Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
CKAD certifies that you can design, build and run applications on Kubernetes from the command line. Like CKA it is entirely performance-based — no multiple choice — two hours of hands-on tasks in live clusters with the official documentation open in one extra tab. Where CKA is the cluster operator's exam, CKAD is the application developer's: configuration, security context and observability rather than etcd and node management.
- Performance-based hands-on
- Questions
- 120 min
- Duration
- 66%
- Passing score
- US$445
- Exam cost
tasks (count not published)
includes one free retake and two Killer.sh simulator sessions; confirm current pricing on training.linuxfoundation.org
Exam facts reviewed July 2026 · Independent study resource, not affiliated with Cloud Native Computing Foundation
Who should take it
Developers who deploy and operate their own services on Kubernetes, and platform engineers supporting them. There are no prerequisites, but the format punishes book-only study — every task is performed against a real cluster under time pressure, so kubectl fluency is the thing that actually gets you through.
Skills measured
Domains and weightings as published by Cloud Native Computing Foundation. Full objectives →
- 25%Application Environment, Configuration and Security
- 20%Application Design and Build
- 20%Application Deployment
- 20%Services and Networking
- 15%Application Observability and Maintenance
What’s inside
What you get on Kwizza for this certification — free, no account needed to start.
- 300
- Practice questions
- 3
- Full exams
- 5
- Domains covered
- Free
- Cost
weighted to the official blueprint
every answer explained
Prepare with Kwizza
- Free practice exam — full-length, weighted to the official blueprint, every answer explained
- Study guide — domain-by-domain focus areas, common mistakes, exam-day tips
- Exam objectives — the official domains, unpacked
- Sample questions — real items from our bank, with answers and explanations
- How our exams are made — the quality pipeline behind every question
Frequently asked questions
- Is CKAD multiple choice?
- No. It is entirely performance-based — hands-on tasks solved on the command line in live clusters over two hours, graded on the resulting cluster state.
- How does CKAD differ from CKA?
- CKA is the cluster administrator's exam — etcd, upgrades, node and control-plane troubleshooting. CKAD is the developer's: configuration, security context, probes and deployment strategy. They share a 66% pass mark and the same two-hour format, and their content barely overlaps.
- Can I use the documentation during the exam?
- Yes, in one extra browser tab, limited to kubernetes.io/docs, kubernetes.io/blog and helm.sh/docs, plus links in the exam's Quick Reference and locally installed docs. Note that gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io is permitted for CKA but not for CKAD.
- How long is it valid?
- Two years from your pass date, renewed by retaking the exam before it expires. Certifications earned before April 2024 remain valid for three years under the older policy.
- Which Kubernetes version does the exam use?
- The environment currently runs Kubernetes v1.35 and is updated quarterly to track releases, so confirm the version before you book.
- How do Kwizza's practice questions help if the real exam is hands-on?
- They train the recall and judgment layer — which object or field solves a problem, what a symptom implies, which probe prevents which failure — and that is what makes you fast in the terminal. They are not a substitute for the format: practise against a real cluster too, and use the two Killer.sh sessions bundled with your registration.
Related certifications
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) — The cluster-operations counterpart to this exam
- HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (004) — Infrastructure as code alongside container delivery