KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
Which TWO of the following components are part of the Kubernetes control plane? (Select 2)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse kubelet or kube-proxy (which run on every node) as part of the control plane because they are essential for cluster operation, but they are not control plane components.
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
✓
kube-apiserver
The Kubernetes control plane is responsible for maintaining the desired state of the cluster and making global decisions. The kube-apiserver is the front-end for the control plane, exposing the Kubernetes API, and etcd is the consistent and highly-available key-value store used as the backing store for all cluster data. Both are essential control plane components.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
container runtime
Why it's wrong here
Container runtime runs on worker nodes.
- ✓
kube-apiserver
Why this is correct
It is the API server, central to the control plane.
- ✗
kubelet
Why it's wrong here
kubelet runs on worker nodes, not the control plane.
- ✓
etcd
Why this is correct
etcd is the distributed key-value store, part of the control plane.
- ✗
kube-proxy
Why it's wrong here
kube-proxy runs on each node, not the control plane.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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