This KCNA practice question tests your understanding of container orchestration. 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.
A Kubernetes administrator needs to restrict inbound traffic to a set of pods. Only pods with the label 'app: frontend' in the same namespace should be allowed to reach the pods on TCP port 8080. Which resource should be used?
Ingress
Why wrong: Ingress manages external HTTP/HTTPS traffic, not internal pod-to-pod traffic.
PodSecurityPolicy
Why wrong: PodSecurityPolicy is deprecated and controls security contexts, not network traffic.
ServiceAccount
Why wrong: ServiceAccount is for API authentication, not network traffic.
NetworkPolicy
NetworkPolicy defines network access rules between pods.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
NetworkPolicy
NetworkPolicy is the correct resource because it is a Kubernetes-native object that defines how groups of pods are allowed to communicate with each other and other network endpoints. By specifying a pod selector matching 'app: frontend' and an ingress rule allowing TCP port 8080, you can restrict inbound traffic to only those pods with that label in the same namespace.
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.
Ingress
Why it's wrong here
Ingress manages external HTTP/HTTPS traffic, not internal pod-to-pod traffic.
PodSecurityPolicy
Why it's wrong here
PodSecurityPolicy is deprecated and controls security contexts, not network traffic.
ServiceAccount
Why it's wrong here
ServiceAccount is for API authentication, not network traffic.
NetworkPolicy
Why this is correct
NetworkPolicy defines network access rules between pods.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse Ingress (external HTTP routing) with NetworkPolicy (internal pod-to-pod traffic control), leading them to choose Ingress when the question explicitly restricts inbound traffic within the same namespace.
Detailed technical explanation
NetworkPolicy uses a combination of podSelectors, namespaceSelectors, and IPBlock rules to define ingress and egress traffic, and is enforced by a CNI plugin (e.g., Calico, Cilium, Weave) that programs iptables or eBPF rules on each node. A common subtlety is that if no NetworkPolicy selects a pod, all traffic is allowed; but once a single policy selects a pod, all traffic not explicitly permitted is denied. In a real-world microservices deployment, this zero-trust approach prevents lateral movement by ensuring only the frontend pods can reach the backend pods on the designated port.
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
Container Orchestration — This question tests Container Orchestration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: NetworkPolicy — NetworkPolicy is the correct resource because it is a Kubernetes-native object that defines how groups of pods are allowed to communicate with each other and other network endpoints. By specifying a pod selector matching 'app: frontend' and an ingress rule allowing TCP port 8080, you can restrict inbound traffic to only those pods with that label in the same namespace.
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 24, 2026
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.
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