KCNA — Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate
KCNA Certification Tutorial
Welcome to the KCNA (Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate) tutorial track. This beginner-friendly series covers the fundamentals of Kubernetes and the cloud-native ecosystem, preparing you for the KCNA certification exam.
Whether you’re brand new to Kubernetes or want to formalize your foundational knowledge, you’re in the right place. The KCNA is the most accessible CNCF certification — no prior Kubernetes experience or prerequisites required.
What is KCNA?
The KCNA certification is offered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) in collaboration with The Linux Foundation. It validates your foundational knowledge of Kubernetes and the broader cloud-native ecosystem — including container orchestration, cloud-native architecture, observability, and application delivery.
Think of KCNA as the entry point to the Kubernetes certification world. While CKA and CKAD test hands-on skills, KCNA tests whether you understand the concepts that underpin modern cloud-native infrastructure.
Exam Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Format | Multiple choice (~60 questions) |
| Passing Score | 75% |
| Validity | 3 years |
| Cost | $250 USD (includes one free retake) |
| Prerequisites | None |
KCNA Exam Domains
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Kubernetes Fundamentals | 46% |
| Container Orchestration | 22% |
| Cloud Native Architecture | 16% |
| Cloud Native Observability | 8% |
| Cloud Native Application Delivery | 8% |
What You’ll Learn
- Kubernetes architecture and core components (API server, etcd, scheduler, kubelet)
- Core Kubernetes resources (Pods, Deployments, Services, Namespaces)
- Container orchestration concepts and why they matter
- Container runtimes (containerd, CRI-O) and the OCI standard
- Cloud-native architecture principles (microservices, 12-factor apps, serverless)
- The CNCF landscape and ecosystem (Helm, Prometheus, Envoy, ArgoCD, etc.)
- Basics of observability (metrics, logging, tracing with Prometheus and OpenTelemetry)
- Application delivery concepts (CI/CD, GitOps, Helm, deployment strategies)
- Service mesh fundamentals (Istio, Linkerd)
- Autoscaling concepts (HPA, VPA, Cluster Autoscaler)
Prerequisites
This is a beginner-level certification. No prior Kubernetes experience is required. However, familiarity with the following will make your study smoother:
- Basic Linux command line usage
- General understanding of what containers are
- Basic networking concepts (IP addresses, ports, DNS)
The Kubernetes Foundation Tutorial pairs well with this track if you want hands-on experience alongside conceptual learning.
Chapters
| # | Chapter | Exam Domain | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | — | — |
| 2 | Kubernetes Architecture | Kubernetes Fundamentals | 46% |
| 3 | Kubernetes Core Resources | Kubernetes Fundamentals | 46% |
| 4 | Container Orchestration | Container Orchestration | 22% |
| 5 | Cloud Native Architecture | Cloud Native Architecture | 16% |
| 6 | Cloud Native Observability | Cloud Native Observability | 8% |
| 7 | Cloud Native Application Delivery | Cloud Native Application Delivery | 8% |
| 8 | Exam Tips & Mock Exam | All Domains | — |
