KCNA Cloud Native Architecture Practice Question
Which of the following is an example of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that Kubernetes and Docker are often used alongside IaC, so candidates may mistakenly classify them as IaC tools, but the exam expects you to identify tools specifically designed for provisioning infrastructure declaratively.
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
✓
Terraform
Terraform is a widely used Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that allows you to define and provision infrastructure using a declarative configuration language. It supports multiple cloud providers and on-premises environments, enabling version control, automation, and repeatability. Kubernetes, Docker, and Prometheus serve different purposes: container orchestration, containerization, and monitoring, respectively.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Kubernetes
Why it's wrong here
Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform that schedules and runs workloads; it consumes infrastructure rather than declaring and provisioning it. It is tempting because YAML manifests are declarative and version-controlled, but those manifests describe workloads, not the underlying infrastructure, so Terraform or similar IaC tools are the correct example.
- ✓
Terraform
Why this is correct
Terraform declaratively defines and provisions infrastructure such as networks, compute and storage from configuration files, then applies those definitions through providers. That declarative, version-controlled provisioning is precisely what the stem asks for as an IaC example, unlike configuration-management or CI tools.
- ✗
Docker
Why it's wrong here
Docker builds and runs container images; it does not define declarative infrastructure configuration files that provision or manage resources. It is tempting because Dockerfiles are text-based and version-controlled, but those describe image layers, not infrastructure state, so Terraform or similar IaC tools are the correct example.
- ✗
Prometheus
Why it's wrong here
Prometheus is a monitoring and time-series metrics system; it scrapes and alerts on running workloads rather than declaring or provisioning infrastructure. It is tempting because its configuration is file-based and version-controlled, but configuration files for observability are not infrastructure definitions, so it is not an IaC tool.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 930 original KCNA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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
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.