Question 370 of 964
GKE Rolling Update: Minimize Downtime with PodDisruptionBudgets and Readiness Probes
A team is deploying a microservice application on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). They want to ensure high availability and minimize downtime during rolling updates. Which TWO actions should they take? (Choose two.)
Quick Answer
The correct actions are to configure a PodDisruptionBudget (PDB) to specify the minimum number of pods that must remain available and to set readiness probes to ensure pods only receive traffic when fully ready. A PDB guarantees that during a GKE rolling update, a defined number of pods stay running, preventing voluntary disruptions from dropping below a critical threshold and preserving high availability. Readiness probes complement this by controlling when a pod is added to a Service’s endpoints; during the update, a new pod is not considered ready until it passes the probe, so traffic is not routed to it prematurely, which minimizes downtime. On the Google Professional Cloud Developer exam, this pairing tests your understanding of how Kubernetes combines declarative availability constraints with application-level health checking—a common trap is confusing readiness probes with liveness probes, which only restart unhealthy pods. Remember the memory tip: “PDB protects the count, readiness protects the traffic.”
⚠ Common exam trap
The PCD exam often tests the distinction between liveness and readiness probes, and candidates mistakenly choose liveness probes (Option B) for availability during updates, but readiness probes are the correct choice for controlling traffic flow during rolling 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
✓
Configure pod disruption budgets to limit the number of pods that can be unavailable simultaneously.
PodDisruptionBudgets (PDBs) allow you to specify the minimum number of pods that must remain available during voluntary disruptions like rolling updates, ensuring high availability. Option D is correct because readiness probes control when a pod is added to a Service's endpoints; during rolling updates, they prevent traffic from being sent to a pod until it is ready, minimizing downtime.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Horizontal Pod Autoscaler to automatically adjust the number of pods based on CPU utilization.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: HPA scales based on load, but does not directly impact rolling update availability.
- ✗
Enable liveness probes to automatically restart pods that become unresponsive.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Liveness probes are for pod recovery, not for controlling rolling update behavior.
- ✓
Configure pod disruption budgets to limit the number of pods that can be unavailable simultaneously.
Why this is correct
Correct: Pod disruption budgets help maintain availability during voluntary disruptions like rolling updates.
- ✓
Set readiness probes to ensure that pods are only considered ready when they can serve traffic.
Why this is correct
Correct: Readiness probes prevent traffic from being sent to pods that are not ready, ensuring zero-downtime updates.
- ✗
Enable node auto-repair to automatically replace unhealthy nodes.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Node auto-repair handles node-level issues, not application-level rolling updates.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PCD
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A team is deploying a new version of an application on GKE using a rolling update. They want to ensure that the update proceeds only if the new pods are healthy. Which two steps should they include? (Choose two.)
medium- ✓ A.Set the minReadySeconds field in the deployment.
- ✓ B.Define a readiness probe for the container.
- C.Define a liveness probe for the container.
- D.Set the revisionHistoryLimit to 10.
- E.Use a postStart lifecycle hook to test health.
Why A: Setting `minReadySeconds` in a Deployment ensures that a newly created Pod is considered ready only after it has been stable for that duration, preventing the rolling update from proceeding if the Pod fails shortly after startup. Option B is correct because a readiness probe determines whether a Pod is ready to serve traffic; during a rolling update, the Deployment controller waits for the new Pod's readiness probe to succeed before scaling down old Pods, ensuring the update only continues when new Pods are healthy.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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