This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application observability and maintenance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 need to view the logs of a container named 'sidecar' inside a pod named 'app'. 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 app -c sidecar
Correct command to get logs from a specific container in a pod.
kubectl logs app --previous -c sidecar
Why wrong: This shows logs from the previous container instance, not current.
kubectl logs app sidecar
Why wrong: The syntax is incorrect; you need the -c flag.
kubectl logs app -c sidecar -p
Why wrong: The -p flag shows logs from the previous instance, not current.
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 app -c sidecar
Option A is correct because `kubectl logs app -c sidecar` explicitly targets the 'sidecar' container within the 'app' pod. In Kubernetes, when a pod runs multiple containers, you must use the `-c` flag to specify which container's logs to retrieve; otherwise, the command fails or returns ambiguous output.
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 app -c sidecar
Why this is correct
Correct command to get logs from a specific container in a pod.
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 logs app --previous -c sidecar
Why it's wrong here
This shows logs from the previous container instance, not current.
kubectl logs app sidecar
Why it's wrong here
The syntax is incorrect; you need the -c flag.
kubectl logs app -c sidecar -p
Why it's wrong here
The -p flag shows logs from the previous instance, not current.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often forget the `-c` flag for multi-container pods and assume the container name can be passed as a positional argument, leading them to choose option C.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This shows logs from the previous container instance, not current.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, `kubectl logs` communicates with the kubelet on the node via the API server, which then reads the container's stdout/stderr streams from the container runtime (e.g., containerd). The `-c` flag is essential for multi-container pods because the kubelet stores logs per container, and without it, the API server cannot determine which log stream to return. In real-world scenarios, a sidecar container might run a logging agent like Fluentd, and using `-c sidecar` ensures you see its output rather than the main application's logs.
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 app -c sidecar — Option A is correct because `kubectl logs app -c sidecar` explicitly targets the 'sidecar' container within the 'app' pod. In Kubernetes, when a pod runs multiple containers, you must use the `-c` flag to specify which container's logs to retrieve; otherwise, the command fails or returns ambiguous output.
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
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