KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
You have a Deployment that runs a web application. You need to expose this application externally on a fixed port using a cloud load balancer. Which Service type should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
CNCF often tests the misconception that NodePort is sufficient for external access, but the question's requirement for a 'cloud load balancer' and 'fixed port' (like 80/443) disqualifies NodePort because it uses a high port range and lacks cloud LB integration.
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
✓
LoadBalancer
A LoadBalancer Service type provisions an external cloud load balancer (e.g., AWS ELB, GCP TCP/UDP Load Balancer) that exposes the application on a fixed port (typically 80/443) and distributes traffic to the Pods. This is the correct choice because the requirement explicitly asks for a cloud load balancer with a fixed external port, which is exactly what LoadBalancer provides by integrating with the underlying cloud provider's API.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
NodePort
Why it's wrong here
NodePort exposes the service on a static port on each node's IP, but does not provision a cloud load balancer.
- ✓
LoadBalancer
Why this is correct
LoadBalancer provisions an external load balancer and assigns a fixed external IP.
- ✗
ExternalName
Why it's wrong here
ExternalName maps the service to an external DNS name, not a load balancer.
- ✗
ClusterIP
Why it's wrong here
ClusterIP only exposes the service internally within the cluster.
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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.