CNCF / The Linux Foundation

CKA

Certified Kubernetes Administrator

A hands-on, performance-based certification proving you can operate production Kubernetes clusters. One of the most demanded credentials for DevOps, platform, and SRE roles.

$4452 hours

What's on the exam

CKA curriculum (2024 update)

Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration

25%

Role-based access control (RBAC) · Installing clusters with kubeadm · Cluster lifecycle and version upgrades · etcd backup and restore · Extension interfaces (CNI, CSI, CRI) · Helm and Kustomize

Workloads and Scheduling

15%

Deployments, rolling updates, and rollbacks · ConfigMaps and Secrets · Workload autoscaling · Pod scheduling (limits, affinity, taints) · Self-healing application primitives

Services and Networking

20%

Pod-to-pod connectivity · Service types (ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer) · Gateway API and Ingress · Network policies · CoreDNS

Storage

10%

Storage classes · Persistent volumes and claims · Volume types and access modes · Dynamic volume provisioning

Troubleshooting

30%

Cluster and node troubleshooting · Monitoring cluster components · Container output streams and logs · Diagnosing application failures · Troubleshooting services and networking

Frequently asked questions

How much does the CKA cost?

The CKA costs $445. Includes one free retake and a practice environment; frequent discount promotions.

How long is the CKA and how many questions does it have?

15–20 hands-on tasks — 2 hours.

What do you need to pass the CKA?

66%.

Can you retake the CKA?

One free retake included with registration.

What is the best way to study for the CKA?

Study the official blueprint, not random material: the exam is weighted by domain (Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration 25%, Workloads and Scheduling 15%, Services and Networking 20%, Storage 10%, Troubleshooting 30%). Spaced-repetition flashcards built domain-by-domain against that blueprint are the most time-efficient way to cover everything the exam tests.

Program in development

We're building a blueprint-complete program for this exam. Meanwhile, explore live programs across 7 exam.

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