CNCF Certification Exam Guide
Explore all 15 CNCF certification exams, compare domains, and discover your learning path in the cloud native ecosystem.
Kubernetes Core
Foundational Kubernetes administration, development, and security certifications
CKA
5 domainsCertified Kubernetes Administrator
The CKA certification is designed to ensure that Kubernetes administrators have the skills, knowledge, and competency to perform the responsibilities of Kuberne...
CKAD
5 domainsCertified Kubernetes Application Developer
The CKAD certification is designed to ensure that application developers have the skills, knowledge, and competency to build, configure, and run cloud native ap...
CKS
6 domainsCertified Kubernetes Security Specialist
The CKS certification is designed to ensure that Kubernetes security specialists have the skills, knowledge, and competency to secure container-based applicatio...
KCNA
4 domainsKubernetes and Cloud Native Associate
The Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) certification provides a beginner friendly option to learn about the Kubernetes community and vast cloud native...
KCSA
6 domainsKubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate
The KCSA certification is designed to ensure that candidates understand the fundamental principles of securing container-based applications and cloud native env...
GitOps & Continuous Delivery
GitOps principles and Argo project certifications
CGOA
4 domainsCertified GitOps Associate
The CGOA certification is designed to validate a candidate’s understanding of GitOps principles, practices, and tooling in cloud native environments. ...
CAPA
5 domainsCertified Argo Project Associate
The CAPA certification is designed to validate a candidate’s understanding of the Argo project ecosystem and its role in cloud native environments. ...
Networking & Service Mesh
Cloud native networking and service mesh technologies
CCA
5 domainsCilium Certified Associate
The CCA certification is designed to validate a candidate’s knowledge of Cilium and its role in cloud native networking, observability, and security. ...
ICA
5 domainsIstio Certified Associate
The ICA certification is designed to validate a candidate’s knowledge of Istio and its role as a service mesh in cloud native environments. ...
Observability
Monitoring, logging, and tracing certifications
PCA
6 domainsPrometheus Certified Associate
The PCA certification is designed to ensure that candidates understand the fundamentals of monitoring and observability using Prometheus. ...
OTCA
5 domainsOpenTelemetry Certified Associate
The OTCA certification is designed to validate a candidate’s knowledge of observability fundamentals and the OpenTelemetry project. ...
Platform Engineering
Building and managing internal developer platforms
CNPA
6 domainsCertified Cloud Native Platform Engineering Associate
The CNPA is designed for engineers and practitioners working with cloud native platforms. ...
CNPE
0 domainsCertified Cloud Native Platform Engineer
The CNPE certification validates expertise in cloud native platform engineer....
CBA
4 domainsCertified Backstage Associate
The CBA certification is designed to validate a candidate’s skills and mindset in building and managing internal developer portals using Backstage, an open plat...
Policy & Governance
Policy management and governance in Kubernetes