CKAD Application Deployment Practice Question
You are using Helm to manage an application. After running 'helm install myapp ./mychart', you notice that the application is running but you need to change a configuration value. Which command should you use to update the release?
⚠ Common exam trap
CKAD often tests whether candidates know the correct Helm verb ('upgrade', not 'update') and whether they understand that editing resources directly with kubectl breaks Helm's release tracking — the trap is choosing the kubectl shortcut for a Helm-managed release.
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
✓
helm upgrade myapp ./mychart --set key=value
'helm upgrade' is the correct command to update an existing release with new chart values or a new chart version. Passing '--set key=value' overrides a specific value at upgrade time, and Helm computes a diff against the previous release, applying only the necessary Kubernetes changes. 'helm install' is only for creating new releases.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
helm update myapp ./mychart
Why it's wrong here
There is no `helm update` subcommand in the Helm CLI; running `helm update myapp ./mychart` will fail with an unknown command error. The command you are likely thinking of is `helm repo update`, which refreshes the metadata of downloaded chart repositories, not an installed release. To change the configuration or chart version of an existing release, the supported command is `helm upgrade myapp ./mychart --set key=value`.
- ✗
helm install myapp ./mychart --replace
Why it's wrong here
Helm install is intended only for creating a new release; if a release named `myapp` already exists, `helm install` refuses to proceed and returns a 'release named myapp already exists' error. There is no `--replace` flag in Helm 3, and even in older Helm versions that had a limited re-use flag, it was not meant for changing a live release's configuration. The proper way to apply a new value to an existing release is `helm upgrade`, which preserves release history and enables rollback.
- ✗
kubectl edit deployment myapp
Why it's wrong here
Using `kubectl edit deployment myapp` directly modifies the live Deployment object but bypasses Helm's release state, so the change is not recorded in the Helm release manifests. This creates drift: the next `helm upgrade` will render a patch based on the chart and your `--set` overrides, and may revert or conflict with your manual edit. Helm's desired state is the chart plus values, not the live cluster resources, so editing the deployment can lead to unexpected overwrites and lost changes.
- ✓
helm upgrade myapp ./mychart --set key=value
Why this is correct
`helm upgrade myapp ./mychart --set key=value` is the correct command because it tells Helm to update the existing release `myapp` using the chart at `./mychart`, while `--set` overrides the chart's default value for `key`. Helm increments the release revision, applies a calculated patch to the cluster resources, and records the new values in its history so the change can be rolled back if needed. This is the standard Helm workflow for updating an application after the initial `helm install`.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CNCF exam blueprint
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.