CNCF / Associate / KCNA
Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate
Understand the Kubernetes building blocks, follow a request through the platform and recognise the cloud native tools that solve each problem.
Checked 10 October 2026 against the current four-domain curriculum, which replaces the older five-domain outline. Objective IDs are CertSloth navigation labels, not official codes. The PDF does not publish a Kubernetes exam runtime version; KCNA assesses conceptual knowledge. Curriculum mapping attributed to CNCF, CC BY 4.0; explanations and practice questions are original. Verify the candidate instructions before booking.
THE REVISION PATH
Your topics, in order.
Read. Recall. Explain the alternative.
Cluster components and desired state
The API receives, etcd remembers, controllers reconcile, the scheduler places, the kubelet runs.
Containers, images and runtime interfaces
Build an image, store it in a registry, run it as a container, group it in a Pod.
kubectl, configuration and access
Context selects the destination; authentication proves identity; authorisation grants actions; admission checks the change.
Workloads, scheduling and scaling
Deployment repeats; StatefulSet identifies; DaemonSet covers nodes; Job finishes; CronJob schedules runs.
Services, DNS and network security
Pod IPs change; Services give a stable destination; DNS gives a name; policy controls the path.
Volumes, claims and persistence
A volume is mounted, a claim asks, a PV supplies, a StorageClass provisions.
Troubleshooting and application debugging
Find the failing layer: placement, image, process, readiness, Service, network or dependency.
Application delivery, CI/CD and GitOps
CI proves the change; delivery prepares it; deployment releases it; GitOps keeps reality aligned.
Observability, metrics, logs and traces
Metrics show the trend, logs explain events, traces follow the journey.
Cloud native principles, ecosystem and community
Design for change and failure; choose a tool by its job; contribute through an open process.
How this guide is organised
Original revision explanations and recall scenarios mapped to every published curriculum subskill. Objective IDs are local navigation references because the official outline does not number its subskills. Primary project documentation supports the technical notes.
- Current KCNA curriculum ↗ Scope authority
- CNCF KCNA certification ↗ Exam and domains
- Linux Foundation KCNA exam ↗ Candidate information
- Kubernetes documentation ↗ Technical reference
- CNCF cloud native glossary ↗ Technical reference
Revision material supports preparation; it does not guarantee every possible exam question. Check the exam version and official objectives before booking.