Kubernetes Container Orchestration Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Kubernetes Container Orchestration facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which probe type checks if a container is ready to accept traffic? → Readiness probe
2. Which annotation on a Kubernetes resource tells Helm NOT to delete it when the release is uninstalled? → helm.sh/resource-policy: keep
3. Which field in a Pod spec allows you to share the host network namespace with the Pod's containers? → spec.hostNetwork: true
4. When using Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) in 'Off' mode, what happens? → VPA only provides recommendations without applying them
5. What is the relationship between a CRD and a Custom Resource (CR)? → A CRD defines the type schema; a CR is a specific instance created from that schema
6. Which Kubernetes resource replaced Endpoints for improved scalability, especially in large clusters? → EndpointSlice
7. In a service mesh, what is the purpose of a 'retry policy'? → Re-attempt failed requests a specified number of times before returning an error
8. A Pod is stuck in `Pending` state. Which of the following is NOT a likely cause? → The container's liveness probe is failing
9. The 'Service Mesh' pattern in Kubernetes offloads which cross-cutting concerns from application code? → mTLS, retries, circuit breaking, and observability at the network layer
10. Which field in a Pod spec allows you to run a container as a non-root user? → securityContext.runAsNonRoot
11. How can you pre-populate a new PVC with data from an existing PVC without using a snapshot? → Set the dataSource field of the new PVC to reference the existing PVC
12. Which field in a PodSpec enables a pod to use a specific PersistentVolumeClaim? → volumes[].persistentVolumeClaim.claimName
13. What does the `helm show values` command display? → The default values defined in the chart's values.yaml
14. What does the 'volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer' setting on a StorageClass accomplish? → Delays PV provisioning until a pod using the PVC is scheduled
15. What is the key benefit of evidence-based decision making in Kubernetes Container Orchestration management? → It improves accuracy and reduces bias in decisions
16. A Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) scales based on which metric by default? → CPU utilization
17. What role does collaboration play in monitoring and logging for Kubernetes Container Orchestration professionals? → It enhances outcomes through diverse perspectives and shared expertise
18. What is a ServiceAccount token's primary purpose in Kubernetes? → Authenticating pods to the Kubernetes API server
19. What is a Pod Disruption Budget (PDB) used for? → Ensuring a minimum number of Pods remain available during voluntary disruptions
20. Which Ingress path type ensures that only exact URL matches trigger the routing rule? → Exact
21. What is the purpose of a Kubernetes NetworkPolicy? → Control ingress and egress traffic between pods
22. What is the purpose of the `_helpers.tpl` file in a Helm chart? → It defines reusable template snippets and named templates
23. In Kubernetes, how is the 'Leader Election' pattern typically implemented for controllers? → Via a Lease object in the coordination.k8s.io API group
24. Which principle is fundamental to good cloud native patterns practice? → Separation of concerns and modularity
25. Which Linux capability should be dropped to prevent a container from performing raw packet manipulation? → CAP_NET_RAW
26. What role does collaboration play in storage solutions for Kubernetes Container Orchestration professionals? → It enhances outcomes through diverse perspectives and shared expertise
27. What happens when a Pod's liveness probe fails repeatedly? → The container is restarted according to the Pod's restart policy
28. In Kubernetes, which of the following watches for newly formed pods with no node assigned and selects a node for them to run on? → kube-scheduler
29. Which Kubernetes resource is used to store non-sensitive configuration data such as app settings? → ConfigMap
30. Which field in a Pod spec controls how many times Kubernetes restarts a failed container before giving up? → spec.restartPolicy