ConfigMaps: Creation, Mounting, and Live Updates

You edit a ConfigMap, wait a minute, and the pod still reads the old value. You check kubectl describe, the ConfigMap is updated. You exec into the container, cat the file, stale data. What gives?

The answer depends entirely on how the pod consumes the ConfigMap. Volume mounts get live updates. Environment variables do not. subPath mounts do not. And the delay when updates do propagate is longer than most people expect. Getting ConfigMaps right on the CKA means understanding these mechanics, not just knowing how to create one.