KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
A developer needs to deploy a stateless application with three replicas and ensure that updates are rolled out with zero downtime. Which Kubernetes resource is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates might choose StatefulSet because they associate 'replicas' with stateful workloads, but the question explicitly states 'stateless application,' making Deployment the correct choice for rolling updates with zero downtime.
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
✓
Deployment
A Deployment is the correct resource because it manages a ReplicaSet to ensure the desired number of pod replicas (three) are running, and it supports rolling updates with configurable strategies (e.g., maxSurge and maxUnavailable) to achieve zero-downtime updates. Stateless applications are ideal for Deployments since pods are interchangeable and can be replaced without data loss.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Deployment
Why this is correct
A Deployment manages a ReplicaSet that maintains three identical, interchangeable pods and performs rolling updates, replacing pods gradually so service stays available. Statelessness suits this model; StatefulSet would add unnecessary stable identities and ordering guarantees.
- ✗
StatefulSet
Why it's wrong here
A StatefulSet gives each pod a stable identity and its own PersistentVolumeClaim, which a stateless application does not need and which complicates rolling updates. It is tempting because it does manage replicas and ordered rollouts, but that design targets stateful workloads such as databases requiring stable network identities and per-pod storage.
- ✗
Job
Why it's wrong here
A Job runs pods to completion and then stops, so it provides no continuously running replicas and no rolling update strategy. It is tempting because it does create pods and can run several in parallel, but that behaviour targets finite batch or one-off tasks, not a long-running stateless application serving traffic.
- ✗
DaemonSet
Why it's wrong here
A DaemonSet schedules exactly one pod per eligible node, so it cannot guarantee three replicas on a cluster of arbitrary size. It is tempting because it does run pods across nodes and supports rolling updates, but that mechanism targets node-level agents such as log shippers or CNI plugins, not a replicated stateless service.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.