This KCNA practice question tests your understanding of container orchestration. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which of the following is an example of immutable infrastructure?
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).
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.
✗
SSH into a server to apply patches
Why it's wrong here
This mutates the server, which is mutable infrastructure.
✗
Manually installing packages on a running container
Why it's wrong here
This mutates the container, violating immutability.
✗
Using configuration management tools to update software on running servers
Why it's wrong here
This also mutates existing servers.
✓
Rebuilding a server from a pre-baked image and replacing the old one
Why this is correct
This is the essence of immutable infrastructure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, immutable infrastructure relies on golden images or container images built via Dockerfiles or Packer, which are versioned and stored in a registry. When an update is needed, a new image is built, tested, and deployed — often using a rolling update strategy in Kubernetes that replaces Pods with new ones based on the updated image, while the old Pods are terminated. This eliminates configuration drift and ensures that every deployment is identical to the image, making rollbacks trivial by simply redeploying the previous image version.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this KCNA question in full detail.
Container Orchestration — This question tests Container Orchestration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: 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).
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.
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Question Discussion
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