CKS Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security Practice Question
Which crictl command is used to list all running containers managed by the container runtime?
⚠ Common exam trap
CKS often tests the difference between crictl subcommands, and candidates may confuse 'ps' with 'pods' or 'images', especially under time pressure.
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
✓
crictl ps
The 'crictl ps' command is used to list all running containers managed by the container runtime. It provides a list of containers with their IDs, images, state, and other details. This is the standard command for viewing running containers when using CRI-compatible runtimes like containerd or CRI-O.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
crictl images
Why it's wrong here
Lists container images present in the local image store, not running containers. In the CRI context, images are the immutable artifacts used to create containers, and this command queries the image service, showing repository, tag, and image ID. To list active containers you need to query the runtime service, which crictl ps does; crictl images answers a different operational question.
- ✗
crictl stats
Why it's wrong here
Displays live resource usage statistics (CPU, memory, disk I/O, PIDs) for existing containers, similar to docker stats. It does not produce a directory of running containers, nor does it show container IDs or names in a list format for process management. While it operates on containers, its purpose is monitoring performance metrics, not enumerating which containers are currently running.
- ✓
crictl ps
Why this is correct
This is the correct command; it lists containers managed by the CRI-compatible runtime (e.g., containerd, CRI-O), showing container ID, name, image, and status. By default it shows running containers, and you can use -a to include stopped ones. This maps directly to the concept of 'listing all running containers' in a CRI environment.
- ✗
crictl pods
Why it's wrong here
Lists pods (the smallest deployable units in Kubernetes) and their status, not individual containers. A pod can contain one or more containers, so this command returns pod IDs and pod names, which are a higher-level grouping. To see the actual containers (including their IDs and states), crictl ps is required, as crictl pods does not enumerate containers within each pod.
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JA
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 CKS 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 CKS exam.