DCA Docker Certified Associate (DCA) Exam Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

When content trust is enabled, Docker blocks any command that operates on unsigned images, such as docker service create. This is because Docker Content Trust (DCT) allows users to verify the integrity and publisher of specific image tags, using digital signatures stored on a Notary server. If an image tag is not signed, or the signature cannot be verified, Docker will refuse to pull, run, or build with that image. Therefore, if myorg/myimage:1.0 is unsigned, Docker will block the command docker service create myorg/myimage:1.0 and display an error message. References:

Content trust in Docker

Docker Content Trust: What It Is and How It Secures Container Images

Automation with content trust

= The command ‘docker service create -name dns-cache -p 53:53/udp dns-cache’ is not correct and will not create a swarm service that only listens on port 53 using the UDP protocol. There are two errors in the command:

The option -name should be --name with two dashes, otherwise it will be interpreted as a short option -n followed by an argument ame1.

The option -p or --publish will publish the service port to the host port, which means the service will be reachable from outside the swarm2. To create a service that only listens on the internal network, you need to use the --publish-add option with the mode=ingress flag3.

The correct command should be:

docker service create --name dns-cache --publish-add mode=ingress,target=53,published=53,protocol=udp dns-cache

docker service create | Docker Docs

Publish ports on the host | Docker Docs

Publish a port for a service | Docker Docs

Label constraints can be used to schedule containers to meet the security policy requirements. Label constraints allow you to specify which nodes a service can run on based on the labels assigned to the nodes1. For example, you can label the nodes that are intended for development with env=dev and the nodes that are intended for production with env=prod. Then, you can use the --constraint flag when creating a service to restrict it to run only on nodes with a certain label value. For example, docker service create --name dev-app --constraint 'node.labels.env == dev' ... will create a service that runs only on development nodes2. Similarly, docker service create --name prod-app --constraint 'node.labels.env == prod' ... will create a service that runsonly on production nodes3. This way, you can ensure that development and production containers are running on separate nodes in a given Swarm cluster. References:

Add labels to swarm nodes

Using placement constraints with Docker Swarm

Multiple label placement constraints in docker swarm

= Multi-stage builds allow you to use multiple FROM statements in your Dockerfile, each starting a new stage of the build1. This can help you achieve better logical separation of Dockerfile instructions for increased readability, as well as other benefits such as smaller image size, faster build time, and reduced security risks23. By separating your Dockerfile into different stages, you can organize your instructions by their purpose, such as building, testing, or deploying your application. You can also copy only the artifacts you need from one stage to another, leaving behind the unnecessary dependencies or tools1. This can make your Dockerfile easier to read and maintain, as well as improve the performance and security of your final image. References:

Multi-stage builds | Docker Docs

What Are Multi-Stage Docker Builds? - How-To Geek

Multi-stage | Docker Docs

= Seccomp is a Linux kernel feature that allows you to restrict the actions available within the container. By using a seccomp profile, you can limit the system calls that a container can make, thus enhancing its security and isolation. Docker has a default seccomp profile that blocks some potentially dangerous system calls, such as mount, reboot, or ptrace. You can also pass a custom seccomp profile for a container using the --security-opt option. Seccomp can limit a container’s access to host resources, such as CPU or memory, by blocking or filtering system calls that affect those resources, such as setpriority, sched_setaffinity, or mlock. References:

Seccomp security profiles for Docker

Hardening Docker Container Using Seccomp Security Profile

 Capabilities are a Linux kernel feature that allows processes to perform some privileged operations without having the full power of the root user1. Docker uses capabilities to limit the access of containers to host resources, such as CPU or memory2. By default, Docker drops all capabilities except those needed for the container to function properly, using a whitelist approach3. This reduces the risk of a container compromising the host system or other containers. You can also add or remove capabilities to or from a container at runtime, using the --cap-add or --cap-drop options of the docker run command4. This gives you more control over the security and functionality of your containers. References:

Capabilities | dockerlabs

Docker run reference | Docker Docs

Docker Capabilities and no-new-privileges

Runtime privilege and Linux capabilities | Docker Docs

 Setting the log-driver and log-opt keys to values for the logging solution (Splunk) in the daemon.json file will configure a Docker container to export container logs to the logging solution. This is because the Splunk logging driver sends container logs to the HTTP EventCollector in Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud1. To use the Splunk driver as the default logging driver, set the keys log-driver and log-opts to appropriate values in the daemon.json configuration file and restart Docker1. To use the Splunk driver for a specific container, use thecommandline flags --log-driver and log-opt with docker run1. The Splunk logging driver supports various options, such as splunk-token, splunk-url, splunk-source, splunk-sourcetype, splunk-index, etc1. References: Splunk logging driver | Docker Docs1

= Scanning images to detect any security vulnerability is a function of UCP. UCP integrates with Docker Trusted Registry (DTR), which is a secure and scalable image storage solution1. DTR has a built-in image scanning feature that checks every layer of every image for known vulnerabilities and displays the results in the UCP web UI2. This helps users to identify and fix any security issues before deploying their applications. UCP also allows users to enforce security policies and only allow running applications that use images that are scanned and free of vulnerabilities3. References:

Docker Trusted Registry | Docker Docs

Scan images for vulnerabilities | Docker Docs

Manage images | Docker Docs

n: = Using the DTR web UI to make all tags in the repository immutable is not a good way to prevent an image, such as ‘nginx:latest’, from being overwritten by another user with push access to the repository. This is because making all tags immutable would prevent any updates to the images in the repository, which may not be desirable for some use cases. For example, if a user wants to push a new version of ‘nginx:latest’ with a security patch, they would not be able to do so if the tag is immutable. A better way to prevent an image from being overwritten by another user is to use the DTR web UI to create a promotion policy that restricts who can push to a specific tag or repository1. Alternatively, the user can also use the DTR API to create a webhook that triggers a custom action when an image is pushed to a repository2. References:

Prevent tags from being overwritten | Docker Docs

Create webhooks | Docker Docs

 The set of commands docker port inspect and docker container inspect will not identify the published port(s) for a container. The reason is that there is no such command as docker port inspect. The correct command to inspect the port mappings of a container is docker port1. The command docker container inspect can also show the port mappings of a container, but it will display a lot of other information as well, so it isnot as concise as docker port2. To identify the published port(s) for a container, you can use either of these commands:

docker port CONTAINER will list all the port mappings of the container1.

docker port CONTAINER PRIVATE_PORT will list only the port mapping of the specified private port of the container1.

docker container inspect --format=' { {.NetworkSettings.Ports}}' CONTAINER will list only the port mappings of the container in a JSON format23.

For example, if you have a container named web that publishes port 80 to port 8080 on the host, you can use any of these commands to identify the published port:

$ docker port web

80/tcp -> 0.0.0.0:8080

$ docker port web 80

0.0.0.0:8080

$ docker container inspect --format=' { {.NetworkSettings.Ports}}'web

map[80/tcp:[map[HostIp:0.0.0.0 HostPort:8080]]]

docker port

docker container inspect

How can I grab exposed port from inspecting docker container?

= This is a function of UCP, as it integrates with Docker Trusted Registry (DTR) to provide built-in security and access control for your images. DTR allows you to enforce security policies and only allow running applications that use Docker images you know and trust. You can sign your images with Docker Content Trust (DCT) to prove their authenticity and integrity. UCP will verify the signatures of the images before deploying them to the cluster12. References:

Universal Control Plane overview | dockerlabs

How to Sign Your Docker Images to Increase Trust - How-To Geek

The statement is correct. In the provided Kubernetes YAML, it’s defined that traffic sent to the IP of this service on port 8080 will be routed to port 80 in a random pod with the label app: nginx. This is because it’s a ClusterIP service type which is meant for internal communication within the cluster, and it uses selectors to route traffic to the correct pods. References: Docker Certified Associate Guide, DCA Prep Guide

 = The correct command to list all nodes in a swarm cluster from the command line is docker node ls, not docker swarm nodes. The docker node command allows you to manage nodes in a swarm, such as listing, inspecting, updating, or removingnodes1. The docker swarm command allows you to manage the swarm itself, such as initializing, joining, leaving, or updating the swarm2. References:

