Build, deploy, and troubleshoot cloud-native applications with practical Kubernetes development skills.

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) program develops hands-on skills for running applications effectively on Kubernetes.

Learn to containerize applications, design Kubernetes workloads, manage configuration and storage, apply security controls, expose services, monitor applications, and troubleshoot common issues while preparing for the performance-based CKAD certification.

  • Why get trained: Strengthen Kubernetes skills across application design, deployment, configuration, security, networking, and troubleshooting
  • Why it matters: Developers need practical Kubernetes expertise to run scalable cloud-native applications reliably across containerized environments
  • Who should attend: Application developers who need to containerize, deploy, configure, and manage applications on Kubernetes

Translate application requirements into Kubernetes workloads that can be configured, secured, exposed, monitored, and maintained effectively in cloud-native environments. HRD Corp Claimable.

Overview

Open new career doors – prove your Kubernetes & cloud native developer skills with the CKAD certification that is recognized globally, vendor-neutral, and relevant across all industries.

The course, along with real-world experience and study, will provide the skills and knowledge also tested by the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam.

Learn more about Kubernetes Expertise here: Kubernetes Expertise: Unlocking Cloud Potential in Malaysia

Skills Covered

  • Help you pass your CKAD Exam and earn your CKAD Badge!
  • Learn by Doing. This course is extremely hands-on. Each topic has its own lab exercises. The instructor will explain the concepts, run lab demo, and then you get try it out yourself.
  • The CKAD exam is 100% hands-on. You need to complete all the tasks given within 2 hours. This course prepares you for that with its numerous lab exercises at the end of each topic. At the end of this course, there will be simulation exam for you to practice your skills.

Prerequisites

A basic understanding of Container technologies is preferred, but not required.

Target Audience

This course is for experienced application developers who need to containerize, host, deploy, and configure an application in a multi-node cluster.

Course Curriculum

Module 1: Introduction

  • Objectives
  • Who You Are
  • The Linux Foundation
  • Linux Foundation Training
  • Certification Programs and Digital Badging
  • Platform Details

Module 2: Kubernetes Architecture

  • What Is Kubernetes?
  • Components of Kubernetes
  • Challenges
  • The Borg Heritage
  • Kubernetes Architecture
  • Terminology
  • Control Plane Node
  • Worker Nodes
  • Pods
  • Services
  • Operators
  • Single IP per Pod
  • Networking Setup
  • CNI Network Configuration File
  • Pod-to-Pod Communication
  • Cloud Native Computing Foundation
  • Resource Recommendations
  • Labs

Module 3: Build

  • Container Options
  • Containerizing an Application
  • Creating the Dockerfile
  • Hosting a Local Repository
  • Creating a Deployment
  • Running Commands in a Container
  • Multi-Container Pod
  • readinessProbe
  • livenessProbe
  • startupProbe
  • Testing
  • Helm
  • Labs

Module 4: Design

  • Traditional Applications: Considerations
  • Decoupled Resources
  • Transience
  • Flexible Framework
  • Managing Resource Usage
  • Using Label Selectors
  • Multi-Container Pods
  • Sidecar Container
  • Adapter Container
  • Ambassador
  • initContainer
  • Custom Resource Definitions
  • Points to Ponder
  • Jobs
  • Labs

Module 5: Deployment Configuration

  • Volumes Overview
  • Introducing Volumes
  • Volume Spec
  • Volume Types
  • Shared Volume Example
  • Persistent Volumes and Claims
  • Persistent Volume
  • Persistent Volume Claim
  • Dynamic Provisioning
  • Secrets
  • Using Secrets via Environment Variables
  • Mounting Secrets as Volumes
  • Portable Data with ConfigMaps
  • Using ConfigMaps
  • Deployment Configuration Status
  • Scaling and Rolling Updates
  • Deployment Rollbacks
  • Labs

Module 6: Understanding Security

  • Security Overview
  • Accessing the API
  • Authentication
  • Authorization
  • RBAC
  • RBAC Process Overview
  • Admission Controller
  • Security Contexts
  • Pod Security Standards
  • Network Policies
  • Network Policy Example
  • Default Policy Example
  • Labs

