Acing the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam, Second Edition

Chad Crowell, Rafael Brito

• Publisher: Manning
• Year: 2025
• Topic: Computer Science
• eBook ISBN:
  9781638357681
• Subtopic: Certification Guides in Computer Science
• Index: Computer Science

Acing the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam, Second Edition is your fast-track to becoming a Certified Kubernetes Administrator!

Branding yourself as a Certified Kubernetes Administrator makes you stand out in the competitive job market for Kubernetes and cloud native engineers. With the exam’s latest updates introducing Operators, the Gateway API, and Kustomize, mastering Kubernetes extensibility is now front and center. This second edition of the bestselling original helps you build the skills and strategic insights you need to build production-ready clusters with confidence and ace the updated hands-on CKA exam the first time you sit for it.

In Acing the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam you’ll learn how to:

• Administer an application running on Kubernetes
• Troubleshoot errors inside a Kubernetes cluster
• Authenticate users and machines to the Kubernetes API
• Create persistent storage in Kubernetes
• Manage container networking and secure traffic in a Kubernetes cluster
• Add additional functionality to an existing Kubernetes cluster

The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam proves to your next employer that you can set up and manage Kubernetes clusters. This newly revised edition gets you up to speed with new exam skills, including Operators, Network Policies, the Gateway API, and Kustomize. Alongside comprehensive coverage of networking, scheduling, and troubleshooting, you’ll get essential tips to help you stay cool under pressure in the exam room.

About the technology

Prove to your next employer you can set up and manage Kubernetes clusters. The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam tests your hands-on skills with all core Kubernetes features, including Operators, Network Policies, the Gateway API, and Kustomize. This book will help you pass the first time.

About the book

Acing the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam, Second Edition guides you through the CKA with realistic CLI-based exercises that mirror the actual test. You’ll practice key skills like deploying containerized applications, managing access with the Gateway API, securing network traffic, troubleshooting cluster failures, and role-based access control, so there will be no surprises on exam day.

What's inside

• Administer an application running on Kubernetes
• Troubleshoot errors in a Kubernetes cluster
• Authenticate users and machines
• Create persistent storage in Kubernetes
• Manage container networking and secure traffic

About the reader

For readers of all skill levels—including Kubernetes beginners.

About the author

Chad M. Crowell is a Kubernetes contributor, CNCF Ambassador, and a well-known CKA instructor. Rafael Brito is a Principal Engineer at StormForge by CloudBolt, a Kubernetes developer, and a CNCF community organizer.

Table of Contents

1 First steps
2 Kubernetes cluster
3 Identity and access management
4 Deploying applications in Kubernetes
5 Running applications in Kubernetes
6 Communication in a Kubernetes cluster
7 Storage in Kubernetes
8 Troubleshooting Kubernetes
9 Taking the test
A Creating a Kubernetes cluster with kind
B Advanced configurations for kind
C Installing a CNI in a kind cluster
D Solving the practice exercises

Table of contents

• Praise for the First Edition
• Acing the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam, Second Edition
• copyright
• contents
• dedication
• preface
• acknowledgments
• about this book
• about the authors
• about the cover illustration
• 1 First steps
• 2 Kubernetes cluster
• 3 Identity and access management
• 4 Deploying applications in Kubernetes
• 5 Running applications in Kubernetes
• 6 Communication in a Kubernetes cluster
• 7 Storage in Kubernetes
• 8 Troubleshooting Kubernetes
• 9 Taking the test
• appendix A Creating a Kubernetes cluster with kind
• appendix B Advanced configurations for kind
• appendix C Installing a CNI in a kind cluster
• appendix D Solving the practice exercises