Extending Kubernetes
Build ON Kubernetes, not just USE it.
This track is for engineers who need to extend the Kubernetes platform itself — writing custom controllers, operators, admission webhooks, and scheduler plugins. It’s the difference between a K8s user and a K8s platform builder.
All modules include real, compilable Go code.
Modules
Section titled “Modules”| # | Module | Time | What You’ll Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | API & Extensibility Architecture | 3h | Go program with client-go Informer |
| 1.2 | CRDs Deep Dive | 3h | Complex CRD with validation, versioning, subresources |
| 1.3 | Controllers with client-go | 5h | Custom controller from scratch (no frameworks) |
| 1.4 | Kubebuilder & Operators | 4h | Scaffolded Operator with Reconciler |
| 1.5 | Advanced Operator Development | 5h | Finalizers, Conditions, Events, envtest |
| 1.6 | Admission Webhooks | 4h | Sidecar-injecting mutating webhook |
| 1.7 | Scheduler Plugins | 4h | Custom Score plugin + secondary scheduler |
| 1.8 | API Aggregation | 5h | Extension API Server |
Total time: ~33 hours
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”- CKA certification or equivalent Kubernetes experience
- Go programming (basic to intermediate)
- CKA Module 1.5: CRDs & Operators is the intro — this goes much deeper