KCNA Cloud Native Application Delivery Practice Question
A team is adopting a GitOps workflow with Argo CD to manage Kubernetes applications. They want to ensure that the cluster state always matches the desired state in Git and that changes are automatically applied. Which two Argo CD features should they configure? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse sync windows or hooks with automatic reconciliation; only automated sync and self-heal provide continuous state enforcement.
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
✓
Self-heal
To ensure the cluster state always matches Git and changes are automatically applied, the team must enable automated sync policy and self-heal in Argo CD. Automated sync applies Git changes without manual intervention, while self-heal reverts any manual cluster modifications, maintaining the desired state. Manual sync, resource hooks, and sync windows do not provide these automatic reconciliation capabilities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Sync windows
Why it's wrong here
Sync windows restrict when syncs can occur, often used to prevent deployments during business hours. They do not enable automatic application of changes; instead, they add constraints. While they can be part of a sync policy, they do not by themselves ensure continuous state matching. Thus, they are not the features to configure for the stated goal.
- ✗
Resource hooks
Why it's wrong here
Resource hooks allow running jobs at specific phases of a sync, such as pre-sync or post-sync. They are useful for tasks like database migrations but do not ensure automatic synchronization or drift correction. Hooks are auxiliary and do not fulfill the core requirement of automatic state reconciliation.
- ✓
Self-heal
Why this is correct
Self-heal is a sub-feature of automated sync that reverts manual changes to the cluster, ensuring the live state always reflects Git. Without self-heal, manual edits could persist, causing drift. Configuring self-heal ensures that any out-of-band modifications are automatically corrected, which is essential for the team's goal of continuous state matching.
- ✓
Automated sync policy
Why this is correct
Automated sync policy allows Argo CD to automatically apply changes from Git to the cluster without manual intervention. When enabled, Argo CD periodically compares the desired state in Git with the live state and syncs any differences. This directly supports the requirement for automatic application of changes and maintaining cluster state matching Git.
- ✗
Manual sync policy
Why it's wrong here
Manual sync policy requires a user to explicitly trigger synchronization, which contradicts the goal of automatically applying changes. While manual sync is useful for controlled environments, it does not provide the automatic application of changes that the team desires. Therefore, it is not appropriate for this scenario.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cluster Architecture and Lifecycle Management
Key term
GitOps
GitOps is a way to manage and automate cloud infrastructure and applications by using a Git repository as the single source of truth, where all changes are made through pull requests and automatically applied by a software agent.
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
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