CKAD Exam Prep

CKAD Exam Glossary - 52 Terms

Search the terminology pack for Certified Kubernetes Application Developer. Use these definitions with the study guide and practice questions.

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--dry-run=client
A kubectl flag that simulates resource creation locally without submitting the object to the API server.
--restart=Never
A kubectl run flag that creates a standalone Pod instead of a higher-level controller such as a Deployment.
--set
A Helm flag used to override chart values from the command line during installation or upgrade.

B

BusyBox
A minimal container image commonly used for debugging and simple utility tasks in Kubernetes.

C

chart
A packaged collection of Kubernetes resource templates and metadata managed by Helm.
ConfigMap
A Kubernetes object used to store non-confidential configuration data as key-value pairs or files.
CrashLoopBackOff
A Pod state indicating that a container repeatedly starts, exits, and is backed off before restart attempts.
crictl
A CLI tool for interacting with container runtimes that implement the Container Runtime Interface.
crictl rm -a
A crictl command used to remove all containers managed by the container runtime.
crictl rmi --prune
A crictl command used to remove unused local container images.
custom resource
An instance of a user-defined Kubernetes resource type created after a CRD is registered.
Custom Resource Definition (CRD)
An extension mechanism that adds a new custom resource type to the Kubernetes API.

D

Deployment
A Kubernetes workload resource that manages stateless application Pods and supports rolling updates and scaling.

E

Egress
Outbound network traffic from a Pod, often restricted using a NetworkPolicy.
exec probe
A probe type that runs a command inside a container to test its health.

H

Helm
A package manager for Kubernetes used to install, configure, and manage applications as charts.
helm install
A Helm command used to deploy a chart into a Kubernetes cluster as a release.
helm pull
A Helm command that downloads a chart package from a remote repository to the local machine without installing it.
helm show values
A Helm command that prints the default values.yaml content for a chart.

J

Job
A Kubernetes workload resource designed to run Pods until a task completes successfully.

K

kubectl
The Kubernetes command-line tool used to create, inspect, update, and manage cluster resources.
kubectl apply
A kubectl action that creates or updates resources declaratively from manifests.
kubectl cp
A kubectl command used to copy files between a container in a Pod and the local filesystem.
kubectl create
A kubectl action that creates a resource from a manifest or command arguments.
kubectl create configmap --from-file
A kubectl command pattern that creates a ConfigMap from the contents of a local file.
kubectl get pod -o yaml
A kubectl command pattern used to retrieve a Pod definition and display it in YAML format.
kubectl rollout history
A kubectl command used to view the rollout revisions and change history of a Deployment.
kubectl run
A kubectl command used to create and start a Pod from a specified image and command.
kubectl scale
A kubectl command used to change the number of replicas for a scalable workload like a Deployment.
kubectl set image
A kubectl command used to update the container image of a workload resource such as a Deployment.

L

limits
The maximum amount of CPU or memory a container is allowed to consume.
liveness probe
A health check used by Kubernetes to determine whether a container is still running properly and should be restarted if it fails.
livenessProbe.exec.command
The Pod spec field used to define the command array executed by an exec-based liveness probe.

M

maxSurge
A RollingUpdate setting that controls how many extra Pods may be created temporarily during an update.
maxUnavailable
A RollingUpdate setting that controls how many Pods may be unavailable during an update.

N

namespace
A logical partition in a Kubernetes cluster used to isolate and organize resources.
NetworkPolicy
A Kubernetes resource that controls allowed ingress and egress network traffic for selected Pods.
nginx
A common web server container image frequently used in Kubernetes examples and workloads.

P

Pod spec
The YAML or JSON configuration section that defines how a Pod should run, including containers, probes, and restart behavior.
podSelector
A label selector field used in NetworkPolicy and other resources to target specific Pods.
policyTypes
A NetworkPolicy field that specifies whether ingress, egress, or both traffic directions are governed.

R

Recreate
A Deployment update strategy that deletes existing Pods before creating replacement Pods.
replicaCount
A common Helm chart value used to set the number of desired application replicas.
requests
The amount of CPU or memory guaranteed for a container and used by the scheduler for placement decisions.
ResourceQuota
A namespace-level policy that limits aggregate resource consumption such as CPU, memory, and object counts.
revision
A recorded version of a Deployment rollout used for history and rollback operations.
RollingUpdate
A Deployment strategy that gradually replaces old Pods with new ones while keeping the application available.

S

spec.containers
The Pod spec field that lists the containers that should run inside the Pod.
spec.strategy.type
The Deployment field that determines the update strategy, such as RollingUpdate or Recreate.

T

TTL after finished
A Job cleanup feature that automatically deletes completed Jobs and their Pods after a specified time.

V

values.yaml
The default configuration file in a Helm chart that defines configurable values for templates.

Y

YAML manifest
A YAML-formatted resource definition file that declares the desired state of a Kubernetes object.

About These Definitions

These definitions are loaded from the shared release pack. Use them with the study guide and practice questions to connect vocabulary to exam scenarios.