This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application observability and maintenance. 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.
Which command shows the CPU and memory usage of all pods in the current namespace?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
kubectl top node
Why wrong: This shows node resource usage.
kubectl top --all
Why wrong: There is no --all flag for kubectl top.
kubectl top pod pod-name
Why wrong: This shows usage for a specific pod, not all pods.
kubectl top pod
This displays CPU and memory usage for pods in the current namespace.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
kubectl top pod
Option D is correct because `kubectl top pod` without a specific pod name retrieves CPU and memory usage metrics for all pods in the current namespace, as the command defaults to listing all pods when no pod name is provided. This relies on the metrics-server collecting resource usage data from the kubelet's cAdvisor endpoint via the Resource Metrics API.
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.
kubectl top node
Why it's wrong here
This shows node resource usage.
kubectl top --all
Why it's wrong here
There is no --all flag for kubectl top.
kubectl top pod pod-name
Why it's wrong here
This shows usage for a specific pod, not all pods.
kubectl top pod
Why this is correct
This displays CPU and memory usage for pods in the current namespace.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
CNCF often tests the misconception that `kubectl top pod` requires a pod name to show metrics, but omitting the pod name lists all pods in the current namespace, which is the correct syntax for the question's requirement.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This shows node resource usage.
Detailed technical explanation
The `kubectl top pod` command queries the metrics-server, which scrapes the `/metrics/resource/v1alpha1` endpoint on each kubelet, aggregating CPU (in nanocores) and memory (in bytes) from cAdvisor. In real-world scenarios, if the metrics-server is not deployed or the pod lacks resource requests/limits, the command may return no data or error, as the kubelet only exposes metrics for containers with defined resource specifications.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CKAD exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Application Observability and Maintenance — This question tests Application Observability and Maintenance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: kubectl top pod — Option D is correct because `kubectl top pod` without a specific pod name retrieves CPU and memory usage metrics for all pods in the current namespace, as the command defaults to listing all pods when no pod name is provided. This relies on the metrics-server collecting resource usage data from the kubelet's cAdvisor endpoint via the Resource Metrics API.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 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.
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