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Certified Kubernetes Administrator
CKA — Complete Study Guide
25% 15% 20% 30%
Cluster Architecture Workloads & Services & Troubleshooting
Scheduling Networking
Linux Foundation Certification
,About This Study Guide
This guide is an original, independently authored study resource for candidates preparing for the Certified
Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) examination offered by the Linux Foundation. It is not affiliated with,
endorsed by, or derived from official exam content.
The CKA is a performance-based, hands-on exam conducted in a live Kubernetes environment. You will
be given a terminal and must complete practical tasks across five weighted domains within 2 hours. There
are no multiple-choice questions, everything is real kubectl commands and YAML manifests.
✅ TIP
The CKA exam is open-book! You may use https://kubernetes.io/docs during the exam.
Practice navigating the docs quickly — knowing where to find a PersistentVolume manifest
or a NetworkPolicy example can save critical minutes.
Exam Detail Value
Duration 2 hours
Format Performance-based (hands-on terminal)
Passing Score 66%
Validity 3 years
Retakes 1 free retake included
Kubernetes Version Latest stable (check linux foundation site)
Allowed Resources kubernetes.io/docs only
, Domain 1: Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration
This is the second-largest domain. Focus on understanding how each control plane component works,
how to perform etcd backups and restores, and how to upgrade a cluster using kubeadm.
1.1 Control Plane Components
The Kubernetes control plane is the brain of the cluster. It manages the desired state and coordinates
worker nodes.
Component Responsibility
kube-apiserver The single entry point for all cluster operations. Validates and
processes REST requests, updates etcd, and communicates with
all other components. Every kubectl command hits the API server.
etcd Distributed key-value store that persists ALL cluster state (pods,
secrets, configs, etc.). If etcd is lost without a backup, the cluster
state is gone. Runs on port 2379.
kube-scheduler Watches for unscheduled pods and assigns them to suitable nodes.
Uses filtering (can the node run this pod?) then scoring (which node
is best?). Does NOT start the pod — kubelet does.
kube-controller-manager Runs all built-in controller loops: ReplicaSet, Node, Job, Endpoints
controllers. Each controller continuously reconciles actual state with
desired state.
cloud-controller-manager Manages cloud-provider integrations (load balancers, storage
volumes, node lifecycle). Only present in cloud-hosted clusters
(EKS, GKE, AKS).
1.2 Worker Node Components
• Runs on every worker node. Receives PodSpecs from the API server and ensures the
described containers are running. Reports node and pod status back. It is the only
component that directly talks to the container runtime.: kubelet
• Maintains iptables (or IPVS) rules on each node to implement Kubernetes Service
networking. Handles traffic forwarding for ClusterIP, NodePort, and LoadBalancer services.:
kube-proxy
• The software that actually runs containers (containerd, CRI-O). kubelet talks to it via the CRI
(Container Runtime Interface).: Container Runtime
1.3 etcd Backup and Restore
⚠️ EXAM TIP
etcd backup/restore is one of the most frequently tested CKA tasks. Practice the exact
etcdctl commands until they are muscle memory.
Certified Kubernetes Administrator
CKA — Complete Study Guide
25% 15% 20% 30%
Cluster Architecture Workloads & Services & Troubleshooting
Scheduling Networking
Linux Foundation Certification
,About This Study Guide
This guide is an original, independently authored study resource for candidates preparing for the Certified
Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) examination offered by the Linux Foundation. It is not affiliated with,
endorsed by, or derived from official exam content.
The CKA is a performance-based, hands-on exam conducted in a live Kubernetes environment. You will
be given a terminal and must complete practical tasks across five weighted domains within 2 hours. There
are no multiple-choice questions, everything is real kubectl commands and YAML manifests.
✅ TIP
The CKA exam is open-book! You may use https://kubernetes.io/docs during the exam.
Practice navigating the docs quickly — knowing where to find a PersistentVolume manifest
or a NetworkPolicy example can save critical minutes.
Exam Detail Value
Duration 2 hours
Format Performance-based (hands-on terminal)
Passing Score 66%
Validity 3 years
Retakes 1 free retake included
Kubernetes Version Latest stable (check linux foundation site)
Allowed Resources kubernetes.io/docs only
, Domain 1: Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration
This is the second-largest domain. Focus on understanding how each control plane component works,
how to perform etcd backups and restores, and how to upgrade a cluster using kubeadm.
1.1 Control Plane Components
The Kubernetes control plane is the brain of the cluster. It manages the desired state and coordinates
worker nodes.
Component Responsibility
kube-apiserver The single entry point for all cluster operations. Validates and
processes REST requests, updates etcd, and communicates with
all other components. Every kubectl command hits the API server.
etcd Distributed key-value store that persists ALL cluster state (pods,
secrets, configs, etc.). If etcd is lost without a backup, the cluster
state is gone. Runs on port 2379.
kube-scheduler Watches for unscheduled pods and assigns them to suitable nodes.
Uses filtering (can the node run this pod?) then scoring (which node
is best?). Does NOT start the pod — kubelet does.
kube-controller-manager Runs all built-in controller loops: ReplicaSet, Node, Job, Endpoints
controllers. Each controller continuously reconciles actual state with
desired state.
cloud-controller-manager Manages cloud-provider integrations (load balancers, storage
volumes, node lifecycle). Only present in cloud-hosted clusters
(EKS, GKE, AKS).
1.2 Worker Node Components
• Runs on every worker node. Receives PodSpecs from the API server and ensures the
described containers are running. Reports node and pod status back. It is the only
component that directly talks to the container runtime.: kubelet
• Maintains iptables (or IPVS) rules on each node to implement Kubernetes Service
networking. Handles traffic forwarding for ClusterIP, NodePort, and LoadBalancer services.:
kube-proxy
• The software that actually runs containers (containerd, CRI-O). kubelet talks to it via the CRI
(Container Runtime Interface).: Container Runtime
1.3 etcd Backup and Restore
⚠️ EXAM TIP
etcd backup/restore is one of the most frequently tested CKA tasks. Practice the exact
etcdctl commands until they are muscle memory.
