KCNA Cloud Native Application Delivery Practice Question
In GitOps with ArgoCD, what happens when the desired state in Git differs from the live state in the cluster?
⚠ Common exam trap
KCNA often tests the direction of reconciliation in GitOps, confusing candidates into thinking ArgoCD writes back to Git or halts on drift, when in fact it only syncs the cluster to match Git.
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
✓
ArgoCD syncs the cluster to match Git if auto-sync is enabled
ArgoCD continuously compares the desired state stored in Git with the live state in the cluster. When a difference (drift) is detected, ArgoCD marks the application as OutOfSync. If auto-sync is enabled, ArgoCD automatically applies the Git manifests to the cluster, reconciling the live state to match Git. This is the core GitOps principle: Git is the single source of truth, and the cluster is continuously reconciled to it.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ArgoCD reports an error and stops working
Why it's wrong here
ArgoCD does not halt on drift; it continuously compares desired and live state and reports OutOfSync while remaining operational. The tempting assumption is that mismatch is fatal, which would apply to a validation gate that blocks deployment, not to a reconciling controller.
- ✓
ArgoCD syncs the cluster to match Git if auto-sync is enabled
Why this is correct
With auto-sync enabled, ArgoCD continuously compares the Git-declared desired state against live cluster resources and applies the difference, reconciling the cluster back to Git. This satisfies the GitOps requirement that Git remains the single source of truth.
- ✗
ArgoCD deletes the Git repository
Why it's wrong here
ArgoCD never deletes the Git repository; Git remains the source of truth, and ArgoCD only reads from it. The tempting confusion is treating ArgoCD as a write-back controller, which would apply if it committed changes to Git, but drift handling reconciles the cluster instead.
- ✗
ArgoCD automatically reverts the changes in Git
Why it's wrong here
ArgoCD reverts the live cluster toward Git, never the reverse; Git is the immutable desired state. The tempting inversion confuses the direction of reconciliation, which would hold only if Git were the mutable target, as in a controller that commits observed state back to a repository.
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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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