EX280 · domain
Application Deployment And Lifecycle
This domain covers building and rolling out applications on OpenShift Container Platform 4.14+: BuildConfigs, ImageStreams, DeploymentConfigs, triggers, hooks, and rollout strategies. You are tested through hands-on oc commands and YAML edits: starting builds, wiring image-change triggers, configuring deployment triggers, and explaining hook behavior in real cluster tasks.
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What to know about Application Deployment And Lifecycle
Be able to create and start builds, edit BuildConfig and DeploymentConfig YAML, and wire ImageChange triggers correctly. The key skill is knowing which resource owns each trigger and verifying rollouts with oc logs, oc status, and oc rollout status.
Starting builds with oc start-build against an existing BuildConfig, including --from and --follow options
DeploymentConfig trigger types: ImageChange and ConfigChange, configured in the triggers array
ImageStream ImageChange triggers in BuildConfigs that rebuild when the base image tag updates
postCommit hook purpose: running commands after a build completes, such as tests or artifact cleanup
Watch out for
Common Application Deployment And Lifecycle exam traps
- ▸Confusing BuildConfig image-change triggers with DeploymentConfig ImageChange triggers; they are separate resources with separate trigger syntax
- ▸Assuming a new build starts automatically without setting the ImageChange trigger and referencing the correct ImageStream tag
- ▸Treating postCommit as a deployment hook; it runs after the build, not after the pod is deployed
Question index
All Application Deployment And Lifecycle questions (62)
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What is the primary difference between a Deployment and a DeploymentConfig in OpenShift?
Medium2You need to update an application without downtime. Which deployment strategy is most appropriate?
Medium3An administrator needs to roll back a Deployment in OpenShift to a specific previous revision because the latest update introduced a critical database connection bug. Which command identifies the available revisions and their associated change causes before executing the rollback?
Hard4An administrator needs to perform a canary deployment strategy using standard OpenShift Deployment resources (not DeploymentConfigs). What is the standard Kubernetes/OpenShift native mechanism to route a small percentage of traffic to the canary deployment?
Hard5An ImageStream named 'frontend' in a project contains multiple tags, including 'latest' and 'v1.0'. You want to update an existing Deployment to specifically use the 'v1.0' tag of this ImageStream. Where must this reference be updated in the Deployment specification?
Easy6You need to ensure that your application deployment always maintains at least 80% of its desired pod count during a rolling update. Which strategy parameter should you configure?
Medium7An administrator needs to completely remove a Helm release named my-redis from the cluster, including its history. Which Helm command should be executed?
Easy8A developer has deployed a Helm chart in OpenShift and needs to list all currently installed Helm releases in the current namespace. Which command should be used?
Easy9You notice that your builds are failing due to a lack of memory. Where can you set resource limits for the build process?
Hard10A developer has created a Kustomization file that applies a namespace prefix and some patches to base Kubernetes manifests. How can the developer apply these manifests to an OpenShift cluster using standard oc tooling without installing standalone Kustomize?
Hard11Which THREE methods can be used to pass parameters or configuration values into a Helm chart installation in OpenShift? (Choose three.)
Hard12An administrator needs to view the rollout history of a DeploymentConfig named web-frontend. Which command accomplishes this?
Easy13An administrator needs to deploy a containerized web application using a Git repository as the source without writing a Dockerfile. Which OpenShift build strategy should be used?
Easy14When managing application lifecycles and rollouts using standard Kubernetes Deployments in OpenShift 4.14, which TWO parameters are explicitly configurable under the rollingUpdate strategy settings? (Choose two.)
Medium15A DeploymentConfig in OpenShift has a Rolling strategy defined. Which parameter in the strategy configuration controls the maximum number of pods that can be created above the desired replica count during the update?
Medium16An administrator needs to deploy a Helm chart into an OpenShift cluster while overriding specific chart values using a local YAML file. Which Helm CLI command should be executed?
Hard17An OpenShift administrator needs to trigger a rollback of a Deployment to its previous working revision after a failed update. Which oc command should be used?
Medium18An administrator wants to pause rollouts on a DeploymentConfig named backend-api to make multiple configuration changes without triggering intermediate builds or rollouts. Which command pauses the rollout?
Medium19You need to deploy a Node.js application from a Git repository using Source-to-Image (S2I) on OpenShift 4.14, and you want to ensure the build triggers automatically whenever a new image is pushed to the dependent base ImageStream. Which BuildConfig strategy and configuration element achieves this?
Medium20How do you view the history of deployments for a DeploymentConfig?
Medium21Which resource in OpenShift acts as an abstraction over a set of images to provide a stable reference?
Easy22You want to prevent a specific pod from being scheduled on nodes that are already running other pods of the same application. What should you configure?
Medium23Which THREE items are contained within a Helm Chart structure?
Hard24An administrator is managing a DeploymentConfig named frontend in an OpenShift 4.14 cluster. The DeploymentConfig has a ConfigChange trigger enabled. The administrator needs to update the container image in the DeploymentConfig without triggering an automatic rollout, so that multiple changes can be made before a manual rollout. Which action should the administrator take?
Hard25Which THREE of the following are valid build strategies supported by OpenShift BuildConfigs? (Choose three.)
Easy26Which command-line argument can you use to change the output format of 'oc get' to YAML?
