County architects debate stacked etcd on control-plane nodes versus an external etcd cluster for HA. What is the accurate admin-level distinction?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Stacked etcd is roommates—etcd lives on the same boxes as the control plane, simple but cozy. External etcd is a separate apartment—more moving parts, clearer blast radius. Neither magically deletes the need for quorum and backups; they just place the furniture differently.
Full Explanation
In stacked topology, etcd members run on control-plane nodes alongside apiserver. External etcd places members on dedicated hosts, isolating datastore failure domains from apiserver hosts at the cost of more infrastructure. CKA-level admins choose based on operational tradeoffs while still planning quorum and backup.