Preparing for the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) in 2024

What is CKAD?

CKAD is known as the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer certification, offered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and developed by the Linux Foundation. It is a highly regarded certification course that focuses on developing applications for Kubernetes. It verifies one’s knowledge in building, configuring, designing, and exposing cloud-native applications for Kubernetes. This certification plays a crucial role in the industry in today’s era, providing individuals with the understanding, skills, and experience needed to excel as Kubernetes application developers. Holding a CKAD certification can significantly brighten your career and help you grasp the basics of Kubernetes.

Essentially, this certificate is designed for Kubernetes engineers, IT professionals, and cloud engineers who need to create, deploy, build, and configure cloud-native applications with Kubernetes. The exam is held for two hours online and includes a set of practice questions. During the exam, you will gain knowledge about container runtimes and microservices architecture.

To understand this certification better, it’s essential to have a good grasp of Kubernetes.

What is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes is an open-source and widely popular container orchestration platform available as a service from various cloud providers. The term “Kubernetes” is derived from Greek and means “helmsman.” It was originally developed by Google in 2014 to automate the deployment and management of applications running inside containers. Kubernetes seamlessly works with modern container technologies like Docker, making it easy to manage applications across different environments. One essential concept in Kubernetes is the “pod,” which comprises multiple containers, facilitating resource sharing and network connectivity. It also allows you to configure secrets and variables that can be introduced into containers on the fly.

Course Curriculum For CKAD Certification

The CKAD certification course covers various topics, including:

1. Core Concepts:
   • Understanding Kubernetes API primitives.
   • Grasping the Kubernetes architecture.
   • Learning how to access the API.
2. Configuration:
   • Understanding ConfigMaps and Secrets.
   • Understanding Security Contexts.
   • Defining application resource requirements.
   • Creating and using ConfigMaps.
   • Defining an application’s security context.
3. Multi-Container Pods:
   • Understanding multi-container Pod design patterns.
   • Use cases for multi-container Pods.
4. Pod Design:
   • Learning how to use Labels, Selectors, and Annotations.
   • Understanding Deployments and performing rolling updates.
   • Understanding Deployments and performing rollbacks.
   • Understanding Jobs and Cron Jobs.
5. Services and Networking:
   • Understanding Services.
   • Demonstrating a basic understanding of Network Policies.
6. Storage:
   • Understanding persistent volume claims for storage.
   • Grasping access modes for volumes.
   • Understanding Persistent Volume (PV) and Persistent Volume Claim (PVC).
   • Understanding storage classes.
7. Troubleshooting:
   • Troubleshooting application failures.
   • Troubleshooting control plane failures.
   • Troubleshooting worker node failures.
   • Understanding how to monitor applications.
8. Application Lifecycle Management:
   • Learning how to scale applications.
   • Understanding how to roll back deployments.
   • Knowing various ways to configure applications.

Benefits Of CKAD

The CKAD certification offers several benefits, including:

1. Salary Enhancement: While there are many non-certified counterparts, holding a CKAD certification can significantly enhance your salary. This certification demonstrates your knowledge and practical experience, making you a valuable asset and enabling contributions to open-source projects related to Kubernetes, which can further boost your salary potential and reputation.
2. Skill Improvement: CKAD certification ensures a high level of expertise and confirms your practical knowledge and skills in Kubernetes. It provides an indication of your ability to work with developing containerized and Kubernetes applications, which is highly important for clients and employers.
3. Industry Recognition: This certification is recognized in the industry and holds a significant role within the Kubernetes community and the cloud-native ecosystem. Employers often seek candidates with this certification.
4. Confidence Building: Passing the CKAD exam signifies that you possess the skills related to Kubernetes and the ability to manage and develop applications on Kubernetes, boosting your confidence to apply your knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios. The exam closely simulates practical tasks in a live Kubernetes environment.
5. Personal Growth: Having a CKAD certification is a personal achievement that showcases your dedication to continuous learning and skill development. Preparing for the CKAD exam involves practice, study, and a deep understanding of container orchestration and Kubernetes, contributing to your personal growth by enhancing your skillset and knowledge.

Conclusion: CKAD certification is a smart move in the world of cloud-native development. It not only imparts knowledge of Kubernetes but also has the potential to increase your earning potential and career prospects. This article highlights the benefits of CKAD certification, including confidence building, personal growth, skill improvement, and salary enhancement.