Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate Exam Prep

Covers the core Kubernetes architecture, objects, kubectl usage, pod lifecycle, networking, and storage/configuration basics. This domain focuses on foundational concepts needed to understand how Kubernetes clusters run and how workloads are defined and managed.

• Task 1.1: Explain core Kubernetes architecture
• Describe the role of the control plane in cluster operations
• Identify the purpose of the API server, scheduler, controller manager, and etcd
• Describe the function of worker nodes and kubelet
• Recognize how cluster state is stored and maintained
• Task 1.2: Work with fundamental Kubernetes objects
• Identify Pods as the smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes

Key references: KCNA official exam guide · ExamPal shared topic tree

Covers scheduling and placement, desired-state management, specialized workload types, scaling mechanisms, and the container runtime environment. This domain emphasizes how Kubernetes places, maintains, and scales workloads.

• Task 2.1: Explain workload scheduling and placement
• Identify the scheduler as the component that assigns Pods to nodes
• Describe resource requests and limits and their influence on scheduling
• Explain node selectors, node affinity, and anti-affinity
• Describe taints and tolerations for workload placement control
• Task 2.2: Manage desired state and self-healing
• Explain how controllers maintain the desired number of replicas

Key references: KCNA official exam guide · ExamPal shared topic tree

Covers cloud native principles, CNCF governance, service exposure, service mesh concepts, and serverless/event-driven patterns. This domain emphasizes architectural patterns and ecosystem concepts used in cloud native systems.

• Task 3.1: Explain cloud native principles
• Describe characteristics such as scalability, resilience, automation, and loose coupling
• Explain immutable infrastructure and declarative configuration
• Recognize benefits of microservices-based architectures
• Describe why containers support portability and consistency
• Task 3.2: Understand CNCF ecosystem and governance
• Expand CNCF as Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Key references: KCNA official exam guide · ExamPal shared topic tree

Covers observability fundamentals, metrics collection and monitoring, logging, tracing, and troubleshooting clusters and workloads. This domain focuses on how to understand system behavior using metrics, logs, traces, and operational signals.

• Task 4.1: Explain observability fundamentals
• Define observability in terms of metrics, logs, and traces
• Identify the golden signals used to assess system health
• Explain why observability is important for cloud native systems
• Distinguish monitoring from broader observability practices
• Task 4.2: Understand metrics collection and monitoring
• Identify Prometheus as a common CNCF monitoring project

Key references: KCNA official exam guide · ExamPal shared topic tree

Covers modern delivery concepts, deployment strategies, GitOps, packaging and configuration tools, and secure and reliable application delivery. This domain focuses on how applications are built, released, updated, and managed in Kubernetes environments.

• Task 5.1: Explain modern software delivery concepts
• Distinguish continuous integration from continuous delivery and continuous deployment
• Describe the goals of automated build, test, and release pipelines
• Recognize the value of repeatability and version control in delivery workflows
• Explain how delivery practices reduce deployment risk
• Task 5.2: Understand deployment strategies
• Describe rolling updates and their effect on application availability

Key references: KCNA official exam guide · ExamPal shared topic tree