This CKAD practice question tests your understanding of application deployment. 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 want to use Kustomize to apply a patch to a Deployment in the 'overlays/production' directory. Which command should you run from the kustomization directory?
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 create -k overlays/production/
Why wrong: kubectl create does not support -k.
kubectl apply -k overlays/production/
Correct command to apply a kustomization.
kustomize build overlays/production/ | kubectl apply -f -
Why wrong: This works but uses a pipe; the question asks for a single command, and -k is more direct.
kubectl apply -f overlays/production/
Why wrong: This would apply raw YAML files, not Kustomize.
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 apply -k overlays/production/
kubectl apply -k applies the kustomization directory. Option C is correct.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
kubectl create -k overlays/production/
Why it's wrong here
kubectl create does not support -k.
kubectl apply -k overlays/production/
Why this is correct
Correct command to apply a kustomization.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
kustomize build overlays/production/ | kubectl apply -f -
Why it's wrong here
This works but uses a pipe; the question asks for a single command, and -k is more direct.
kubectl apply -f overlays/production/
Why it's wrong here
This would apply raw YAML files, not Kustomize.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This works but uses a pipe; the question asks for a single command, and -k is more direct.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CKAD NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Application Deployment — This question tests Application Deployment — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: kubectl apply -k overlays/production/ — kubectl apply -k applies the kustomization directory. Option C is correct.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CKAD NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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