KCNA Cloud Native Application Delivery Practice Question
A CI pipeline builds a container image and tags it as 'myapp:latest'. The pipeline then pushes the image to a registry. A Kubernetes Deployment manifest references 'myapp:latest' with imagePullPolicy: Always. After a new image is pushed with the same tag, the team notices that existing Pods are not updated. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that pushing a new image with the same tag automatically updates running Pods; Kubernetes requires a template change to trigger a rollout.
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
✓
The Deployment's pod template spec has not changed, so no rolling update is triggered.
A Kubernetes Deployment initiates a rolling update only when the pod template spec changes, such as an image tag or environment variable. Overwriting an existing image tag does not alter the template, so the Deployment controller does not roll out new Pods. Even with imagePullPolicy: Always, existing Pods are not restarted. To force an update, the team must change the image tag or another template field.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The Deployment's pod template spec has not changed, so no rolling update is triggered.
Why this is correct
Kubernetes Deployments trigger rolling updates only when the pod template spec changes. Pushing a new image with the same tag does not modify the template, so the Deployment controller sees no difference and does not create new ReplicaSets or update Pods. Even with imagePullPolicy: Always, existing Pods are not restarted. Thus, the Deployment remains unchanged and Pods continue running the old image.
- ✗
The container registry does not support overwriting existing tags.
Why it's wrong here
Most container registries allow overwriting tags, though it is discouraged. The scenario does not indicate a registry limitation. Even if the tag was overwritten successfully, the Deployment would not update without a template change. This option is a red herring because registry behavior is not the root cause of the observed issue.
- ✗
The imagePullPolicy: Always setting causes Kubernetes to ignore the new image.
Why it's wrong here
imagePullPolicy: Always instructs the kubelet to pull the image every time a Pod is started. It does not cause Kubernetes to ignore new images; rather, it ensures the latest image is fetched on Pod creation. However, it does not trigger Pod updates when the tag remains the same. This option misinterprets the role of imagePullPolicy in Pod lifecycle.
- ✗
The Deployment's rollout strategy is set to Recreate, which prevents updates.
Why it's wrong here
The Recreate strategy deletes all existing Pods before creating new ones, but it still triggers an update when the pod template changes. It does not prevent updates; it just changes the update pattern. Since no template change occurred, the strategy is irrelevant. This option incorrectly attributes the lack of updates to the rollout strategy.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Pods and Workload Management
Key term
Kubernetes API Primitives
Kubernetes API Primitives are the basic building blocks that the Kubernetes API uses to represent and manage the state of a cluster, such as Pods, Services, Deployments, and Namespaces.
Key term
ReplicaSet and Replication
A ReplicaSet ensures a specified number of identical pod instances are running at all times in Kubernetes, using replication to maintain availability and stability.
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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 KCNA 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 KCNA exam.