Manage nodes in a swarm | Docker Docs

Manage a swarm | Docker Docs

A Dockerfile is a text file that contains all the commands a user could run on the command line to create an image1. A Dockerfile is composed of instructions that specify the parent image, the packages to install, the files to copy, the ports to expose, and the commands to run2. A Dockerfile can be used to build a Docker image with the docker build command3. References:

Dockerfile reference | Docker Docs

What is a Dockerfile? A Step-by-Step Guide [2023 Updated] - Simplilearn

How to Build Docker Images with Dockerfile | Linuxize

 The statement is not entirely correct. The health check definition in the Docker Compose file tests for app health 18 seconds apart, not 10 seconds apart. Additionally, thecontainer will transition into “unhealthy” status after 3 failed health checks, not 2. References:

Docker Associate Resources and guides: 1 and 2

Docker Compose file reference: 3

I also noticed that you sent me an image with your message. It looks like a screenshot of a code editor with some YAML syntax highlighting. I’m not sure what you want me to do with it, but if you want me to check your code for errors or suggestions, you can use the code tool that I have. Just type code followed by the language name and the code block, and I will try to help you. For example:

code yaml version: ‘3.1’ services: app: image: app1.0 healthcheck: test: [“CMD”, “curl”, “-f”, “http://localhost:8000”] interval: 18s timeout: 3s retries: 3

 = The command kubectl get pods --all-namespaces -label env=development is not valid because it has a syntax error. The correct syntax for listing pods with a specific label is kubectl get pods --all-namespaces --selector label=value or kubectl get pods --all-namespaces -l label=value. The error in the command is:

The option flag for specifying the label selector is --selector or -l, not -label. For example, -label env=development should be --selector env=development or -l env=development.

The correct command for listing all the pods in the cluster that are labeled as env: development is:

kubectl get pods --all-namespaces --selector env=development

This command will display the name, status, restarts, and age of the pods that have the label env: development in all namespaces.

 Labels | Kube by Example : kubectl Cheat Sheet | Kubernetes

 In the context of a swarm mode cluster, an instance of the Docker engine participating in the swarm is indeed a node1. A node can be either a manager or a worker, depending on the role assigned by the swarm manager2. A manager node handles the orchestration and management of the swarm, while a worker node executes the tasks assigned by the manager2. A node can join or leave a swarm at any time, and the swarm manager will reconcile the desired state of the cluster accordingly1. References:

1: Swarm mode overview | Docker Docs

2: Manage nodes in a swarm | Docker Docs

Using either EXPOSE or -publish to access the container on the bridge network will not accomplish the goal of creating a container that is reachable from its host’s network. EXPOSE is a way of documenting which ports a container listens on, but it does not open any ports to the host1. -publish (or -p) is a way of mapping a host port to a container port, but it does not change the network mode of the container2. By default, Docker containers use the bridge network, which isolates them from the host network3. To create a container that is reachable from its host’s network, you need to usethe --network host option when running the container4. This will make the container share the host’s network stack and have the same IP address as the host4. References:

1: Difference Between “expose” and “publish” in Docker | Baeldung on Ops

2: Deploy services to a swarm | Docker Docs

3: Bridge network | Docker Docs

4: Host network | Docker Docs

= The command docker service create --network --secure will not ensure that overlay traffic between service tasks is encrypted. This is because the --secure option is not a valid option for the docker service create command1. To ensure that overlay traffic between service tasks is encrypted, you need to use the --opt encrypted option when creating the overlay network with the docker network create command2. For example, to create an encrypted overlay network named my-net, you can use the following command:

docker network create --driver overlay --opt encrypted my-net

Then, you can use the --network my-net option when creating the service with the docker service create command3. For example, to create a service named my-service using the nginx image and the my-net network, you can use the following command:

docker service create --name my-service --network my-net nginx

docker service create | Docker Docs

Use overlay networks | Docker Docs

Create a service | Docker Docs