The kubelet is a critical Kubernetes component that runs on every worker node and acts as the primary execution agent for Pods. Its core responsibility is to ensure that the containers defined in Pod specifications are running and remain healthy on the node, making option C the correct answer.
Once the Kubernetes scheduler assigns a Pod to a specific node, the kubelet on that node becomes responsible for carrying out the desired state described in the Pod specification. It continuously watches the API server for Pods assigned to its node and communicates with the container runtime (such as containerd or CRI-O) to start, stop, and restart containers as needed. The kubelet does not make scheduling decisions; it simply executes them.
Health management is another key responsibility of the kubelet. It runs liveness, readiness, and startup probes as defined in the Pod specification. If a container fails a liveness probe, the kubelet restarts it. If a readiness probe fails, the kubelet marks the Pod as not ready, preventing traffic from being routed to it. The kubelet also reports detailed Pod and node status information back to the API server, enabling controllers to take corrective actions when necessary.
Option A is incorrect because persistent volume provisioning and data replication are handled by storage systems, CSI drivers, and controllers—not by the kubelet. Option B is incorrect because cluster state management and scheduling are responsibilities of control plane components such as the API server, controller manager, and kube-scheduler. Option D is incorrect because DNS resolution and service traffic routing are handled by components like CoreDNS and kube-proxy.
In summary, the kubelet serves as the node-level guardian of Kubernetes workloads. By ensuring containers are running exactly as specified and continuously reporting their health and status, the kubelet forms the essential bridge between Kubernetes’ declarative control plane and the actual execution of applications on worker nodes.
