You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
LINUX FOUNDATIONCertified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification validates your ability to design, build, configure, and expose cloud-native applications for Kubernetes. It is aimed at developers who work with container images, microservices, and Kubernetes resource definitions. Earning CKAD proves you can apply cloud-native concepts and troubleshoot real-world application deployments in a live cluster environment.
Exam formatPerformance-based tasks solved in a command line
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryLinux Foundation
Free questions363
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
5domains
17objectives
126concepts
$445exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
Hands-on practical exam — no multiple-choice questions
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) is graded entirely on tasks you perform in a live environment, so there is no multiple-choice practice bank. To prepare: practice each objective hands-on in a real sandbox or lab; drill the key commands and workflows until they are second nature; work through timed task scenarios and verify your end state; and review the official documentation for every objective. The full objective breakdown is in the Curriculum tab.
About this certification
The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification, created by the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), validates that you can design, build, and deploy cloud-native applications for Kubernetes. The exam is a performance-based, online proctored test where you solve a set of tasks directly from a command line running Kubernetes, demonstrating practical skills that go beyond multiple-choice knowledge.
Earning CKAD proves you are comfortable working with OCI-compliant container images, applying cloud-native application concepts and architectures, and working with and validating Kubernetes resource definitions. The certification is globally recognized, vendor-neutral, and relevant across all industries, making it a strong credential for Kubernetes application developers seeking career advancement and industry-wide recognition.
Who it’s for
This certification is for Kubernetes application developers who design, build, and deploy cloud-native applications. It is ideal for developers who work with container runtimes and microservice architectures and want to validate their hands-on skills in a real Kubernetes environment. The successful candidate is comfortable working with container images, applying cloud-native concepts, and using Kubernetes primitives to deploy and manage applications. The exam assumes working knowledge of container runtimes and microservice architecture, and rewards practical problem-solving over theoretical knowledge.
Recommended experience
Working knowledge of container runtimes and microservice architecture, with hands-on experience using Kubernetes to deploy and manage applications. Experience working with OCI-compliant container images; Familiarity with cloud-native application concepts and architectures; Ability to work with and validate Kubernetes resource definitions; Comfort using the command line to interact with a Kubernetes cluster
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective Linux Foundation measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official Linux Foundation exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Application Design and Build
- Define, build and modify container images
- Choose and use the right workload resource (Deployment, DaemonSet, CronJob, etc.)
- Understand multi-container Pod design patterns (e.g. sidecar, init and others)
- Utilize persistent and ephemeral volumes
Application Deployment
- Use Kubernetes primitives to implement common deployment strategies (e.g. blue/green or canary)
- Understand Deployments and how to perform rolling updates
- Use the Helm package manager to deploy existing packages
- Understand API depreciations
Application Observability and Maintenance
- Implement probes and health checks
- Use built-in CLI tools to monitor Kubernetes applications
- Utilize container logs
- Debugging in Kubernetes
Application Environment, Configuration and Security
- Exposing Applications
- Kubernetes Security
- Application Configuration
- Extending Kubernetes
Services and Networking
- Kustomize
On the day
The exam itself
Everything Linux Foundation publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationCertified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
Exam formatPerformance-based tasks solved in a command line
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryLinux Foundation
LanguagesEnglish, Japanese
Pricing$445
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path Linux Foundation lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
Credential earnedCertified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) Certification Renewal and maintenance
Certifications must be renewed to stay current. The CKAD certification is valid for 3 years from the date of passing the exam. Renewal requires passing the current version of the CKAD exam again. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. Linux Foundation maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by Linux Foundation
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Linux Foundation, Linux Foundation’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official Linux Foundation certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the CKAD exam relate to the CKA or CKS certifications?
CKAD focuses on application development skills, while CKA covers administrator tasks and CKS focuses on security. They are separate certifications, and CKAD does not require CKA as a prerequisite. However, CKS requires holding the CKA credential.
Is the CKAD exam open-book?
Yes, the exam provides access to the official Kubernetes documentation during the test, allowing you to look up reference material just as you would in a real-world scenario.
What is the exam simulator and how does it help?
The exam simulator, provided by Killer.sh, gives you two attempts to experience the exam environment. Each session includes 17 questions and provides graded results, helping you prepare for the actual exam format and timing.
Can I take the CKAD exam in Japanese?
Yes, the exam interface can be switched to Japanese for candidates who prefer it. The exam content itself remains in English, but the UI language can be changed.
What job roles does the CKAD certification map to?
The CKAD certification is designed for Kubernetes application developers, cloud-native developers, and DevOps engineers who build and deploy applications on Kubernetes.
How soon will I receive my exam results?
The exam is automatically graded, and results are typically available immediately after completing the exam. You will receive a score report and confirmation of your certification status.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking the CKAD exam?
The CKAD exam is available globally as an online proctored exam. Candidates can schedule it from anywhere with a reliable internet connection and a compatible environment.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 363 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept Linux Foundation measures — each one written out.
5domains
17objectives
126concepts
81free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official Linux Foundation exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Application Design and Build81 questions
Define, build and modify container images7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Choose and use the right workload resource (Deployment, DaemonSet, CronJob, etc.)8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Understand multi-container Pod design patterns (e.g. sidecar, init and others)5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Utilize persistent and ephemeral volumes6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
2Application Deployment95 questions
Use Kubernetes primitives to implement common deployment strategies (e.g. blue/green or canary)8 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Understand Deployments and how to perform rolling updates10 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Use the Helm package manager to deploy existing packages7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Understand API depreciations4 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
3Application Observability and Maintenance79 questions
4Application Environment, Configuration and Security78 questions
5Services and Networking30 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Define, build and modify container images5 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
21 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
363 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
363questions
81pages
17objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Application Design and Build81 questions
2Application Deployment95 questions
3Application Observability and Maintenance79 questions
4Application Environment, Configuration and Security78 questions
5Services and Networking30 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
126concepts
363free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from Linux Foundation
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
2official links
126concepts mapped
The source
Linux Foundation’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official Linux Foundation outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 17 objectives, 126 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When Linux Foundation changes the outline, this page changes with it.
17objectives on the outline→126concepts written→363free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.