CKAD Application Deployment Practice Question
Which command shows the rollout history of a Deployment named 'web'?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse `rollout status` (which shows current progress) with `rollout history` (which shows past revisions), or assume `describe` or `get -o yaml` would include historical data when they only show the current state.
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 history deployment web
`kubectl rollout history deployment web` is the dedicated command to display the revision history of a Deployment, including revision numbers and change-cause annotations. This command directly queries the Deployment's rollout state from the Kubernetes API server, showing each revision's metadata.
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 status deployment web
Why it's wrong here
This command blocks and reports the progress of the ongoing rollout (e.g., 'Waiting for deployment spec update...', 'deployment "web" successfully rolled out'), reflecting the current live status of the rollout process. It does not list historical revisions or when they were created; it only tracks the status of the in-progress or latest rollout. Therefore it cannot show history.
- ✗
kubectl get deployment web -o yaml
Why it's wrong here
This outputs the current desired state of the Deployment as a YAML manifest, including spec, status, and metadata (annotations may include deployment.kubernetes.io/revision), but it only shows the live object's current state, not a log of past revisions. Historical revision details (images, causes, timestamps) are not stored in the Deployment object itself; they live in ReplicaSets and rollout history. So it cannot show rollout history.
- ✗
kubectl describe deployment web
Why it's wrong here
Describe provides a human-readable summary of the Deployment's current state, including labels, selectors, ReplicaSet references, and events. It may show the current revision and the new ReplicaSet name, but does not list past revisions or their change causes. It is a snapshot of the current status, not a historical record.
- ✓
kubectl rollout history deployment web
Why this is correct
This is the dedicated command for viewing rollout history. It lists revisions (e.g., 'REVISION CHANGE-CAUSE'), showing each revision number and the change cause (if annotations are set). It reads the revision history stored in the Deployment's ReplicaSets. This command is specifically designed for that purpose.
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