segmentation within the cluster.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NetworkPolicies are implemented by the cluster's CNI plugin (e.g., Calico, Cilium, Weave Net) which programs iptables or eBPF rules on each node to enforce the policy. By default, pods are non-isolated and accept all traffic; applying a NetworkPolicy with an ingress rule that selects a pod makes that pod isolated, and only traffic matching the policy's rules is allowed. A common subtlety is that NetworkPolicies are namespace-scoped and require a CNI that supports them; if no CNI is installed, the policy is silently ignored.
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: A NetworkPolicy with an ingress rule selecting pods with label 'role: backend' — Option C is correct because a NetworkPolicy with an ingress rule that selects pods with label 'role: backend' explicitly restricts inbound traffic to the database pod to only those pods that match that label. NetworkPolicies are Kubernetes-native resources that enforce firewall rules at the IP address or port level (OSI layer 3 or 4) using the pod's labels as selectors, and they are the standard mechanism for controlling pod-to-pod traffic within a cluster.
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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