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.
You have a pod with two containers: 'web' and 'sidecar'. You want to view the logs of only the 'sidecar' container. Which command should you use?
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 logs pod-name -c sidecar
The -c flag specifies which container's logs to show.
kubectl attach pod-name -c sidecar
Why wrong: attach connects to the container's stdio, it does not show logs.
kubectl logs pod-name
Why wrong: This will stream logs from all containers, which is not what is requested.
kubectl logs pod-name --container sidecar
Why wrong: --container is not a valid flag; the correct flag is -c.
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 logs pod-name -c sidecar
Option A is correct because `kubectl logs pod-name -c sidecar` explicitly specifies the container name within the pod using the `-c` flag, allowing you to view logs from only the 'sidecar' container. In Kubernetes, when a pod contains multiple containers, you must specify the container name to isolate logs from a particular container.
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 logs pod-name -c sidecar
Why this is correct
The -c flag specifies which container's logs to show.
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.
kubectl attach pod-name -c sidecar
Why it's wrong here
attach connects to the container's stdio, it does not show logs.
kubectl logs pod-name
Why it's wrong here
This will stream logs from all containers, which is not what is requested.
kubectl logs pod-name --container sidecar
Why it's wrong here
--container is not a valid flag; the correct flag is -c.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the `-c` flag with `--container` and use an incorrect syntax, or they may forget that multi-container pods require explicit container specification, leading them to choose the ambiguous `kubectl logs pod-name` option.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
attach connects to the container's stdio, it does not show logs.
Detailed technical explanation
The `kubectl logs` command retrieves logs from the container's stdout/stderr streams, which are captured by the container runtime (e.g., containerd or CRI-O) and stored in a structured log file on the node. When using the `-c` flag, kubectl sends a request to the kubelet's `/containerLogs` endpoint, specifying the pod namespace, pod name, and container name, allowing the kubelet to stream only that container's log file. In real-world scenarios, sidecar containers often handle logging, monitoring, or proxy tasks, and isolating their logs is critical for debugging without mixing in web server output.
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 logs pod-name -c sidecar — Option A is correct because `kubectl logs pod-name -c sidecar` explicitly specifies the container name within the pod using the `-c` flag, allowing you to view logs from only the 'sidecar' container. In Kubernetes, when a pod contains multiple containers, you must specify the container name to isolate logs from a particular container.
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 25, 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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