- A
The Deployment creates 8 Pods total, 4 old and 4 new
Why wrong: The number of Pods does not double; the Deployment manages the transition.
- B
All 4 Pods are deleted immediately and then 4 new Pods are created
Why wrong: That describes a Recreate strategy.
- C
New Pods are created before old ones are terminated, one at a time
RollingUpdate replaces Pods incrementally.
- D
The update is paused until manually resumed
Why wrong: Pausing is a separate action; by default the update proceeds.
Question 987 of 997
Kubernetes Deployment Rolling Update: Incremental Pod Replacement
This KCNA practice question tests your understanding of kubernetes fundamentals. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 Deployment is configured with 'replicas: 4' and 'strategy.type: RollingUpdate'. You update the container image. What behavior does the Deployment exhibit?
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
✓
New Pods are created before old ones are terminated, one at a time
With a RollingUpdate strategy, the Deployment controller replaces old Pods with new ones incrementally to ensure zero downtime. By default, it creates new Pods before terminating old ones (maxSurge=25%, maxUnavailable=25%), so one new Pod is created first, then one old Pod is terminated, repeating until all 4 Pods run the new image.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The Deployment creates 8 Pods total, 4 old and 4 new
Why it's wrong here
The number of Pods does not double; the Deployment manages the transition.
- ✗
All 4 Pods are deleted immediately and then 4 new Pods are created
Why it's wrong here
That describes a Recreate strategy.
- ✓
New Pods are created before old ones are terminated, one at a time
Why this is correct
RollingUpdate replaces Pods incrementally.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The update is paused until manually resumed
Why it's wrong here
Pausing is a separate action; by default the update proceeds.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse RollingUpdate with Recreate (Option B) or assume all Pods are replaced simultaneously (Option A), failing to recognize the incremental, surge-based behavior controlled by maxSurge and maxUnavailable defaults.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Deployment controller uses a ReplicaSet for each revision; when the image changes, a new ReplicaSet is created with the desired replicas, and the controller scales up the new ReplicaSet while scaling down the old one, respecting maxSurge and maxUnavailable (both default to 25%, rounded up). In real-world scenarios, this ensures rolling updates can handle traffic without interruption, but if maxSurge is set too high, it can temporarily exceed resource limits.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the KCNA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Kubernetes Fundamentals — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this KCNA question test?
Kubernetes Fundamentals — This question tests Kubernetes Fundamentals — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: New Pods are created before old ones are terminated, one at a time — With a RollingUpdate strategy, the Deployment controller replaces old Pods with new ones incrementally to ensure zero downtime. By default, it creates new Pods before terminating old ones (maxSurge=25%, maxUnavailable=25%), so one new Pod is created first, then one old Pod is terminated, repeating until all 4 Pods run the new image.
What should I do if I get this KCNA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
4 more ways 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. A Deployment named 'web-app' is configured with replicas: 3. You update the container image. Which Kubernetes object directly manages the pods during the rolling update?
medium- A.StatefulSet
- B.DaemonSet
- C.Job
- ✓ D.ReplicaSet
Why D: When a Deployment is updated (e.g., container image change), it creates a new ReplicaSet to manage the new pods and scales down the old ReplicaSet. The ReplicaSet is the Kubernetes object that directly owns and manages the pods during the rolling update, ensuring the desired number of replicas are running at each step.
Variation 2. A Deployment named 'app-deploy' is configured with strategy type: RollingUpdate. You want to update the container image to a new version. What kubectl command should you use?
medium- A.kubectl apply -f updated-deployment.yaml
- B.kubectl edit deployment app-deploy
- C.kubectl patch deployment app-deploy -p '{"spec":{"template":{"spec":{"containers":[{"name":"app","image":"new:tag"}]}}}}'
- ✓ D.kubectl set image deployment/app-deploy app=new:tag
Why D: Option D is correct because `kubectl set image` is the dedicated command for updating the container image of an existing deployment without modifying other fields. It directly modifies the deployment's pod template spec to use the new image, triggering a rolling update as defined by the deployment's strategy type.
Variation 3. A Deployment is configured with 'replicas: 5' and a rolling update strategy. During an update, you notice that the number of available pods drops to 3 momentarily. Which field in the Deployment spec can be adjusted to control the minimum number of pods available during a rolling update?
hard- A.spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxSurge
- ✓ B.spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable
- C.spec.minReadySeconds
- D.spec.replicas
Why B: Option B is correct because `spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable` defines the maximum number (or percentage) of Pods that can be unavailable during a rolling update. With `replicas: 5`, setting `maxUnavailable: 2` would allow at most 2 Pods to be unavailable at any time, ensuring that at least 3 Pods remain available — which matches the observed drop to 3. This field directly controls the minimum number of available Pods during the update process.
Variation 4. A Deployment is configured with 'strategy.type: RollingUpdate' and 'strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable: 0'. What is the effect during a rolling update?
hard- A.The update will fail because maxUnavailable must be at least 1
- B.The update will not proceed until at least one new pod is ready
- C.The update will proceed without any downtime
- ✓ D.No pod will be terminated until a new pod is ready
Why D: Option D is correct because setting `maxUnavailable: 0` means the Deployment controller will not terminate any existing pod until a new pod is fully ready. This ensures zero disruption to the application during the rolling update, as the controller waits for the new pod to pass its readiness probe before scaling down the old ReplicaSet.
Keep practising
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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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