KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
A developer wants to deploy a stateless web application that should maintain three running instances at all times. Which Kubernetes resource should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
In the Kubernetes exam, candidates often confuse Deployment and StatefulSet. A common trap is selecting StatefulSet for any workload needing stable network identities or persistent storage, but for stateless web applications that simply require a fixed number of replicas and rolling updates, Deployment is the correct choice.
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 a specified number of Pod replicas (in this case, three) are running at all times. It supports rolling updates and rollbacks, making it ideal for stateless web applications that require high availability and declarative scaling.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Job
Why it's wrong here
A Job runs pods to completion and stops, so it cannot hold three instances running continuously. Jobs are tempting because they also manage pods, but they suit finite batch work such as migrations or training runs, not a long-lived stateless web service.
- ✓
Deployment
Why this is correct
A Deployment manages a ReplicaSet that continuously reconciles the pod count to three, restarting or replacing failed pods automatically. It suits stateless workloads, whereas StatefulSet adds stable identities and storage that this application does not require.
- ✗
StatefulSet
Why it's wrong here
StatefulSet gives each replica a stable identity and its own PersistentVolumeClaim, which a stateless web app does not need. It is tempting because it does maintain replica counts, but it suits stateful workloads such as databases requiring ordered, persistent per-pod storage.
- ✗
DaemonSet
Why it's wrong here
A DaemonSet ensures one pod runs on every node, not a fixed count of three replicas cluster-wide; it fails the requirement for precisely three running instances regardless of node count. It is tempting because DaemonSets guarantee continuous availability per node, which would be correct for a logging agent or monitoring daemon that must run on each machine.
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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.