Top 15 Kubernetes Interview Questions and Answers for Beginners (2025)

If you’re preparing for a DevOps or cloud-native job interview, there’s a high chance Kubernetes will be part of the conversation. Kubernetes (K8s) is the de facto container orchestration tool used by companies to deploy, scale, and manage applications efficiently.

This article covers the top 15 Kubernetes interview questions tailored for beginners—perfect if you’re just starting out or switching from a traditional sysadmin role.

🌟 1. What is Kubernetes?

Answer:
Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It was originally developed by Google and is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

🌟 2. What are the main components of Kubernetes architecture?

Answer:

• Master Node: Manages the cluster.
  • Components: API Server, Scheduler, Controller Manager, etcd.
• Worker Nodes: Run the application workloads.
  • Components: kubelet, kube-proxy, container runtime.

🌟 3. What is a Pod?

Answer:
A Pod is the smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes. It can contain one or more containers that share the same network and storage resources.

🌟 4. What is a Node in Kubernetes?

Answer:
A Node is a physical or virtual machine where Kubernetes runs workloads. Each node has the services needed to run Pods and is managed by the Master.

🌟 5. What is a ReplicaSet?

Answer:
A ReplicaSet ensures a specified number of pod replicas are running at all times. It replaces a failed pod with a new one automatically.

🌟 6. What is a Deployment in Kubernetes?

Answer:
A Deployment provides declarative updates for Pods and ReplicaSets. It allows you to roll out, update, or rollback applications safely.

🌟 7. How does a Service in Kubernetes work?

Answer:
A Service is an abstraction that defines a logical set of Pods and a policy by which to access them. It provides stable networking for dynamic pods.

🌟 8. What is the difference between a ClusterIP, NodePort, and LoadBalancer?

Answer:

• ClusterIP: Default, accessible within the cluster.
• NodePort: Opens a port on each Node to access the service externally.
• LoadBalancer: Provisions an external load balancer to expose the service.

🌟 9. What is kubelet?

Answer:
kubelet is an agent that runs on each node. It ensures containers are running in a Pod and communicates with the Kubernetes control plane.

10. What is etcd?

Answer:
etcd is a consistent and highly-available key-value store used as Kubernetes’ backing store for all cluster data.

🌟 11. How does Kubernetes achieve High Availability (HA)?

Answer:
Kubernetes uses multiple master nodes, redundant etcd instances, and load balancers to ensure the cluster continues to function even if some components fail.

🌟 12. What is the role of the Scheduler?

Answer:
The Scheduler assigns newly created Pods to available Nodes based on resource requirements and constraints.

13. What is a ConfigMap and Secret?

Answer:

• ConfigMap: Stores configuration data in key-value pairs.
• Secret: Stores sensitive information like passwords, tokens, and SSH keys, encrypted by default.

🌟 14. What is a Namespace in Kubernetes?

Answer:
A Namespace is a virtual cluster within a Kubernetes cluster, used to separate resources and manage access control between teams or projects.

15. How do you perform a rolling update in Kubernetes?

Answer:
You can use a Deployment object to perform rolling updates. This updates pods gradually without downtime using the kubectl rollout command.

kubectl rollout status deployment/my-deployment
kubectl rollout undo deployment/my-deployment

🎯 Final Tips for Interview

• Review YAML syntax and write a few deployment files manually.
• Understand the lifecycle of a Pod.
• Practice with kubectl commands on a real cluster (like Minikube or Kind).
• Familiarize yourself with troubleshooting tools like kubectl describe and kubectl logs.

🧠 Summary

Whether you’re a student or a junior DevOps engineer, understanding these fundamental Kubernetes concepts will help you confidently handle interview questions and even get hands-on faster.