CertLabProCNCF Certified Kubernetes Administrator
265 questions de pratique
Dernière révision : April 2026
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The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) is the flagship hands-on credential for Kubernetes operators and is one of the most-cited certifications in DevOps, SRE, and platform-engineering job postings. Unlike the multiple-choice KCNA / KCSA / CNPA exams, CKA puts you in front of real clusters via kubectl and a browser-based terminal, with two hours to solve practical tasks: bootstrapping clusters, configuring networking, managing workloads, troubleshooting failed nodes. CKA distinguishes the cluster-administrator role from CKAD (application developer focus), CKS (security specialist, requires active CKA), and CNPE (platform engineer focus). It is the central cert in the Kubestronaut bundle (KCNA + KCSA + CKA + CKAD + CKS) and the de facto gatekeeper for senior Kubernetes operations roles.
kubeadm cluster bootstrap, control-plane components, RBAC, etcd backup and restore, cluster upgrades. 25% of the exam — high-stakes tasks where a wrong move can break the cluster you need for the next question.
Services (ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer), Ingress, NetworkPolicies, CoreDNS, and CNI plugin awareness. 20% of the exam. Expect tasks that require understanding of how kube-proxy and DNS interact.
Deployments, DaemonSets, StatefulSets, ConfigMaps, Secrets, resource limits, taints and tolerations, node affinity. 15% of the exam.
PersistentVolumes, PersistentVolumeClaims, StorageClasses, dynamic provisioning, and volume modes. Smallest domain at 10% but expect at least one multi-step task.
The largest domain at 30%. Failed nodes, broken kubelets, misconfigured RBAC, unreachable services, crash-looping pods. Heavy use of `kubectl describe`, `kubectl logs`, `journalctl`, and `crictl`. Time pressure is brutal here.
$115k–$160k–$230k USD annual
Range reflects US-based mid-to-senior Kubernetes operator roles. SRE / platform roles at FAANG and unicorns trend significantly higher (often $280k–$400k+ TC for senior / staff levels). Kubernetes and SRE roles trend among the highest-paying in cloud — CKA is the credential most frequently cited as a baseline expectation for these salaries.
Source: levels.fyi 2025–2026 (SRE / platform / infrastructure roles), U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 (15-1244 network / systems administrators, 15-1252 software developers). Figures are approximate; actual compensation depends on role, region, and experience.
Kubernetes is the de facto orchestrator for cloud-native workloads, and CKA is consistently cited as one of the most-requested certifications in DevOps, SRE, and platform-engineering job postings. Industry surveys from 2024–2026 (Stack Overflow Developer Survey, CNCF Annual Survey, Linux Foundation Open Source Jobs Report) place Kubernetes administration skills at the top of cloud-infrastructure hiring priorities, with CKA frequently named as a "preferred" or "required" credential in senior pipelines. The Kubestronaut bundle (KCNA + KCSA + CKA + CKAD + CKS) is a meaningful flex in the CNCF community and signals an unusually deep operational commitment. CKA alone, paired with production experience, is one of the strongest single-cert salary multipliers in cloud.
There are no formal prerequisites for CKA, but the exam is genuinely demanding and assumes solid Linux command-line fluency, Docker / container literacy, and YAML comfort. CNCF recommends prior KCNA-level conceptual knowledge — and most candidates who skip that step underestimate the volume of background context the exam assumes.
The sensible CNCF progression is KCNA → CKA → (CKAD and / or CKS). KCSA before CKA is also reasonable for security-focused careers. CKA does not require any prior cert, but it is the hard prerequisite for CKS — you cannot register for CKS without an active CKA. If your goal is the Kubestronaut bundle, sit KCNA + KCSA first (cheap, multiple-choice), then CKA, then CKAD, and finish with CKS once your CKA is active.
CKA is notoriously demanding. The exam is hands-on: 15–20 performance-based tasks against real clusters in a browser-based terminal, two hours, with access only to the official Kubernetes documentation in a single browser tab. Pass mark is 66%. Expect 80–150 hours of study over 8–14 weeks if you have prior Linux and Docker fluency; 150+ hours if you are coming from a Windows / non-Linux background.
The most common stumbling block is time management — many candidates know how to solve every task but cannot solve them quickly enough. kubectl efficiency (aliases, `--dry-run=client -o yaml` workflows, fast vim editing) and bash / jq fluency separate passers from failers. The second-largest stumbling block is troubleshooting under pressure: when a task asks you to fix a broken node, you have minutes, not hours. Mock exams from killer.sh (two free attempts bundled with registration) are widely considered required preparation.
Validity period reduced from 3 years to 2 years effective April 1, 2024 (applies to all CKA / CKAD certifications issued on or after that date). Curriculum tracks recent Kubernetes releases; minor task updates each year.
Original release — the founding CNCF / Linux Foundation Kubernetes credential. Validity was 3 years until the April 2024 change.
CKA (CNCF Certified Kubernetes Administrator) is a a challenging, scenario-heavy exam that requires deep hands-on experience and the ability to make architectural trade-off decisions Professional-level exam. Most candidates need 150–300 hours of study spread over 3–6 months for professional and expert-level exams. These exams typically expect prior associate-level proficiency. Most candidates who score consistently above the passing threshold on practice exams pass on their first attempt.