KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
Which two statements correctly describe etcd in a Kubernetes cluster?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common misconception is that etcd runs on all nodes or that it directly handles networking, when in fact it is a control-plane-only store that does not participate in data-plane operations.
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
✓
It is a key-value store that holds cluster configuration and state
etcd is a distributed, consistent key-value store used by Kubernetes to persist all cluster data, including configuration, state, and metadata. It is the single source of truth for the cluster, and the API server reads from and writes to it exclusively. Without etcd, the cluster cannot recover or maintain its desired state, making it a critical component.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
It is a key-value store that holds cluster configuration and state
Why this is correct
Correct.
- ✗
It runs on every worker node
Why it's wrong here
etcd runs on control plane nodes, not worker nodes.
- ✗
It manages network rules for Services
Why it's wrong here
kube-proxy manages network rules.
- ✗
It implements the Kubernetes API
Why it's wrong here
The API server implements the API, etcd is the backend store.
- ✓
It is a critical component that must be backed up regularly
Why this is correct
Correct.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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