About CKAD Exam
About the Linux Foundation CKAD Exam
The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam, offered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) in collaboration with the Linux Foundation, is a hands-on performance-based test for developers working with Kubernetes. It validates the skills necessary to design, build, and run applications on Kubernetes clusters using core primitives.
CKAD focuses specifically on developers’ ability to deploy cloud-native applications in a Kubernetes environment. Candidates are tested on real-time problem-solving within a command-line interface. It’s one of the few industry certifications requiring live coding, which makes it both challenging and respected.
Who Should Take the CKAD Exam?
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Application developers working in DevOps, SRE, or cloud-native teams
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Software engineers involved in microservices and containerized deployments
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Technical professionals migrating monolithic apps to Kubernetes
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Developers preparing for higher-level Kubernetes or cloud architecture roles
Why CKAD Is Highly Valued
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Demonstrates ability to write and troubleshoot Kubernetes-native apps
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Recognized by organizations using Kubernetes for container orchestration
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Strengthens skills in YAML, kubectl, Helm, and workload orchestration
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Focuses on real application design patterns like ConfigMaps, Secrets, and Probes
Exam Overview and Format
Exam Component |
Details |
---|---|
Exam Code |
CKAD |
Certification Body |
CNCF / Linux Foundation |
Format |
Performance-based, CLI-based hands-on tasks |
Duration |
2 hours |
Number of Tasks |
~15–20 performance tasks |
Scoring Criteria |
Weighted by difficulty and task type |
Passing Score |
66% |
Exam Delivery |
Online, proctored, open-book (Kubernetes docs allowed) |
Exam Cost |
$395 USD |
Domains and Skill Areas Covered
Domain |
Weight (%) |
---|---|
Core Concepts |
13% |
Configuration |
18% |
Multi-Container Pods |
10% |
Observability |
18% |
Pod Design |
20% |
Services & Networking |
13% |
State Persistence |
8% |
Skills You’ll Demonstrate
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Creating Pods, Deployments, Jobs, and CronJobs
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Managing application configuration with ConfigMaps and Secrets
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Debugging containers and analyzing application behavior using logs and probes
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Exposing applications through services, ingress, and DNS
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Working with persistent volumes and StatefulSets for storage handling
Why Developers Are Choosing CKAD in 2025
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Growing demand for containerized solutions across all industries
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DevOps teams increasingly use Kubernetes as the default orchestration platform
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CKAD complements CI/CD workflows, GitOps, and microservices pipelines
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It’s an excellent precursor to CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) or CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist)
Career Opportunities Post-CKAD
Job Role |
Responsibilities |
Average Salary (USD) |
---|---|---|
Kubernetes Developer |
Builds, deploys, and manages K8s-native applications |
$110,000 |
DevOps Engineer |
Automates deployment and scaling in K8s environments |
$120,000 |
Site Reliability Engineer |
Ensures high availability and observability of apps |
$130,000 |
Platform Engineer |
Maintains developer platforms built on Kubernetes |
$125,000 |
Cloud Native Application Lead |
Guides teams on cloud-native design using K8s principles |
$135,000 |
Why Cert Empire for CKAD Preparation
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