Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) Study Guide

Synopsis

Developers with the ability to operate, troubleshoot, and monitor applications in Kubernetes are in high demand today. To meet this need, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation created a certification exam to establish a developer's credibility and value in the job market to work in a Kubernetes environment.

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam is different from the typical multiple-choice format of other certifications. Instead, the CKAD is a performance-based exam that requires deep knowledge of the tasks under immense time pressure.

This study guide walks you through all the topics you need to fully prepare for the exam. Author Benjamin Muschko also shares his personal experience with preparing for all aspects of the exam.

• Learn when and how to apply Kubernetes concepts to manage an application
• Understand the objectives, abilities, tips, and tricks needed to pass the CKAD exam
• Explore the ins and outs of the kubectl command-line tool
• Demonstrate competency for performing the responsibilities of a Kubernetes application developer
• Solve real-world Kubernetes problems in a hands-on command-line environment
• Navigate and solve questions during the CKAD exam

Summary

Chapter 1: Introduction to Kubernetes

* Kubernetes concepts and architecture
* Benefits and use cases
* Real example: Creating a simple Kubernetes cluster using minikube

Chapter 2: Pods and Containers

* Understanding Pods, Containers, and Images
* Running and managing Pods
* Real example: Creating a Pod that runs a web server

Chapter 3: Services and Networking

* Kubernetes Services: Types and usage
* Networking concepts in Kubernetes
* Real example: Exposing a Pod as a Service and accessing it via a NodePort

Chapter 4: Deployments and StatefulSets

* Managing application lifecycles with Deployments
* Ensuring stateful data persistence with StatefulSets
* Real example: Deploying a multi-replica web application with a Deployment

Chapter 5: ConfigMaps and Secrets

* Storing application configuration and secrets
* Real example: Creating a ConfigMap for environment variables and a Secret for sensitive data

Chapter 6: Storage

* Kubernetes storage options and usage
* PersistentVolumes and PersistentVolumeClaims
* Real example: Provisioning and mounting a persistent volume for data storage

Chapter 7: Monitoring and Troubleshooting

* Monitoring Kubernetes resources with tools like kubectl and Prometheus
* Troubleshooting common Kubernetes issues
* Real example: Using kubectl to view logs and inspect resource status

Chapter 8: Resource Management

* Kubernetes resource management concepts: Limits, Requests, PriorityClass
* Real example: Configuring resource limits for a Pod to ensure performance isolation

Chapter 9: Autoscaling

* Automatically scaling applications based on load
* Horizontal Pod Autoscaling (HPA)
* Real example: Configuring HPA to scale a web application based on CPU utilization

Chapter 10: Other Advanced Topics

* Ingress: Exposing external services to Kubernetes
* Custom Resource Definitions: Extending Kubernetes functionality
* Real example: Using Ingress to expose a web application to the internet