CKS Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security Practice Question
You are using `crictl` to debug a container that is not responding. Which command should you use to get the list of running containers?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates familiar with Docker may confuse `crictl ps` with `docker ps` but forget that `crictl pods` exists for pod-level operations, leading them to incorrectly choose `crictl pods` when the question asks for running containers.
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
`crictl ps` is the correct command because it lists running containers managed by the CRI-compatible runtime (e.g., containerd, CRI-O). This is analogous to `docker ps` but for the Kubernetes container runtime interface, allowing you to see container IDs, names, and statuses for debugging.
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 pods
Why it's wrong here
crictl pods lists pod sandboxes, not individual containers.
- ✓
crictl ps
Why this is correct
crictl ps lists containers (including running, paused, exited).
- ✗
crictl images
Why it's wrong here
crictl images lists container images, not running containers.
- ✗
crictl stats
Why it's wrong here
crictl stats shows resource usage statistics for containers, but does not list them.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.