Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam certifies that candidates can design, build and deploy cloud-native applications for Kubernetes. The CKAD was created by the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as a part of their ongoing effort to help develop the Kubernetes ecosystem. The exam is online, proctored, performance-based test that requires solving multiple tasks from a command line running Kubernetes.

Open new career doors Now! Prove your Kubernetes & cloud native developer skills with the CKAD certification that is recognized globally, vendor-neutral, and relevant across all industries.

Candidates who pass CKAD will demonstrate proficiency in working with OCI-compliant container images, applying cloud-native application concepts and architectures, as well as handling and validating Kubernetes resource definitions.

The CKAD Certification focuses on the skills required to be a successful Kubernetes Application Developer in industry today. The exam assumes working knowledge of container runtimes and microservice architecture.

Earning the CKAD supports your career advancement, delivers industry-wide recognition of your professional credential, verifies your practical technical skills, and grants you access to valuable professional networking opportunities within the cloud-native community.

Networking Opportunities

Application Design and Build - 20%

Define, build and modify container images

Choose and use the right workload resource (Deployment, DaemonSet, CronJob, etc.)

Understand multi-container Pod design patterns (e.g. sidecar, init and others)

Utilize persistent and ephemeral volumes

Application Deployment - 20%

Use Kubernetes primitives to implement common deployment strategies (e.g. blue/green or canary)

Understand Deployments and how to perform rolling updates

Use the Helm package manager to deploy existing packages

Kustomize

Application Observability and Maintenance - 15%

Understand API deprecations

Implement probes and health checks

Use built-in CLI tools to monitor Kubernetes applications

Utilize container logs

Debugging in Kubernetes

Application Environment, Configuration and Security - 25%

Discover and use resources that extend Kubernetes (CRD, Operators)

Understand authentication, authorization and admission control

Understand requests, limits, quotas

Understand ConfigMaps

Define resource requirements

Create & consume Secrets

Understand ServiceAccounts

Understand Application Security (SecurityContexts, Capabilities, etc.)

Services and Networking - 20%

Demonstrate basic understanding of NetworkPolicies

Provide and troubleshoot access to applications via services

Use Ingress rules to expose applications

The exam is based on Kubernetes v1.35.

The CKAD exam environment will be aligned with the most recent K8s minor version within approximately 4 to 8 weeks of the K8s release date.

How to register & take exam: TBC (Link to FAQ pages of the website)

Candidate Handbook: https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/lf-handbook2

Curriculum Overview: https://github.com/cncf/curriculum/blob/master/CKAD_Curriculum_v1.35.pdf

Exam Tips: https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/tips-cka-and-ckad

Frequently Asked Questions: https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/faq-cka-ckad-cks

Linux Foundation Global Certification and Confidentiality Agreement: https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/lf-cert-agreement

Verify Certification: https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/verify/