A class of its own, CNCF & Linux Foundation Kubernetes exam

The Linux Foundation and The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) have announced the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) exam.

The exam and its resulting certification is now in beta testing.

It is expected to be generally available by the end of this year and it is specifically aligned to assessing entry-level talent.

This multiple-choice certification exam will test entry-level knowledge and skills in Kubernetes and the wider cloud-native ecosystem.

It will cover steps such as how to deploy an application using basic kubectl commands, the architecture of Kubernetes (containers, pods, nodes, clusters), understanding the cloud native landscape and projects (storage, networking, GitOps, service mesh) and understanding the principles of cloud-native security.

The 2021 Open Source Jobs Report highlighted a significant lack of cloud talent out there, a trend being played out internationally. Because as many as three quarters of employers are more likely to hire someone with a certification, these trends drove CNCF and The Linux Foundation to develop KCNA to help bring more entry-level talent into the field.

Other CNCF credentials include Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) and Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS).

Specific knowledge to be tested will include Kubernetes fundamentals including resources, architecture, APIs, containers and scheduling. Container orchestration will cover orchestration fundamentals, runtime, security, networking, service mesh and storage.

Clyde Seepersad, SVP and general manager of training & certification at The Linux Foundation explains that the cloud-native architecture segment spans cloud-native architecture fundamentals, autoscaling, serverless, community & governance, personas and open standards. The observability section covers telemetry & observability, Prometheus and cost management.

A final cloud native application delivery section covers application delivery fundamentals, GitOps and CI/CD.

“Training and certification are highly sought by the cloud native community, with over 100,000 registrations to date for Kubernetes exams,” said Katie Gamanji, ecosystem advocate, CNCF. “Existing certification programmes have been aimed at skilled professionals who have hands-on expertise in production environments. Community feedback has revealed the need for a more beginner-friendly and inclusive evaluation, which is relevant to newcomers across different jobs, from engineers to product managers to marketing. KCNA fills this gap as an entry-level certification that invites new adopters to demonstrate their skills and knowledge of the cloud native ecosystem.”

The exam was developed in partnership with Certiverse. The company’s online platform enabled a global group of 15 subject matter experts to create test content asynchronously.