A structured curriculum covering all official KCNA exam objectives, organized into logical, beginner-friendly chapters.
This guide works best as a loop: read a chapter, test yourself with practice questions, look up unfamiliar terms in the glossary, then move to the next chapter.
12 chapters covering every exam objective. Each chapter includes key concepts, exam tips, common traps, comparison tables, and a 5-question quiz at the end.
Start Chapter 1Free timed and untimed practice with instant feedback and full explanations. Pick 10–120 questions per session. Filter by domain to drill your weak areas.
Go to practice testEvery KCNAterm defined and searchable. Use it when a chapter mentions a concept you haven't seen before or want a quick refresher on.
Browse glossaryExam blueprint, domain weights, passing score, duration, cost, and registration links. Start here if you're new to this certification.
View exam guideCloud Native Architecture and Concepts
Objective 1.1 · Understand the definition and principles of cloud native architecture, including containers, microservices, and declarative APIs.
Kubernetes Overview and Core Components
Objective 2.1 · Describe Kubernetes architecture, including control plane and node components.
Kubernetes API and Core Objects
Objective 2.2 · Explain the Kubernetes API, YAML manifests, and core objects (Pods, Deployments, Services, etc.).
Pods and Workload Management
Objective 2.3 · Understand Pods, ReplicaSets, Deployments, DaemonSets, StatefulSets, and Jobs.
Services and Network Connectivity
Objective 2.4 · Describe Services, Ingress, and basic network policies.
Configuration and Storage Management
Objective 2.5 · Understand ConfigMaps, Secrets, Volumes, and PersistentVolumes.
Security and RBAC in Kubernetes
Objective 2.6 · Explain role-based access control (RBAC), ServiceAccounts, and security contexts.
Kubernetes Networking and DNS
Objective 3.1 · Describe the Kubernetes networking model, DNS resolution, and CNI plugins.
Container Orchestration Essentials
Objective 3.2 · Understand scheduling, scaling, self-healing, and rolling updates.
Cluster Architecture and Lifecycle Management
Objective 3.3 · Describe cluster setup, upgrade, and node management.
Observability: Monitoring, Logging, and Tracing
Objective 5.1 · Explain the pillars of observability: metrics, logs, and traces; tools like Prometheus and Grafana.
Cloud Native Application Design Principles
Objective 1.2 · Understand 12-factor apps, immutable infrastructure, and declarative deployments.
Free KCNA practice questions with full explanations. Test what you learn chapter by chapter.
KCNA Practice Questions