Kubernetes Certification Promotions [Updated 2023 April]

April Sale – The Linux Foundation Promotion – Save up to 30% OFF

Get up to 30% OFF (Sitewide) on CKA, CKAD, CKS, and KCNA certification exams, courses, bundles or boot camps.

Use the code APRIL23 at checkout.

Choose Your Track for Certification

Okay, I am not an expert to advise you to choose your track as we all know Kubernetes have three tracks and you need to decide which one you want to go.

Kubernetes Administrator

If you are an Infra guy like Linux Engineer or Systems Engineer, then you can go for Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) track, as you will learn end-to-end Kubernetes architecture and operations.

Use the code TECHBEATLY15 at checkout to get a 15% OFF

Kubernetes Application Developer

Okay, I understood that you are a developer and you are not going to manage the Kubernetes infrastructure or cluster but just deploy and manage your application. Well, then you go for Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) track, as it will just cover what you need to deploy and manage applications in a Kubernetes cluster.

Use the code TECHBEATLY15 at checkout to get a 15% OFF

Kubernetes Security Expert

If you are from the Security track and handling all security-related operations, then the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) exam is the one you have to choose. You will be assessed for security hardening, cluster hardening, vulnerability management and other logging/monitoring-related topics.

Use the code TECHBEATLY15 at checkout to get a 15% OFF

Final thought

Since the tracks and topics are “tightly coupled” or almost the same, it would be great to get multiple certifications (eg: CKA + CKAD or CKA + CKS etc) as it won’t take much effort to get the second one. Yes, only if you are interested and okay to spend money on that; my opinion only.

Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)

This is the foundational exam to understand and validate your core knowledge in Kubernetes. This is not a mandatory exam but if you are a person who needs to know Kubernetes and validate the knowledge then you can get this certification rather than going for advanced certifications such as CKA, CKAD or CKS.

Use the code TECHBEATLY15 at checkout to get a 15% OFF

Recommended Courses

Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) – KodeKloud – by Mumshad Mannambeth)
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) with Practice Tests – by Mumshad Mannambeth – Udemy

Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)

• Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) – by Mumshad Mannambeth
• Kubernetes Certified Application Developer (CKAD) with Tests – by Mumshad Mannambeth – Udemy

Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)

• Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) – by Mumshad Mannambeth
• Kubernetes CKS 2021 Complete Course – Theory – Practice – by Kim Wüstkamp – Udemy

Also, see CKS – Challenges by Kodekloud – This series consists of a set of complex challenges that will assist you in mastering Kubernetes Security concepts and getting ready for the coveted Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist Certification.

Learn Kubernetes from Experts

Just want to learn Kubernetes as beginner ? Check this Kubernetes for the Absolute Beginners (With Hands-on) from KodeKloud.

CKA/CKS/CKAD Top Resources

• 10 Tips for CKA, CKAD, and CKS Exams
• 5 Mistakes You Should Avoid During Kubernetes Exam
• CKA, CKAD, CKS Learning Path
• OpenShift/Kubernetes CLI Cheatsheet
• kubectl cheatsheet
• Open Source Curriculum for CNCF Certification Courses – Find the latest version of the curriculum for the CKA/CKAD/CKS exams (CNCF)
• CKA & CKAD Exam Tips (Linux Foundation)
• Frequently Asked Questions: CKA and CKAD & CKS (Linux Foundation)
• Candidate Handbook (Linux Foundation)
• Kubernetes Certification Exam Environment Preview (YouTube)
• CKS CKA CKAD Exam Simulator – by Killer.sh
• Exam Compatibility Check Tool – Ensure you have done this before planning or scheduling exams.

Kubernetes Learning Resources

Below are some of the free (most of them) resources to learn Kubernetes from scratch. Some of them will talk in detail about Kubernetes concepts but some will explain using practical sessions.

• Learn Kubernetes by Example (Red Hat): Check Learning Kubernetes basics and this article for more details.
• Free Kubernetes Training – by kasten.io

Practising Kubernetes

You will not be able to learn Kubernetes by just reading the documentation, or watching videos or course materials. You need to practice as much as possible using available labs or your own lab arrangements. Below are some of the lab resources you can refer to practice.

• Configure Kubernetes from scratch on GCP – Kubernetes-the-hard-way
• Configure Kubernetes from scratch on VirtualBox –Kubernetes-the-hard-way
• Kubernetes cluster with Vagrant and Ansible
• Kubernetes cluster with Kubespray
• Installing minikube with Vagrant and Ansible | Video
• Practice free Kubernetes Lab from Katacoda – Learn Kubernetes using Interactive Browser-Based Scenarios (Katacoda has ended public service)
• Kubernetes Playground in Katacoda (Katacoda has ended public service)
• Play with Kubernetes – A simple, interactive and fun playground to learn Kubernetes
• Play with Kubernetes Classroom – Free Kubernetes Hands-on Workshops
• Amazon EKS Workshop – (Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service) In this workshop, you will explore multiple ways to configure VPC, ALB, and EC2 Kubernetes workers, and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service.
• EKS ANYWHERE – EKS Anywhere can be deployed as a simple, unsupported local environment or as a production-quality environment that can become a supported on-premises Kubernetes platform.

Articles on Kubernetes and OpenShift