Easy27Which command allows you to view the logs of a specific build?
Easy28You are using Kustomize to manage environment-specific configurations. Which file must be present in the base directory to define resources?
Medium29Which THREE pieces of data can an ImageStream reference?
Hard30When managing ImageStreams in OpenShift, which TWO tasks can an administrator perform using oc commands? (Choose two.)
Medium31You have a Helm chart that requires custom values for different environments. Which flag allows you to pass a custom values file?
Hard32You need to perform a canary deployment by shifting traffic between two versions of your app. What is the standard way to accomplish this in OpenShift without using a Service Mesh?
Hard33An administrator needs to create a new OpenShift build using a BuildConfig. Which TWO build strategies are natively supported out-of-the-box by OpenShift? (Choose two.)
Medium34A team runs a Deployment named catalog-api in project retail. After a configuration change, pods crash with an application error, and the administrator needs to return the Deployment to the last known-good revision. The administrator runs oc rollout history deployment/catalog-api and sees revision 7 as the current one. Which single command restores the previous working revision?
Hard35Which THREE things can you configure in a BuildConfig?
Hard36An administrator needs to configure a BuildConfig so that whenever a new image is pushed to a dependent ImageStream tag, a new build is automatically triggered. Which trigger type must be added to the BuildConfig?
Hard37You want to trigger a new build automatically whenever the base image in an ImageStream changes. What must be enabled in the BuildConfig?
Easy38What is the purpose of the 'postCommit' hook in a BuildConfig?
Medium39Which TWO of the following are valid ways to trigger a build in OpenShift?
Medium40An administrator is configuring a DeploymentConfig in OpenShift and wants to set up automated triggers for new rollouts. Which TWO trigger types are natively supported in a DeploymentConfig spec? (Choose two.)
Medium41Which THREE actions can be performed using the oc rollout subcommand in OpenShift? (Choose three.)
Hard42Which OpenShift resource defines the desired state of a containerized application, including replica count and image version?
Easy43Which THREE components are part of a Kustomize configuration?
Hard44You are preparing to deploy an application to an OpenShift Container Platform 4.14 cluster. The application is defined across multiple Kubernetes manifests, and you need to ensure that a set of common labels and a namespace prefix are applied to all resources. You want to use Kustomize to manage this without writing custom scripts. Which of the following best describes how to achieve this using the oc CLI?
Medium45Which command is used to start a new build from an existing BuildConfig named 'frontend'?
Easy46A developer is using Kustomize to manage environment overlays (dev and prod) for an OpenShift application. Where should the common base resources be referenced in the prod/kustomization.yaml file?
Medium47During an S2I build, an administrator needs to pass sensitive build arguments, such as subscription keys, without hardcoding them into the BuildConfig or exposing them in the final image history. How should this be handled?
Medium48A developer wants to inspect the generated Kubernetes manifests from a Helm chart without actually installing the chart into the OpenShift cluster. Which Helm command should be used?
Easy49Which TWO of the following are valid deployment strategies supported by OpenShift?
Medium50A developer has built a container image and pushed it to an external registry. They now want to deploy this image as a new application in an OpenShift 4.14 project. Which oc command should they use to create a Deployment that runs the image and exposes it with a Service?
Easy51How do you define a health check that verifies if your application is ready to start receiving traffic?
Hard52Which TWO pieces of information are needed when defining a new Helm repository?
Medium53An administrator manages a Deployment named payments-api in the project finance-prod. During a maintenance window, changes to the pod template must be staged without any new pods being created. Once all edits are complete, a single rollout should start. Which oc command should the administrator run first?
Medium54Which TWO of the following can be used to troubleshoot a failing deployment?
Medium55Which TWO statements are true regarding Kustomize usage within OpenShift? (Choose two.)
Medium56A developer wants to track multiple versions and tags of container images within an OpenShift cluster efficiently. Which OpenShift resource provides this capability?
Easy57When creating a build using S2I, what does the 'assemble' script do?
Medium58When performing a 'rollout undo' on a Deployment, what is the default behavior if no revision is specified?
Medium59Which tool would you use to package an application including its dependencies and configuration for easy distribution in OpenShift?
Easy60Which THREE items are required to successfully deploy a basic application using S2I?
Hard61You want to automate the application lifecycle so that every time a code change is pushed, the build and deployment occur automatically. Which combination of features should you use?
Hard62What is the result of using a 'Recreate' strategy during a deployment?
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the Application Deployment And Lifecycle domain cover on the EX280 exam?
- Be able to create and start builds, edit BuildConfig and DeploymentConfig YAML, and wire ImageChange triggers correctly. The key skill is knowing which resource owns each trigger and verifying rollouts with oc logs, oc status, and oc rollout status.
- How many questions are in this domain?
- This page lists all 62 Application Deployment And Lifecycle questions in the EX280 question bank. The actual exam draws from this domain proportionally to its weighting in the official exam blueprint.
- What is the best way to practise this domain?
- Start with a short focused session (10 questions) to identify gaps, then work through explanations. Repeat with a longer session once the weak areas feel solid.
- Can I practise only Application Deployment And Lifecycle questions?
- Yes — the session launcher on this page filters questions to this domain only. Choose any session length for inline explanations and scoring.