KCNA Container Orchestration Practice Question
A developer wants to run a single instance of a stateless web application that should be automatically restarted if it fails, but does not require scaling or updates. Which Kubernetes resource is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking a bare Pod is sufficient because it has a restartPolicy; however, a Pod does not survive node failures or support updates.
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 standard controller for stateless applications. It provides self-healing by maintaining the desired replica count, and supports rolling updates. While a Pod can run a container, it lacks automatic rescheduling on node failure. StatefulSet and DaemonSet serve different purposes and are not appropriate for a simple stateless web app.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
DaemonSet
Why it's wrong here
A DaemonSet ensures that a copy of a Pod runs on every node (or a subset). This is used for cluster-wide services like log collectors or node monitors. It is not suitable for a single instance of a web application, as it would run on multiple nodes, consuming unnecessary resources and complicating service discovery.
- ✓
Deployment
Why this is correct
A Deployment manages a ReplicaSet, which ensures the desired number of Pod replicas are running. If a Pod fails, the ReplicaSet creates a new one. Deployments also support rolling updates and rollbacks. Even for a single instance, a Deployment provides self-healing and declarative updates, making it the best choice for a stateless application.
- ✗
Pod
Why it's wrong here
A bare Pod is not automatically restarted if the container fails; it depends on the restartPolicy, but if the node fails, the Pod is not rescheduled. It also lacks self-healing and rolling update capabilities. For a stateless app that should be restarted on failure, a higher-level controller is preferred.
- ✗
StatefulSet
Why it's wrong here
StatefulSets are designed for stateful applications that require stable network identities and persistent storage. They provide ordered deployment and scaling, which is unnecessary for a stateless web app. Using a StatefulSet would add complexity without benefit, and it is not the most appropriate resource for this scenario.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 930 original KCNA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.