JN0-106 User Interfaces Practice Question
An administrator wants to see the differences between the candidate configuration and the active configuration. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'show | compare' with 'show configuration' or 'show | display set', thinking they all show differences, but only 'show | compare' provides the explicit diff output between candidate and active configurations.
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
✓
show | compare
The 'show | compare' command displays the differences between the candidate configuration and the active (committed) configuration. This is the standard Junos method for reviewing uncommitted changes before committing them, as it outputs a diff-style output showing lines added, deleted, or modified.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
show | display set
Why it's wrong here
Piping the output of `show` through `display set` reformats the candidate configuration into `set` commands, but it does not perform any comparison against the active configuration. This transformation is useful for generating scriptable configuration snippets or for viewing the candidate in a loadable format, yet it fails the administrator's need to see what has changed. Since no diff is produced, this option cannot reveal the differences between candidate and active configurations.
- ✗
run show configuration
Why it's wrong here
The `run` prefix at the configuration-mode prompt executes a command in operational mode, so `run show configuration` simply displays the active committed configuration. This is functionally identical to executing `show configuration` directly in configuration mode, showing only the running configuration with no reference to uncommitted candidate changes. Because it does not compare candidate to active, it cannot show any differences the administrator is trying to identify.
- ✓
show | compare
Why this is correct
`show | compare` is the correct Junos CLI command to display the differences between the candidate configuration and the active committed configuration. It outputs a unified diff-style output with `+` for lines added in the candidate and `-` for lines removed, making pending changes immediately visible. If there are no uncommitted changes, the command produces no output, but when changes exist, this is the definitive tool for reviewing them.
- ✗
show configuration
Why it's wrong here
The plain `show configuration` command displays the entire active committed configuration in hierarchical text format. It does not include any uncommitted changes sitting in the candidate configuration, and it provides no delta or comparison mechanism. The administrator would see only the current running configuration, not the differences between what is active and what has been staged, so this option fails the stated requirement.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every JN0-106 question from scratch — 326 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This JN0-106 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Juniper Networks 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 JN0-106 exam.