This CKS practice question tests your understanding of cluster setup and hardening. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 enable audit logging for the Kubernetes API server. Which two flags must be set?
--audit-log-path and --audit-log-maxage
Why wrong: --audit-log-maxage is optional and not required to enable logging.
--audit-policy-file and --audit-log-maxbackup
Why wrong: --audit-log-maxbackup is optional.
--audit-log-path and --audit-policy-file
Correct. Both are required.
--audit-log-path and --authorization-mode=RBAC
Why wrong: --authorization-mode=RBAC is for RBAC, not audit logging.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
--audit-log-path and --audit-policy-file
Option C is correct because to enable audit logging in the Kubernetes API server, you must specify both an audit policy file (using --audit-policy-file) to define which events should be logged and at what level, and a log file path (using --audit-log-path) to specify where the audit logs should be written. Without the policy file, the API server does not know which requests to audit; without the log path, the audit events have no output destination.
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.
--audit-log-path and --audit-log-maxage
Why it's wrong here
--audit-log-maxage is optional and not required to enable logging.
--audit-policy-file and --audit-log-maxbackup
Why it's wrong here
--audit-log-maxbackup is optional.
--audit-log-path and --audit-policy-file
Why this is correct
Correct. Both are required.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
--audit-log-path and --authorization-mode=RBAC
Why it's wrong here
--authorization-mode=RBAC is for RBAC, not audit logging.
Common exam traps
CNCF often tests the distinction between mandatory flags (--audit-log-path and --audit-policy-file) and optional retention flags (--audit-log-maxage, --audit-log-maxbackup, --audit-log-maxsize), leading candidates to select options that include only retention flags or mix authorization flags with audit flags.
Detailed technical explanation
The audit policy file is a YAML or JSON document that defines rules using 'level' fields (e.g., None, Metadata, Request, RequestResponse) and 'resources' or 'verbs' to filter which API calls are logged. Under the hood, the API server processes these rules in order and stops at the first matching rule, so the order of rules in the policy file matters. In a real-world scenario, a misconfigured policy (e.g., a catch-all rule at the top) can either flood the logs or miss critical security events, making careful rule ordering essential.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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
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FAQ
Cluster Setup and Hardening — This question tests Cluster Setup and Hardening — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: --audit-log-path and --audit-policy-file — Option C is correct because to enable audit logging in the Kubernetes API server, you must specify both an audit policy file (using --audit-policy-file) to define which events should be logged and at what level, and a log file path (using --audit-log-path) to specify where the audit logs should be written. Without the policy file, the API server does not know which requests to audit; without the log path, the audit events have no output destination.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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