What the course covers
About this course map
Five domains, mapped one-for-one to the CNCF and Linux Foundation CKA curriculum and taught in the same order, so nothing the exam draws on is left uncovered. Each domain below carries its published weighting, and we give it classroom and lab time in proportion — which for CKA means most of the time is at a terminal, because the exam is.
The CKA curriculum is versioned against Kubernetes itself. The current curriculum tracks Kubernetes v1.35, and the exam environment is updated to the newest minor release within roughly four to eight weeks of it shipping. The domains have not moved, but the competencies inside them were refreshed on 18 February 2025: the Cluster Architecture domain now expects Helm and Kustomize, the extension interfaces (CNI, CSI, CRI), and installing and configuring operators and custom resource definitions, while Services and Networking now expects the Gateway API alongside Ingress. It is the exam date, not the purchase date, that decides which version you sit.
This is Hacky Security's own preparation course for the CKA. It is not Linux Foundation courseware, and the exam, its simulator access and the certification come from the CNCF and the Linux Foundation directly.
Domain 01 — Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration
Standing up a cluster, controlling who can do what inside it, and keeping it running across its life. 25% of the exam.
Domain 02 — Workloads and Scheduling
Running applications on the cluster and controlling where and how the scheduler places them. 15% of the exam.
Domain 03 — Services and Networking
Connecting pods to one another and exposing them to the world beyond the cluster. 20% of the exam.
Domain 04 — Storage
Giving stateful workloads durable storage and controlling how it is provisioned and reclaimed. 10% of the exam.
Domain 05 — Troubleshooting
The largest domain, because a running cluster spends most of its life being diagnosed. 30% of the exam.
Who should take this
System administrators, DevOps and platform engineers, site reliability engineers, and developers who have to operate the clusters their applications run on. It also suits engineers who use Kubernetes through a managed service and now need to understand what sits underneath it.
You should be comfortable on the Linux command line and with containers before you start — the exam gives you a terminal and a set of broken or unbuilt clusters and expects you to work fast. Prior Kubernetes exposure helps but is not assumed; there are no formal prerequisites. The difficulty is in the speed and the breadth, not in trick questions: everything is something a working administrator does, but you have to do it without a search engine and against the clock.
The exam
The CKA is set and awarded by the CNCF and the Linux Foundation. It is performance-based — there are no multiple-choice questions. You are dropped into live clusters from the command line and given tasks to solve.
The exam registration is purchased separately from the Linux Foundation, and you book and sit it through them directly. We prepare you for it; the certification and simulator access are part of their offering, not ours.
How we deliver it
Classroom or online live, or at your office for a private group. Most of the time is spent at a terminal against real clusters, including ones we have broken on purpose so you practise diagnosis rather than recitation. We drill kubectl fluency and time management deliberately, because the exam is won on speed as much as on knowledge. Small cohorts, so everyone gets hands-on time.
Mapped to the CNCF and Linux Foundation CKA curriculum for the current Kubernetes version. Taught from Hacky Security's own curriculum and lab clusters by instructors who run Kubernetes in production. This is preparation for the CKA; the exam, simulator and certification come from the Linux Foundation.
Exam & certification
- 1Train with us instructor-led preparation, labs and practice questions.
- 2Sit the official examExam voucher sold separately. We buy it from the certification body on your behalf and send you the code — you book your own exam date.
- 3Get certifiedThe certification is awarded by DevOps & ITSM when you pass their exam.
What you receive
- DevOps & ITSM certification — issued by DevOps & ITSM after you pass, and verifiable with them.
- Hacky Security certificate of completion — for the training itself, with a unique ID.
- Checkable by employers — anyone can confirm our certificate on the Verify page.
This course is Hacky Security’s own preparation training. The certification itself is awarded by DevOps & ITSM, not by us.
Similar courses
Independent preparation training delivered from Hacky Security's own curriculum. Hacky Security is not affiliated with or endorsed by the certification body named above. Certification names and codes are the trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to describe what this course prepares you for.
