Master Kubernetes Become a Certified Kubernetes Administrator

Objective: Learn the basics of Docker, such as images, containers, and lifecycle operations, so you can deploy and manage applications effectively as a base for Kubernetes and DevOps workflows.

• Understand images and containers with practical operations
  • Learn image creation.
  • Manage containers interactively.
• Learn running, stopping, and inspecting containers
  • Practice start/stop commands.
  • Use inspect for details.
• Explore restart policies and container lifecycle
  • Understand restart strategies.
  • Explore container states.

Objective: Get hands-on experience with Docker images, registries, and persistent storage to make sure that container building, data handling, and application management work well in a variety of settings.

• Manage image registries and naming conventions
  • Use Docker Hub.
  • Tag images correctly.
• Build images using Dockerfile and commit method
  • Write Dockerfiles efficiently.
  • Save running container states.
• Work with volumes, bind mounts, and persistent storage
  • Attach volumes for persistence.
  • Use bind mounts for flexibility.

Objective: Learn how to use Docker networking and Compose to connect containers, keep them separate, and deploy scalable multi-service apps quickly and easily across different environments.

• Learn bridge, host, overlay, and other networking types
  • Study default bridge mode.
  • Explore advanced network drivers.
• Connect containers in isolated or shared networks
  • Link containers together.
  • Manage network isolation.
• Deploy multi-tier apps using Docker Compose
  • Write compose files.
  • Manage multiple services.

Objective: Make sure you understand how Kubernetes works, how the control plane is set up, and how communication flows. This will help you understand how clusters work and how to manage workloads effectively.

• Understand cluster components and their responsibilities
  • Explore API server and scheduler.
  • Learn etcd and kubelet roles.
• Learn how control plane manages workloads on workers
  • Study workload scheduling.
  • Manage pod distribution.
• Explore Kubernetes design and communication flow
  • Understand component interaction.
  • Explore service discovery.

Objective: Learn how to set up Kubernetes clusters, configure networking, and check connectivity to make sure your environments are fully functional and reliable.

• Install a multi-node cluster using kubeadm
  • Initialize control plane.
  • Join worker nodes.
• Configure cluster networking and DNS services
  • Install network plugins.
  • Configure DNS resolution.
• Verify cluster health and connectivity between nodes
  • Use kubectl for diagnostics.
  • Validate inter-node communication.

Objective: Learn how to set up and run Kubernetes workloads by looking at controllers, statefulsets, and how to organize resources for applications that can grow.

• Run Pods and understand replication controllers vs replica sets
  • Compare RC and RS.
  • Create resilient pods.
• Deploy applications using deployments and statefulsets
  • Explore deployment strategies.
  • Manage stateful workloads.
• Use daemonsets, namespaces, and labels effectively
  • Run pods across all nodes.
  • Organize resources logically.

Objective: Learn how to manage nodes, plan resources, and use master scheduling to make sure your Kubernetes cluster runs smoothly and evenly.

• Manually schedule pods with nodeName or nodeSelector
  • Assign pods to nodes.
  • Explore node selectors.
• Use taints, tolerations, and affinities for workload placement
  • Apply node taints.
  • Configure pod tolerations.
• Explore declarative vs imperative management with kubectl
  • Use imperative commands.
  • Write declarative YAML.

Objective: Make sure that deployments are safe and reliable by managing the entire application lifecycle, including updates, rollbacks, and configurations.

• Perform rolling updates and rollbacks for deployments
  • Minimize downtime.
  • Rollback on failure.
• Manage configMaps, secrets, and environment variables
  • Store app configs.
  • Secure sensitive data.
• Work with init containers and multi-container pods
  • Use init tasks.
  • Run sidecar containers.

Objective: Learn how to safely and effectively maintain a cluster by making backups, restoring them, and upgrading them to keep them safe and reliable.

• Understand Kubernetes release cycle and upgrade strategy
  • Plan upgrades.
  • Track versions.
• Perform etcd backup and cluster restore
  • Backup etcd data.
  • Restore clusters safely.
• Practice safe upgrade of clusters and components
  • Upgrade kubeadm.
  • Validate post-upgrade.

Objective: To protect clusters, you need to learn how to authenticate, authorize, and give people access based on their roles.

• Learn authentication vs authorization in Kubernetes
  • Differentiate between authN and authZ.
  • Configure authentication.
• Create and manage roles, role bindings, and service accounts
  • Define user roles.
  • Bind roles to entities.
• Work with kubeconfig for secure cluster access
  • Manage kubeconfig files.
  • Use secure contexts.

Objective: Learn how to use Kubernetes storage, networking, and connectivity to manage your app’s data and communication well.

• Use persistent volumes and persistent volume claims
  • Create PVs and PVCs.
  • Manage storage lifecycle.
• Deploy applications with Container Network Interface plugins
  • Install CNI plugins.
  • Configure pod networking.
• Apply network policies and use ingress controllers
  • Enforce traffic rules.
  • Control external access.

Objective: Learn how to use ingress and Gateway API to expose external services and set up secure, scalable, and flexible routing for modern Kubernetes workloads.

• Expose services externally using ingress controllers and resources
  • Create ingress rules.
  • Expose services publicly.
• Configure SSL and virtual hosting with ingress
  • Apply TLS certs.
  • Configure multiple hosts.
• Explore Gateway API as the next evolution of ingress
  • Learn Gateway features.
  • Compare with ingress.

Objective: Learn how to use HPA in Kubernetes to set up metrics and policies that make sure workloads scale well when the load changes.

• Understand horizontal pod autoscaling for workloads
  • Explore HPA concepts.
  • Apply autoscaling policies.
• Configure metrics and scaling policies
  • Use resource metrics.
  • Define thresholds.
• Test scaling applications under simulated loads
  • Run stress tests.
  • Validate scaling behavior.

Objective: Learn how to use Helm for Kubernetes to make resource management easier by mastering charts, templates, and app deployment.

• Understand the purpose of Helm charts for Kubernetes
  • Package Kubernetes resources.
  • Manage deployments.
• Explore chart structure and values files
  • Review Helm templates.
  • Configure values.yaml.
• Learn deploying simple apps using Helm
  • Install Helm charts.
  • Upgrade and rollback.

Objective: Get ready for CKA certification with realistic labs, practice with kubectl, and lots of simulations to boost your confidence and readiness.

• Practice exam-like scenarios in a timed lab setup
  • Work under exam conditions.
  • Improve time management.
• Validate solutions using kubectl and official docs
  • Solve tasks with kubectl.
  • Refer official docs quickly.
• Build confidence with repeated practice until ready
  • Attempt multiple labs.
  • Track improvement.