KCNA Cloud Native Architecture Practice Question
Which component in a service mesh architecture is responsible for handling inter-service communication on behalf of the application container?
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
✓
Sidecar proxy
The sidecar proxy (e.g., Envoy) intercepts all network traffic to and from the application container, providing observability, traffic management, and security.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Sidecar proxy
Why this is correct
The sidecar proxy runs alongside each application container, intercepting inbound and outbound traffic and handling service-to-service communication, mTLS, and routing. This offloads networking concerns from the application itself, which is the defining role of the sidecar in a service mesh.
- ✗
Control plane
Why it's wrong here
The control plane distributes configuration and policy to the proxies but carries no application traffic itself. It is tempting because it governs mesh behaviour, and would be the right answer if the question asked which component manages certificates, routing rules and sidecar configuration.
- ✗
Ingress controller
Why it's wrong here
An ingress controller routes external north-south traffic into the cluster; it does not intercept pod-to-pod east-west calls. It is tempting because it also proxies HTTP traffic, and would be the right answer when the requirement is exposing an internal service to clients outside the cluster.
- ✗
API gateway
Why it's wrong here
An API gateway handles north-south traffic entering the cluster from external consumers, not the east-west calls between application containers. It is tempting because it centralises routing and authentication, and would be correct when external clients must reach published APIs through one entry point.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This KCNA question is part of Courseiva's 930-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 →
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. In a service mesh architecture, which component is responsible for intercepting and managing traffic to and from a pod?
medium- ✓ A.Sidecar proxy
- B.Ingress controller
- C.API gateway
- D.Control plane
Why A: The sidecar proxy (e.g., Envoy) runs alongside each service instance and intercepts all network traffic, enabling features like traffic management and observability.
JA
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.