KCNA Container Orchestration Practice Question
Which of the following is an example of immutable infrastructure?
⚠ Common exam trap
CNCF often tests the misconception that configuration management tools (like Ansible or Puppet) are inherently immutable, but they are actually used for mutable infrastructure because they apply changes to running systems rather than replacing them entirely.
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
✓
Rebuilding a server from a pre-baked image and replacing the old one
Immutable infrastructure means that once a server or container is deployed, it is never modified in place. Instead, any change requires building a new image and redeploying. Option D describes exactly this: rebuilding from a pre-baked image and replacing the old server, which is the core pattern of immutability in container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes rolling updates or Recreate deployments).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SSH into a server to apply patches
Why it's wrong here
SSH access mutates a running server in place, so its state drifts and cannot be reproduced from a definition. It is tempting because patching feels routine, but immutable infrastructure replaces whole instances from a versioned image rather than modifying existing ones.
- ✗
Manually installing packages on a running container
Why it's wrong here
Manually installing packages on a running container mutates a live instance, so its state diverges from the original image and cannot be reproduced or rolled back deterministically. It is tempting because interactive package installation is legitimate for debugging or exploratory troubleshooting inside a throwaway container, but immutability requires replacing instances rather than modifying them in place.
- ✗
Using configuration management tools to update software on running servers
Why it's wrong here
Configuration management tools mutate running servers in place, so drift accumulates and rollback depends on tool state rather than redeployment. Immutable infrastructure instead replaces whole instances from a fixed image. Configuration management suits patching long-lived pets where in-place convergence is acceptable, but it contradicts the replace-not-modify principle this question tests.
- ✓
Rebuilding a server from a pre-baked image and replacing the old one
Why this is correct
Immutable infrastructure means servers are never patched in place. Instead, a new server is built from a pre-baked image and swapped in for the old one, which is then destroyed. This replacement model is the defining characteristic.
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 →
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.