Module 7: Exposing Applications

  • Service Types
  • Services Diagram
  • Service Update Pattern
  • Accessing an Application with a Service
  • Service without a Selector
  • ClusterIP
  • NodePort
  • LoadBalancer
  • ExternalName
  • Ingress Resource
  • Ingress Controller
  • Service Mesh
  • Labs

Module 8: Application Troubleshooting

  • Troubleshooting Overview
  • Basic Troubleshooting Steps
  • Ongoing (Constant) Change
  • Basic Troubleshooting Flow: Pods
  • Basic Troubleshooting Flow: Node and Security
  • Basic Troubleshooting Flow: Agents
  • Monitoring
  • Logging Tools
  • Monitoring Applications
  • System and Agent Logs
  • Conformance Testing
  • More Resource
  • Labs

Module 9: Closing and Evaluation Survey

  • Evaluation Survey

Dates & Locations

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November 23, 2026 - November 26, 2026

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Modal: ILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

November 23, 2026 - November 26, 2026

Location: Online
Modal: VILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

January 25, 2027 - January 28, 2027

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Modal: ILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

January 25, 2027 - January 28, 2027

Location: Online
Modal: VILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

March 1, 2027 - March 4, 2027

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Modal: ILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

March 1, 2027 - March 4, 2027

Location: Online
Modal: VILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

May 31, 2027 - June 3, 2027

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Modal: ILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

May 31, 2027 - June 3, 2027

Location: Online
Modal: VILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

July 5, 2027 - July 8, 2027

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Modal: ILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

July 5, 2027 - July 8, 2027

Location: Online
Modal: VILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

September 6, 2027 - September 9, 2027

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Modal: ILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

September 6, 2027 - September 9, 2027

Location: Online
Modal: VILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

November 15, 2027 - November 18, 2027

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Modal: ILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200

November 15, 2027 - November 18, 2027

Location: Online
Modal: VILT
Availability: TBC
Exam:
RM 2003
RM 5200
Trainocate exam and cert

Exam & Certification

Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD).

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer exam certifies that users can design, build, configure, and expose cloud native applications for Kubernetes.

A Certified Kubernetes Application Developer can define application resources and use core primitives to build, monitor, and troubleshoot scalable applications and tools in Kubernetes.

The exam assumes working knowledge of container runtimes and microservice architecture. The successful candidate will be comfortable:

  • working with (OCI-compliant) container images
  • applying Cloud Native application concepts and architectures
  • working with and validating Kubernetes resource definitions

Training & Certification Guide

This exam is an online, proctored, performance-based test that consists of a set of performance-based tasks (problems) to be solved in a command line. Candidates have 2 hours to complete the tasks.

The exam is based on Kubernetes v1.35.

The CKAD exam environment will be aligned with the most recent K8s minor version within approximately 4 to 8 weeks of the K8s release date.

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam certifies that candidates can design, build and deploy cloud-native applications for Kubernetes.

The CKAD was created by the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as a part of their ongoing effort to help develop the Kubernetes ecosystem.

The exam is online, proctored, performance-based test that requires solving multiple tasks from a command line running Kubernetes.

Frequently Asked Questions

You will learn how to design, build, deploy, configure, secure, expose, monitor, and troubleshoot cloud-native applications running on Kubernetes.

The course takes an application-development perspective rather than focusing primarily on administering the underlying Kubernetes cluster. You will gain practical experience with:

  • Containerizing applications and creating container images
  • Deployments and Kubernetes workloads
  • Multi-container Pod patterns
  • Helm
  • Persistent and ephemeral storage
  • ConfigMaps and Secrets
  • Scaling, rolling updates, and rollbacks
  • Authentication, RBAC, and security contexts
  • Services, Ingress, and networking
  • Application monitoring, logging, and troubleshooting

Each major topic includes practical lab exercises.

Pro Tip: Focus on understanding how application requirements translate into Kubernetes resources. CKAD is about using Kubernetes effectively as an application platform, not simply memorizing commands.

CKAD is ideal if you are an application developer who needs to build, deploy, configure, or troubleshoot cloud-native applications on Kubernetes.

