KCNA Cloud Native Architecture Practice Question
Which of the following best describes the 12-factor app methodology's approach to configuration?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is over-engineering the answer by choosing a configuration server or database, which sounds robust but contradicts the 12-factor methodology's explicit preference for environment variables.
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
✓
Configuration is stored in environment variables
The 12-factor app methodology's third factor, 'Config,' states that configuration should be stored in environment variables, keeping it strictly separate from code. This allows the same codebase to be deployed across environments without modification. Environment variables are language- and OS-agnostic, making them the recommended mechanism.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configuration is hardcoded in the application code
Why it's wrong here
Hardcoding configuration in code violates twelve-factor's strict separation of config from code, preventing the same build from being deployed across environments. It is tempting because it is simple and works for constants that genuinely never vary, such as fixed algorithm names, but environment-specific values must come from environment variables.
- ✓
Configuration is stored in environment variables
Why this is correct
The 12-factor methodology mandates strict separation of config from code, storing it in environment variables so the same build can be deployed across environments. This satisfies the stem by naming environment variables as the prescribed storage mechanism rather than files or baked-in values.
- ✗
Configuration is stored in a database and accessed at runtime
Why it's wrong here
Twelve-factor configuration lives in environment variables, not a database, so runtime lookups add a dependency the methodology explicitly avoids. Storing config in a database is tempting because it centralises settings and supports dynamic updates, which suits feature flags or admin-editable values, but it is not the twelve-factor mechanism.
- ✗
Configuration is managed by a configuration server
Why it's wrong here
A configuration server centralises settings, whereas 12-factor requires configuration stored in the environment and strictly separated from code. It tempts because centralised configuration management is a legitimate pattern for distributing and versioning settings across fleets, and it does keep configuration outside the application artefact.
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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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