KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
You create a Deployment with replicas: 3. You then scale the Deployment to 5 replicas. What is the order of operations that the Deployment controller follows?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse scaling with a rolling update, assuming a new ReplicaSet is created, when in fact scaling only modifies the existing ReplicaSet's replica count without changing the pod template.
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 updates the existing ReplicaSet's replica count to 5, and the ReplicaSet creates the new pods
When you scale a Deployment, the Deployment controller updates the replica count on the existing ReplicaSet that matches the pod template. The ReplicaSet controller then observes the desired count and creates the additional pods to reach the new target. This ensures that the Deployment's rollout history and rollback capabilities remain intact.
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 creates a new ReplicaSet with 5 replicas and deletes the old one
Why it's wrong here
Scaling an existing Deployment adjusts the replica count on its current ReplicaSet; no new ReplicaSet is created, since the pod template is unchanged. A new ReplicaSet with a different template arises only from a rolling update, which is what this option describes.
- ✗
It directly creates 2 new pods without using a ReplicaSet
Why it's wrong here
Pods are never created directly by the Deployment controller; it adjusts the ReplicaSet's replica count, and the ReplicaSet creates the pods. It is tempting because two pods do result, but that is the ReplicaSet's action, not the Deployment's.
- ✓
It updates the existing ReplicaSet's replica count to 5, and the ReplicaSet creates the new pods
Why this is correct
Scaling a Deployment adjusts the existing ReplicaSet's replica count rather than creating a new one; the ReplicaSet controller then creates the two additional pods to reach five, since no pod template change triggers a rollout.
- ✗
It creates 2 new pods immediately without modifying the existing ReplicaSet
Why it's wrong here
The Deployment controller scales the existing ReplicaSet rather than creating pods directly, so no new ReplicaSet is bypassed and pods are not created without it. It is tempting because two pods do appear, but that is the outcome of ReplicaSet scaling, not direct creation.
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