Ingress vs LoadBalancer Service decision in Kubernetes - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to create a LoadBalancer service in Kubernetes.

Kubernetes

kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: my-service
spec:
  type: [1]
  selector:
    app: my-app
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 80
      targetPort: 8080

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AExternalName

BLoadBalancer

CNodePort

DClusterIP

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing ClusterIP does not expose the service externally.

The LoadBalancer type exposes the service externally using a cloud provider's load balancer.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to define an Ingress resource for routing HTTP traffic.

Kubernetes

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
spec:
  rules:
  - host: example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: [1]
            port:
              number: 80

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amy-deployment

Bmy-pod

Cmy-node

Dmy-service

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using pod or node names instead of service names.

The Ingress backend must point to a service name, not pods or nodes.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the service type to expose the app externally.

Kubernetes

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: web-service
spec:
  type: [1]
  selector:
    app: web
  ports:
    - port: 80
      targetPort: 8080

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AClusterIP

BNodePort

CLoadBalancer

DHeadless

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using ClusterIP or NodePort when external load balancer is needed.

To expose the service externally with a cloud load balancer, use LoadBalancer type.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create an Ingress rule that routes traffic to the correct service and port.

Kubernetes

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: app-ingress
spec:
  rules:
  - host: app.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /app
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: [1]
            port:
              number: [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aapp-service

Bbackend-service

C80

D8080

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong service name or port number.

The Ingress routes to app-service on port 80.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to define a LoadBalancer service with the correct selector and port.

Kubernetes

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: [1]
spec:
  type: LoadBalancer
  selector:
    app: [2]
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: [3]
      targetPort: 8080

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Afrontend-service

Bfrontend

C80

Dbackend

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mismatching service name and selector labels.

The service is named frontend-service, selects pods labeled frontend, and exposes port 80.

Practice

1. Which Kubernetes service type should you choose if you want to expose a single application with its own external IP address?

easy

A. LoadBalancer Service

B. Ingress Controller

C. ClusterIP Service

D. NodePort Service

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand service types

   LoadBalancer Service exposes an app with its own external IP, making it directly accessible.

2. Step 2: Compare with Ingress

   Ingress routes multiple apps through one IP, so it's not for single app direct exposure.

3. Final Answer:

   LoadBalancer Service -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Single app direct IP = LoadBalancer Service [OK]

Hint: Single app direct IP? Use LoadBalancer Service [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Ingress with LoadBalancer for single app
• Choosing ClusterIP which is internal only
• Selecting NodePort which exposes on node ports, not external IP

2. Which of the following is the correct way to define a LoadBalancer service in a Kubernetes YAML manifest?

easy

A. apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1\nkind: LoadBalancer\nmetadata:\n name: my-service\nspec:\n selector:\n app: my-app\n ports:\n - protocol: TCP\n port: 80\n targetPort: 8080

B. apiVersion: v1\nkind: Service\nmetadata:\n name: my-service\nspec:\n type: Ingress\n selector:\n app: my-app\n ports:\n - protocol: TCP\n port: 80\n targetPort: 8080

C. apiVersion: v1\nkind: Service\nmetadata:\n name: my-service\nspec:\n type: NodePort\n selector:\n app: my-app\n ports:\n - protocol: TCP\n port: 80\n targetPort: 8080

D. apiVersion: v1\nkind: Service\nmetadata:\n name: my-service\nspec:\n type: LoadBalancer\n selector:\n app: my-app\n ports:\n - protocol: TCP\n port: 80\n targetPort: 8080

Solution

1. Step 1: Check apiVersion and kind

   Service resources use apiVersion: v1 and kind: Service.

2. Step 2: Confirm service type

   LoadBalancer type is set under spec.type to expose external IP.

3. Final Answer:

   YAML with kind Service and type LoadBalancer -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   LoadBalancer service YAML uses kind Service and type LoadBalancer [OK]

Hint: LoadBalancer service uses kind Service and type LoadBalancer [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using kind LoadBalancer instead of Service
• Setting type to Ingress which is invalid for Service
• Confusing NodePort with LoadBalancer

3. Given this scenario: You have two apps, app1 and app2, and want to expose both externally using one IP with different paths. Which Kubernetes resource will handle this correctly?

medium

A. Two LoadBalancer Services, one for each app

B. One Ingress resource with path rules for app1 and app2

C. Two NodePort Services with different ports

D. One ClusterIP Service with multiple selectors

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand routing multiple apps on one IP

   Ingress allows routing multiple apps through one IP using path or hostname rules.

2. Step 2: Compare with LoadBalancer and others

   LoadBalancer exposes one app per IP; NodePort uses node ports, not one IP; ClusterIP is internal only.

3. Final Answer:

   One Ingress resource with path rules -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple apps, one IP = Ingress with path rules [OK]

Hint: Multiple apps, one IP? Use Ingress with paths [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using multiple LoadBalancers wasting IPs
• Choosing NodePort which needs manual port management
• Thinking ClusterIP exposes externally

4. You created a LoadBalancer service but it never gets an external IP assigned. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. You forgot to set spec.type to ClusterIP

B. Ingress controller is missing

C. Your Kubernetes cluster is running on a platform without LoadBalancer support

D. You used NodePort instead of LoadBalancer

Solution

1. Step 1: Check platform support for LoadBalancer

   Some clusters (like bare metal) do not support automatic external IP assignment for LoadBalancer services.

2. Step 2: Verify service type and controller

   Spec.type must be LoadBalancer, not ClusterIP; Ingress controller is unrelated; NodePort is different service type.

3. Final Answer:

   Platform lacks LoadBalancer support -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   No external IP = platform lacks LoadBalancer support [OK]

Hint: No external IP? Check platform LoadBalancer support [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing ClusterIP with LoadBalancer type
• Assuming Ingress controller assigns LoadBalancer IP
• Mixing NodePort with LoadBalancer service

5. You want to minimize cloud costs while exposing 5 different apps externally. Which approach is best?

hard

A. Use one Ingress resource to route all 5 apps through a single LoadBalancer IP

B. Use ClusterIP services and expose each with a separate external IP

C. Use 5 NodePort services and expose nodes directly

D. Create 5 LoadBalancer services, one per app

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cost implications of LoadBalancer IPs

   Each LoadBalancer service usually gets a separate external IP, increasing cloud costs.

2. Step 2: Use Ingress for cost efficiency

   Ingress lets multiple apps share one external IP with routing rules, saving costs.

3. Final Answer:

   One Ingress resource with single LoadBalancer IP -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple apps, minimize cost = Ingress with one LoadBalancer IP [OK]

Hint: Multiple apps, one IP saves cost: use Ingress [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Creating multiple LoadBalancers wasting IPs and money
• Using NodePort exposes nodes, less secure and complex
• ClusterIP cannot expose apps externally