KCNA Cloud Native Architecture Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are core principles of the 12-factor app methodology? (Select TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
CNCF often tests the misconception that logs should be stored locally for reliability, but the 12-factor methodology treats logs as event streams to stdout, relying on the execution environment (e.g., kubectl logs, log shippers) for aggregation and persistence.
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
✓
Strict separation of config from code
The 12-factor app methodology mandates strict separation of config from code. Config includes things like database connection strings, API keys, and environment-specific values that vary between deployments. Storing these in environment variables (or external config files not checked into version control) ensures that the same codebase can be deployed to different environments without modification, which is a core principle for cloud-native portability 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.
- ✗
Manual approval for all production deployments
Why it's wrong here
12-factor advocates for continuous deployment with automated pipelines.
- ✗
Use of a single programming language across all services
Why it's wrong here
12-factor encourages polyglot, not a single language.
- ✗
Store logs in a local file system
Why it's wrong here
12-factor treats logs as event streams, not stored locally.
- ✓
Strict separation of config from code
Why this is correct
Config should be stored in environment variables.
- ✓
Maximize robustness through fast startup and graceful shutdown
Why this is correct
This is the 'Disposability' factor.
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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.