Comparing to CKAD, what additional topics should I focus on CKA?

caishaoping

Hi All,

Hope to get help on my journey to CKA exam, I have just passed CKAD exam, though not high score, now I want to continue to nail CKA exam, what are the additional areas I should focus on?

Appreciate if you can shed some light.

Thanks
Shao

johnmic

Hi there,

Congratulations on passing the CKAD exam! Since you're transitioning to the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) level, there are a few areas you might want to focus on:

Cluster Setup and Configuration: Make sure you are comfortable setting up a Kubernetes cluster from scratch, including configuring various components and network settings.

Security Best Practices: Dive into Kubernetes security concepts, such as RBAC, Network Policies, and secrets management. Understanding how to secure your cluster is crucial for the CKA exam.

Cluster Maintenance: Learn about cluster upgrades, backup and restore procedures, and troubleshooting common issues. Practical experience in keeping a cluster healthy is important.

Advanced Networking: Deepen your knowledge of Kubernetes networking, including Service types, DNS configuration, and Ingress controllers.

Storage Management: Explore how to manage persistent storage in Kubernetes, including different storage classes, PVs, and PVCs.

Resource Management: Understand how to allocate resources to pods effectively, including CPU and memory management, and deal with resource constraints.

Cluster Monitoring and Logging: Familiarize yourself with monitoring tools and techniques for Kubernetes clusters, as well as logging best practices.

API Access and Control: Learn about the Kubernetes API and how to interact with it using tools like kubectl. This includes creating and managing resources through the API.

Multi-Node Clusters: If you haven't already, experiment with multi-node clusters and understand how they differ from single-node setups.

Practice, Practice, Practice: Similar to the CKAD, hands-on practice is key. Use platforms like Katacoda or set up your own lab environment to work on real-world scenarios.

Remember, the CKA exam is more focused on cluster administration and system-level tasks. It's a step up from the CKAD in terms of complexity and depth. By concentrating on the areas mentioned above and practicing regularly, you'll be well-prepared to excel in the CKA exam.