Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) is a professional certification dedicated to enhancing practitioners' Kubernetes application development expertise.

1. Introduction to the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer certification

Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) is a professional certification launched by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), aimed at verifying your professional ability to perform application development related operations on the Kubernetes platform.

In the context of rapid development of cloud computing and containerization technology today, more and more enterprises are leveraging Kubernetes, a powerful container orchestration platform, to manage and run containerized applications, in order to achieve efficient resource utilization, rapid application deployment, and flexible application expansion goals. The core of the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer certification is to cultivate and certify professionals who are proficient in the Kubernetes platform, able to stand from the perspective of developers, and use the rich features and tools provided by Kubernetes to efficiently create, configure, and continuously update containerized applications based on enterprise business needs, ensuring that applications can run stably and reliably in the Kubernetes environment.

These professional talents are like the "main force" of enterprise containerized application development. They have a deep understanding of the functional and performance requirements of containerized applications in different business lines of the enterprise. With their proficiency in Kubernetes, they effectively respond to many challenges such as rapid iteration of applications, multi environment deployment, and integration with other microservice applications, helping enterprises launch new applications more agilely, update existing applications, and promote continuous innovation and development of the business.

2. Why Earn Your CKAD Certification? 

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) has a high level of authority in the field of cloud native computing, and its Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification has a high degree of recognition in the Kubernetes application development field. Obtaining CKAD certification means that you have passed the assessment of professional institutions and mastered the knowledge and skills of Kubernetes application development that meet the standards. When applying for positions involving various stages and levels of Kubernetes application development, you will easily be favored by enterprises.

CKAD certification focuses on the key field of Kubernetes application development and is an important support for you to transition from traditional application development, operations, system management, and other positions to higher-level positions in Kubernetes application development. By obtaining Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification, you can broaden your career development path and often see a significant increase in salary and benefits.

The process of preparing for exams and obtaining certifications enables you to systematically and comprehensively learn various knowledge and skills in the field of Kubernetes application development, from basic concepts to specific aspects, providing a solid knowledge platform for further in-depth research and practice of Kubernetes application development, which is helpful for your future career development.

Although the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification is valid for 2 years, it does not mean that you can stop learning. On the contrary, in order to keep pace with industry development, you need to continuously monitor industry trends, learn new knowledge and skills, master cutting-edge practical cases such as Serverless application development and intelligent application management, and ensure that your professional abilities always adapt to the constantly changing new situation in Kubernetes application development, thus maintaining an advantage in career development.

3. Core Components of the CKAD Certification

The CKAD certification system has built a complete knowledge system for cloud native application development on the Kubernetes platform, covering the entire process of core skills from architecture design, containerization deployment to service integration and operation support.

By improving your learning, you will master the design methods of Kubernetes based microservice architecture, achieve scalability and performance optimization of applications, be proficient in YAML configuration deployment, master configuration management techniques such as Configurap and Secret, be familiar with resource quota allocation strategies, and use tools such as Prometheus to achieve resource monitoring and optimization.

Secondly, you will gradually master the service publishing and discovery mechanism, configure network policies to ensure secure and efficient application communication, be proficient in rolling updates, blue-green deployment and other strategies, achieve smooth upgrades and fast rollback, and master the integration methods of applications with external services such as databases and message queues.

Finally, you can learn about the application of container security context, data encryption and other security mechanisms in development, master tools such as Helm and GitOps, integrate CI/CD pipeline with Kubernetes, learn development best practices, and master application fault diagnosis and recovery methods

4. What are the requirements to be a Certified Kubernetes Application Developer?

(1) Qualification prerequisites:

CNCF officials usually recommend that you have some work experience in container technology, application development, and Linux system related fields. Generally, at least 1-2 years of relevant work experience is required, and practical work experience will help you better cope with exams.

Although there is no strict educational requirement, having a college degree or above in computer or network engineering is more advantageous for preparing for exams.

(2) Training and examinations:

The CKAD exam usually lasts for about 120 minutes, and the question types mainly include multiple-choice questions, multiple choice questions, operation questions, etc. It tests your understanding, application, and analytical abilities in various aspects of Kubernetes application development to determine whether you have the corresponding professional competence.

According to the standards set by CNCF, you need to achieve a certain percentage of scores to pass the exam, and the exam fee is approximately $300. 

(3) Qualification maintenance:

The CKAD certificate is generally valid for 2 years, during which it helps you showcase your qualifications in job hunting, career advancement, and other areas. In order to maintain the validity of the certificate, you need to accumulate certain credits by participating in CNCF accredited continuing education activities during the validity period.

5. Comparable Certifications to Certified Kubernetes Application Developer Certification

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
• Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)
• Cloud Foundry Certified Developer (CFCD)
• Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Application Development