KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
You create a Deployment with 'replicas: 3' and update the pod template without changing the selector. After the update, you notice that only the new Pods are running, but old Pods have been terminated. What is the default update strategy?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common trap is assuming the default update strategy is Recreate because it seems simpler, but the actual default is RollingUpdate, which performs gradual, zero-downtime updates.
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
✓
RollingUpdate
The default update strategy for a Deployment in Kubernetes is RollingUpdate. When you update the pod template (e.g., changing the container image), the Deployment controller creates new ReplicaSets with the updated template and gradually scales down the old ReplicaSet while scaling up the new one, ensuring zero downtime. Since only new Pods are running and old Pods have been terminated, this confirms the default behavior of a rolling update, which replaces Pods incrementally without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
OnDelete
Why it's wrong here
OnDelete is for DaemonSets, not Deployments.
- ✗
BlueGreen
Why it's wrong here
BlueGreen is not a native Kubernetes strategy; it requires manual or tool-based implementation.
- ✓
RollingUpdate
Why this is correct
RollingUpdate gradually replaces Pods; old ones are terminated as new ones become ready.
- ✗
Recreate
Why it's wrong here
Recreate terminates all old Pods before creating new ones, not gradual.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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