Kubernetes Certification Preparation

The CNCF offers several certifications to validate your Kubernetes knowledge. This section helps you prepare for the three core exams:

Each guide includes:

  • Core topics you need to master
  • Trusted resources and courses
  • Practical exam tips and environment setup

Exam Overview

Cert Duration Format Focus Area
CKA 2 hours Hands-on lab Cluster operations, admin
CKAD 2 hours Hands-on lab App design, deployment
CKS 2 hours Hands-on lab Security and hardening

General Advice

  • Practice in a real cluster - don’t rely only on theory
  • Learn to navigate kubectl quickly - alias everything
  • Master vim, tmux, and kubectl explain
  • Use tab-complete and kubectl -h constantly
  • Use --dry-run=client -o yaml for rapid manifest generation

Resources

Books

Book Title Link
Kubernetes Up & Running Kubernetes Up & Running
The Kubernetes Book The Kubernetes Book
Certified Kubernetes Administrator Study Guide Certified Kubernetes Administrator Study Guide
Quick Start Kubernetes Quick Start Kubernetes
Networking & Kubernetes Networking & Kubernetes
Kubernetes Best Practices Kubernetes Best Practices
The Book of Kubernetes The Book of Kubernetes

Documentation

Description Link
Official Kubernetes documentation Kubernetes Documentation

Online Courses

Course Link
CKA Course on Udemy CKA Course on Udemy
CKAD Design & Build on Pluralsight CKAD Design & Build on Pluralsight

Practice Labs

Description Link
Katacoda Katacoda
Play with Kubernetes Play with Kubernetes
Killer Shell killer.sh

Note: You’ll have access to kubernetes.io/docs and github.com/kubernetes during the exam.

Ready to Dive In?

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