CNCF / Developer / CKAD
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
Design container workloads, deliver changes and diagnose application behavior in a Kubernetes terminal.
Scope: CNCF v1.37 curriculum. Linux Foundation's candidate FAQ lists Kubernetes v1.37 on 10 October 2026; check again before booking. This is one of the five Kubestronaut certifications. Rehearse this performance exam in a disposable cluster. Curriculum: CNCF, CC BY 4.0.
THE REVISION PATH
Your topics, in order.
Read. Recall. Explain the alternative.
Workloads, Scheduling and Self-Healing
Requests place; limits constrain; probes decide.
Volumes, Claims and Storage Classes
Claim requests; class provisions; policy reclaims.
Images, Container Commands and Pod Patterns
One Pod shares a lifecycle; one image should have one clear purpose.
Deployment Strategies, Helm and Kustomize
Render the intent, inspect the diff, verify the rollout.
Troubleshooting Under Time Pressure
Context first; events next; change one cause.
Services, DNS and Network Policy
Selector finds endpoints; policy permits the path.
Application Permissions, Admission and API Changes
Authentication identifies; RBAC permits; admission validates.
How this guide is organised
Original revision notes arranged around practical decisions. The linked official objectives define the mapped scope; primary documentation supports the explanations. Read each topic, answer without looking, then explain why another option would fail.
- Official exam guide ↗ Scope authority
Revision material supports preparation; it does not guarantee every possible exam question. Check the exam version and official objectives before booking.