KCNA Cloud Native Application Delivery Practice Question
In a Helm chart, which file is used to define default configuration values that can be overridden by users during installation?
⚠ Common exam trap
KCNA often tests candidates who confuse the roles of Chart.yaml (metadata) and values.yaml (configuration) — the trap is picking Chart.yaml because it sounds like the 'main' chart file.
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
✓
values.yaml
In a Helm chart, values.yaml is the file that defines default configuration values for the chart. Users can override these defaults by supplying their own values file (via -f) or using --set flags during helm install or helm upgrade. Helm merges user-supplied values with the chart's defaults at render time.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
templates/ directory
Why it's wrong here
The templates/ directory holds Kubernetes manifest templates rendered with supplied values; it stores no defaults itself. It is tempting because values are consumed there during rendering, and would be correct if the requirement were defining the parameterised resources that values feed into.
- ✗
charts/ directory
Why it's wrong here
The charts/ directory holds packaged subcharts and their templates, not the parent chart's default settings. It is tempting because subcharts do carry their own values.yaml, but those supply defaults only for the dependency, not for the parent chart's configurable parameters that users override at install time.
- ✓
values.yaml
Why this is correct
values.yaml holds the chart's default parameters, which templates consume at render time. Users override individual entries via their own values files or --set flags during helm install, so this file provides the overridable baseline configuration the question describes.
- ✗
Chart.yaml
Why it's wrong here
Chart.yaml holds chart metadata such as name, version and API version; Helm does not read configuration values from it. It is tempting because it is the chart's central descriptor file, and would be correct if the requirement were declaring the chart's version or dependencies.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on KCNA
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. What is the purpose of values.yaml in a Helm chart?
easy- A.To specify the chart metadata
- B.To define the Kubernetes resources to create
- C.To define the release name
- ✓ D.To store default configuration values for the chart
Why D: values.yaml in a Helm chart is the default configuration file that supplies values to the chart's templates. When you run helm install or helm upgrade, Helm merges these defaults with any user-supplied overrides (via --set, -f, or a parent chart's values) and then renders the templates. This separation of configuration from template logic is what makes charts reusable across environments without editing the templates themselves.
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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