This course is particularly relevant for:

  • Application Developers
  • Software Engineers
  • Cloud-Native Developers
  • DevOps Engineers with development responsibilities
  • Platform-aware Developers
  • Software professionals moving toward containerized applications

The course specifically targets experienced application developers who need to containerize, host, deploy, and configure applications in a multi-node Kubernetes cluster.

Pro Tip: If you primarily develop applications that will run on Kubernetes, CKAD is likely the more relevant starting point. If you are responsible for managing the Kubernetes platform itself, consider CKA instead.

No formal Kubernetes prerequisite is required, although basic container knowledge and development experience will help you get considerably more from the course.

The Trainocate course recommends a basic understanding of container technologies, but does not make this mandatory. The target audience, however, is experienced application developers.

The Linux Foundation similarly states that there are no formal prerequisites for the CKAD certification exam, but the exam assumes working knowledge of container runtimes and microservice architecture. Successful candidates should also be comfortable with OCI-compliant container images, cloud-native application concepts, and Kubernetes resource definitions.

Pro Tip: Before attending, familiarize yourself with containers, YAML, Linux command-line basics, and cloud-native application concepts. You can then spend more course time developing Kubernetes-specific skills.

CKAD focuses on applications running on Kubernetes, while CKA focuses on administering and maintaining the Kubernetes platform itself.

The two certifications validate different responsibilities within a Kubernetes environment.

CKAD CKA
Application development Cluster administration
Containerized workloads Cluster architecture
Deployments Cluster installation/configuration
ConfigMaps and Secrets Cluster operations
Application security Platform security
Services and Ingress Cluster networking
Application troubleshooting Cluster troubleshooting

CNCF defines CKAD as validating the ability to design, build, configure, and expose cloud-native applications for Kubernetes, whereas CKA validates Kubernetes administration skills.

Pro Tip: Choose based on what you are responsible for: applications on Kubernetes → CKAD; the Kubernetes platform → CKA. Professionals whose roles span both areas can benefit from earning both.

es. The course develops the practical Kubernetes application-development skills tested by CKAD and includes a simulation exam to help you prepare.

The curriculum covers application building, design, deployment configuration, security, application exposure, monitoring, and troubleshooting, closely aligning with the current CKAD competency areas.

The current certification exam is based on Kubernetes v1.35. CNCF plans quarterly exam updates to keep the environment aligned with Kubernetes releases, so candidates should always check the current exam environment before attempting certification.

The Trainocate course page lists the CKAD exam as available separately, rather than automatically included with the course.

Pro Tip: Use the course to build your hands-on skills, then practise independently in a Kubernetes environment before sitting the exam. Speed and familiarity with the command line become important during a two-hour performance-based assessment.

Yes. CKAD is a vendor-neutral Kubernetes certification, so the core application-development skills are transferable across Kubernetes environments.

The Linux Foundation describes CKAD as globally recognized and vendor-neutral, giving developers a Kubernetes foundation that is not tied to one cloud provider or proprietary platform.

The course concentrates on Kubernetes-native skills such as Pods, Deployments, Jobs, Helm, volumes, Secrets, ConfigMaps, RBAC, security contexts, Services, Ingress, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

That foundation can remain relevant when working with Kubernetes environments hosted on different cloud or enterprise platforms, although each platform may introduce additional provider-specific services and operational tooling.

Pro Tip: Build strong Kubernetes-native skills first, then add the managed Kubernetes services and integrations used by your organization’s preferred cloud platform.

CKAD skills are particularly relevant to software development, cloud-native engineering, DevOps, and application-focused platform roles.

The certification demonstrates that you can use Kubernetes application resources and core primitives to build, configure, expose, monitor, and troubleshoot scalable cloud-native applications. CNCF specifically positions CKAD as a way for application developers to demonstrate practical Kubernetes competence.

Relevant roles can include:

  • Cloud-Native Application Developer
  • Software Engineer
  • Kubernetes Application Developer
  • DevOps Engineer
  • Cloud Developer
  • Platform Engineer with application responsibilities

Because CKAD is vendor-neutral, the credential demonstrates Kubernetes application skills independently of a particular cloud provider.

Pro Tip: Combine CKAD skills with your primary development language and software-engineering expertise. Kubernetes is most valuable to developers when it complements strong application design, testing, APIs, and cloud-native development practices.

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