Match each cloud native concept to its definition.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Lightweight, standalone executable package that includes everything needed
Architectural style that structures an app as a collection of loosely coupled services
Automated configuration, coordination, and management of containers
Approach where servers are never modified after deployment; replaced instead
Specifying the desired state, letting the system achieve and maintain it
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Microservices: An architectural style that structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services.
The correct matches are: Microservices with loosely coupled services, Service Mesh with service-to-service communication, Serverless with cloud provider managing resources, and Orchestration with automated management. Common confusions include swapping definitions between Microservices and Service Mesh, or between Serverless and Orchestration.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Microservices: An architectural style that structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services.
Why this is correct
Correct: Microservices are defined as an architectural style that structures applications as a collection of loosely coupled services.
Service Mesh: A dedicated infrastructure layer for handling service-to-service communication.
Why this is correct
Correct: Service Mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer for handling service-to-service communication.
Serverless: A cloud execution model in which the cloud provider runs the server, and dynamically manages the allocation of machine resources.
Why this is correct
Correct: Serverless is a cloud execution model where the cloud provider manages server allocation dynamically.
Orchestration: The automated configuration, coordination, and management of computer systems, containers, and services.
Why this is correct
Correct: Orchestration is the automated configuration, coordination, and management of computer systems, containers, and services.
Microservices: A dedicated infrastructure layer for handling service-to-service communication.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: This definition describes Service Mesh, not Microservices.
Serverless: The automated configuration, coordination, and management of computer systems.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: This definition describes Orchestration, not Serverless.
Quick reference
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Learn chapter
Cloud Native Architecture and Concepts
Key term
Service Mesh
A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that manages communication between microservices, handling tasks like service discovery, load balancing, encryption, and observability without requiring changes to application code.
About these practice questions
This KCNA question is part of Courseiva's 833-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.