Certification > Clouds and Containers > Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)
CERTIFICATION

Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)

Your Kubernetes & cloud native career path starts here. Proving you understand cloud native ecosystems will help you land that dream job.

KCNA includes:

✔ 12-months to schedule & take the exam
✔ Two exam attempts
✔ Exam Preparation Handbook

You have three ways to purchase!

1. Certification exam only – $250
2. Certification exam + THRIVE-ONE Annual Subscription (includes unlimited access to all e-Learning courses, SkillCreds, and premium Microlearning content) – $495
3. Certification exam + Fundamentals of Open Source IT and Cloud Computing (LFS250) course – $299

How will the KCNA benefit me?

  • Career Advancement
  • Industry-wide Credential Recognition
  • Proves Your High-Demand Cloud Skills
  • Networking Opportunities

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What about AWS, Red Hat & other certs?
Make sure your credentials include a strong foundation that is vendor-neutral to offer you the most career flexibility and growth. Add KCNA to your career profile today & check out our career roadmap for what's next.
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Not sure if you're ready? Check out these resources!
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Domains & Competencies
Expand All
Collapse All
Kubernetes Fundamentals46%
Kubernetes Resources
Kubernetes Architecture
Kubernetes API
Containers
Scheduling
Container Orchestration22%
Container Orchestration Fundamentals
Runtime
Security
Networking
Service Mesh
Storage
Cloud Native Architecture16%
Autoscaling
Serverless
Community and Governance
Roles and Personas
Open Standards
Cloud Native Observability8%
Telemetry & Observability
Prometheus
Cost Management
Cloud Native Application Delivery8%
Application Delivery Fundamentals
GitOps
CI/CD
Exam Details & Resources
This exam is an online, proctored, multiple-choice exam.
About the KCNA
The Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) exam demonstrates a user’s foundational knowledge and skills in Kubernetes and the wider cloud native ecosystem. Once you pass the exam, be sure to add your new badge to your LinkedIn, LFX, GitHub & other profiles to help you better connect with the open source community and distinguish yourself as certified for prospective employers.

What comes next? Consider showing off your Kubernetes & cloud native security skills by earning your Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate (KCSA) or go next level with the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification.

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this exam.
Reviews
Mar 2025
Good entry point for getting to know how CNCF operates and powers the cloud native architecture.
Mar 2025
This is exactly what I was missing at the time that I was preparing and taking the CKA exam, as KCNA did not exist yet. I think KCNA is the best entry-level certification for Kubernetes, just as it claims to be.
Feb 2025
Excellent first exam, questions were a little bit trickier than I expected, but overall in line with my expectations.
Jan 2025
The simple, yet elegant way to test knowledge about the core concept of Kubernetes.
Dec 2024
I'm a K8s expert, and this was easy but not trivial, and I know I missed at least a couple of questions. This is a very good test for overall knowledge of K8s and Cloud technology, and I will recommend it to all my team members.
Dec 2024
I really liked the exam's toughness, it does challenge the examinee. I have CKA, CKS, and even I had to re-read a few questions twice or thrice to select an answer. There were questions that made me think deeply, and that's what I loved about this exam. It's not just a no-brainer exam, it really tests you. Overall, I'd say the exam really tests the candidate's skills and knowledge about Kubernetes and cloud-native ecosystems.
Nov 2024
Great intro exam that covers a wide range of topics to get you started in your Kubernetes and Cloud Native journey.
Sep 2024
Questions came from all aspects relating to Kubernetes and Cloud Native. It gives you an idea of what you know, and what you don't, so you can learn more about it.
Sep 2024
A decent mix of questions, providing foundational knowledge validation. Good for professionals like me, who are already CKA certified and want a refresh on the Kubernetes and container technologies.
Aug 2024
I liked the level of the exam, it had some hard questions that I've never come across, neither in my professional career nor in my exam preparation. Good questions to encourage self-growth.
Aug 2024
The process was easy and efficient, the number of questions was reasonable. Proctor and environment were fine for this type of exam.
Jul 2024
The KCNA learning requirements form a broad foundational knowledge. Achieving the exam establishes a correct level of understanding of Docker and k8s operations, as well as cloud native concepts. It's a solid cornerstone on which to build and develop your mastery of Kubernetes.
Jul 2024
The list of answers is free of "gotcha" choices, making it straightforward to narrow down the correct answer to one or two possibilities.
Jun 2024
Questions and answer choices are clearly worded. The exam covers a broad area, so preparing for the exam helped me to better structure my knowledge on k8s and Cloud Native topics.
Jun 2024
Even though it is a "beginner" certification for Kubernetes, the exam was quite challenging. This is generally good, as it requires good preparation and a relatively deep understanding of the concepts related to Kubernetes.
Jun 2024
I enjoyed the technical questions about Kubernetes and how there are also questions on other CNCF projects that would be relevant in architecting Cloud Native solutions.
Jun 2024
This KCNA exam is perfect for someone who wants to start their Kubernetes journey.
May 2024
The questions focused on practical knowledge about the cloud native development environments. Also, they included real-life scenarios, which could only be answered after a good study of the course material. Overall, I'd say it's a pretty good benchmark to test someone's readiness for cloud-native development.
Apr 2024
Studying for it helped to consolidate and fill in gaps in knowledge acquired while working in a nontech role in a CNCF company. I feel inspired to learn more.
Mar 2024
The questions were tough enough that I had to give it considerable study effort, ensuring I now have a good grasp of the concepts and terminology. I can now confidently participate in discussions with my platform engineers.
Jan 2024
It's a good introduction to the Cloud Native ecosystem. The focus is more on concepts with respect to practice, and I think that's good for a correct Kubernetes first approach.
Dec 2023
It is pretty challenging exam even though it is associated level. I refreshed my knowledge on Kubernetes, Prometheus and Cloud Native concepts.
Aug 2023
The exam was conducted in a smooth, seamless manner. It will definitely help people who are new to cloud-native and wish to build a career in this field.
Apr 2023
KCNA provides an opportunity for beginners in cloud native to test their knowledge of Kubernetes more effectively.

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Online
Certification Valid for 2 Years
Includes 12 Month Exam Eligibility
One Retake
Multiple Choice Exam
Duration of Exam 90 minutes
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