Cloud Native Computing Foundation
Kubernetes and cloud native certifications, including the hands-on CKA, CKAD and CKS exams delivered in a live cluster.
CNCF certifications split cleanly into two formats. The flagship Kubernetes exams — CKA, CKAD and CKS — are performance-based: you are dropped into a real cluster with a task list and a browser terminal, and graded on what you actually build. The associate-level exams around them are multiple choice.
The performance exams allow access to the official Kubernetes documentation during the test, which sounds generous until you realise how much time searching costs. Candidates who pass comfortably are the ones who have internalised imperative kubectl commands and know which page they need before they open it.
The wider ecosystem now has its own associate credentials covering Prometheus, Istio, Argo, GitOps and OpenTelemetry, which make a reasonable on-ramp before the hands-on exams. Certifications are valid for two years.
Foundational2
Entry-level credentials that validate core concepts and vocabulary.
Associate6
Role-based credentials for practitioners with hands-on experience.
Professional2
Advanced credentials covering design, scale and trade-off decisions.
Filter by practice availability, category, level or exam code. Retired exams are hidden by default.
10 exams
2 with practice · 8 guide only
The benchmark Kubernetes administrator exam, taken entirely in a live cluster: architecture and installation, workloads and scheduling, networking, storage, and troubleshooting under time pressure.
The entry point to the cloud native ecosystem: Kubernetes fundamentals, container orchestration concepts, cloud native architecture, observability and application delivery.
The developer-focused Kubernetes lab exam: designing and building application workloads, configuring them, exposing them through services, and observing and debugging what you deploy.
The hardest of the Kubernetes lab exams: cluster hardening, system hardening, supply chain security, runtime security with behavioural tooling, and minimising microservice vulnerabilities.
Security fundamentals for Kubernetes: cluster component security, the cloud native threat model, platform security controls, and compliance frameworks for containerised platforms.
Monitoring fundamentals with Prometheus: observability concepts, Prometheus architecture and instrumentation, PromQL querying, and alerting and dashboarding practice.
GitOps principles and practice: declarative desired state, reconciliation loops, repository and environment strategy, and the security model around automated delivery.
Instrumentation with OpenTelemetry: the data model for traces, metrics and logs, the collector and its pipelines, instrumentation approaches, and maintaining telemetry quality.
Service mesh fundamentals with Istio: installation and configuration, traffic management, resilience and fault injection, securing service traffic, and mesh observability.
The Argo project family: Argo CD for GitOps delivery, Argo Workflows for pipelines, Argo Rollouts for progressive delivery, and Argo Events for event-driven automation.
How the CNCF ladder is structured, from entry point to the top tier.
Entry-level credentials that validate core concepts and vocabulary.
Role-based credentials for practitioners with hands-on experience.
Advanced credentials covering design, scale and trade-off decisions.
CNCF credentials that require more than one exam.
The CNCF recognition awarded for holding all five Kubernetes certifications — CKA, CKAD, CKS, KCNA and KCSA — at the same time.
CNCF
CNCF exams with an available question bank. Each bank shows its source, licence and answer-support coverage.
Categories and topics that run through the CNCF catalog.
This directory currently lists 10 CNCF exams across 3 levels (Foundational, Professional and Associate). CNCF adds and retires exams regularly, so treat this as a working map rather than a permanent one.
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer is the usual starting point — it is the most widely taken associate-level exam in the CNCF programme. The developer-focused Kubernetes lab exam: designing and building application workloads, configuring them, exposing them through services, and observing and debugging what you deploy.
The best-known active options in this directory include Certified Kubernetes Administrator, Certified Kubernetes Application Developer and Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist. Compare their levels, syllabus domains and role focus before choosing one.
Yes — 2 CNCF exams have 150 practice questions in total. 54 questions currently carry an explanation. Every bank is labelled with its source and licence; 1 community-contributed and 1 original banks are available.
15 categories · browse by technology · all providers