CKA Curriculum
Certified Kubernetes Administrator - Demonstrate your ability to install, configure, and manage production-grade Kubernetes clusters
About CKA
Section titled “About CKA”The CKA is a hands-on, performance-based exam that validates your skills in Kubernetes administration and cluster management.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Performance-based (hands-on) |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Questions | 15-20 tasks |
| Passing Score | 66% |
| Validity | 3 years |
Curriculum Structure
Section titled “Curriculum Structure”| Part | Topic | Weight | Modules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 0 | Environment | - | 6 |
| Part 1 | Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration | 25% | 8 |
| Part 2 | Workloads & Scheduling | 15% | 8 |
| Part 3 | Services & Networking | 20% | 8 |
| Part 4 | Storage | 10% | 6 |
| Part 5 | Troubleshooting | 30% | 8 |
| Total | 100% | 44 |
Module Overview
Section titled “Module Overview”Part 0: Environment (6 modules)
Section titled “Part 0: Environment (6 modules)”- 0.1 Cluster Setup - Creating practice clusters
- 0.2 Shell Mastery - bash, aliases, autocompletion
- 0.3 Vim and YAML - Efficient editing
- 0.4 Kubernetes Documentation - Navigating docs
- 0.5 Exam Strategy - Three-pass approach
- Part 0 Cumulative Quiz
Part 1: Cluster Architecture (8 modules)
Section titled “Part 1: Cluster Architecture (8 modules)”- 1.1 Control Plane - API server, etcd, scheduler
- 1.2 Extension Interfaces - CNI, CSI, CRI
- 1.3 Helm - Package management
- 1.4 Kustomize - Configuration management
- 1.5 CRDs and Operators - Extending Kubernetes
- 1.6 RBAC - Access control
- 1.7 kubeadm - Cluster bootstrap and upgrades
- Part 1 Cumulative Quiz
Part 2: Workloads & Scheduling (8 modules)
Section titled “Part 2: Workloads & Scheduling (8 modules)”- 2.1 Pods - Core workload unit
- 2.2 Deployments - Application management
- 2.3 DaemonSets & StatefulSets - Specialized workloads
- 2.4 Jobs & CronJobs - Batch processing
- 2.5 Resource Management - Requests, limits, quotas
- 2.6 Scheduling - Node selection, affinity
- 2.7 ConfigMaps & Secrets - Configuration
- 2.8 Scheduler & Pod Lifecycle Theory
- 2.9 Autoscaling - HPA, VPA, metrics-server
- Part 2 Cumulative Quiz
Part 3: Services & Networking (8 modules)
Section titled “Part 3: Services & Networking (8 modules)”- 3.1 Services - ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer
- 3.2 Endpoints - Service backends
- 3.3 DNS - CoreDNS and service discovery
- 3.4 Ingress - HTTP routing
- 3.5 Gateway API - Next-gen ingress
- 3.6 Network Policies - Traffic control
- 3.7 CNI - Container networking
- Part 3 Cumulative Quiz
Part 4: Storage (6 modules)
Section titled “Part 4: Storage (6 modules)”- 4.1 Volumes - Storage basics
- 4.2 PV and PVC - Persistent storage
- 4.3 StorageClasses - Dynamic provisioning
- 4.4 Volume Snapshots - Backup and restore
- 4.5 Storage Troubleshooting - Common issues
- Part 4 Cumulative Quiz
Part 5: Troubleshooting (8 modules)
Section titled “Part 5: Troubleshooting (8 modules)”- 5.1 Methodology - Systematic approach
- 5.2 Application Failures - Pod and container issues
- 5.3 Control Plane - API server, etcd problems
- 5.4 Worker Nodes - kubelet, networking
- 5.5 Networking - DNS, connectivity
- 5.6 Services - Load balancing issues
- 5.7 Logging & Monitoring - Observability
- Part 5 Cumulative Quiz
How to Use This Curriculum
Section titled “How to Use This Curriculum”- Set up your environment - Complete Part 0 first
- Master the basics - Part 1 is foundational
- Practice troubleshooting - It’s 30% of the exam
- Use the three-pass strategy - Quick wins first
- Time yourself - Build exam speed
Key Skills
Section titled “Key Skills”- Cluster installation with kubeadm
- RBAC configuration
- Network policies
- Persistent storage
- Troubleshooting methodology
Start Learning
Section titled “Start Learning”Begin with Part 0 to set up your environment and learn exam strategies.
Good luck on your CKA journey!