Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) Exam Voucher

Open new career doors - prove your Kubernetes & cloud native developer skills with the CKAD certification that is recognized globally, vendor-neutral and relevant across all industries.

How will the CKAD benefit me?

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 CKAD to your portfolio today & check out our career roadmap.

Merit Global is an authorized trainer partner of Linux Foundation for their certification programs. We distribute certification exam vouchers at good discounts.

Application Design and Build (20%)

• Define, build, and modify container images
• Choose and use the right workload resource (Deployment, DaemonSet, CronJob, etc.)
• Understand multi-container Pod design patterns (sidecar, init, and others)
• Utilize persistent and ephemeral volumes



Application Deployment (20%)

• Use Kubernetes primitives to implement deployment strategies such as blue/green and canary
• Understand Deployments and perform rolling updates
• Use the Helm package manager to deploy existing packages
• Use Kustomize for configuration management



Application Observability and Maintenance (15%)

• Understand API deprecations
• Implement probes and health checks
• Use built-in CLI tools to monitor Kubernetes applications
• Utilize container logs
• Debug applications running in Kubernetes



Application Environment, Configuration and Security (25%)

• Discover and use resources that extend Kubernetes (CRDs and Operators)
• Understand authentication, authorization, and admission control
• Understand requests, limits, and quotas
• Use ConfigMaps to manage application configuration
• Define resource requirements
• Create and consume Secrets
• Understand ServiceAccounts
• Apply application security concepts such as SecurityContexts and capabilities



Services and Networking (20%)

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of NetworkPolicies
• Provide and troubleshoot access to applications via Services
• Use Ingress rules to expose applications

The CKAD Certification focuses on the skills required to be a successful Kubernetes Application Developer in industry today. The exam assumes working knowledge of container runtimes and microservice architecture.

The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) exam certifies that candidates can design, build and deploy cloud-native applications for Kubernetes. The CKAD was created by the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as a part of their ongoing effort to help develop the Kubernetes ecosystem. The exam is online, proctored, performance-based test that requires solving multiple tasks from a command line running Kubernetes.

Once enrolled you will receive access to an exam simulator, provided by Killer.sh, allowing you to experience the exam environment. You will have two simulation attempts (36 hours of access for each attempt from the start of activation). The simulation includes 20-25 questions that are exactly the same for every attempt and every user, unlike the actual exam. The simulation will provide graded results.

The CKAD exam environment will be aligned with the most recent K8s minor version within approximately 4 to 8 weeks of the K8s release date.

• Build confidence to write the CKAD exam by completing Kubernetes for Developers course. You will get $100 discount if you buy both together - Kubernetes for Developers Course & CKAD Exam Bundle.
• You can directly apply for the CKAD exam without attending any course.

As organisations increasingly build and deploy cloud‑native applications, Kubernetes has become a critical platform for container orchestration. The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification, offered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), validates your specialised skills in designing, building, deploying and troubleshooting applications on Kubernetes.

CKAD focuses on real‑world developer tasks, including application design, configuration, observability, and managing services and networking in Kubernetes environments. This makes it ideal for developers, cloud engineers and DevOps professionals who want to demonstrate their ability to work with modern, scalable cloud‑native applications.

CKAD certification offers strong career and salary benefits in the United States and globally. Certified professionals with Kubernetes and cloud‑native skills are in high demand and employers often reward these capabilities with competitive compensation:

• 1. U.S. roles such as Kubernetes Application Developer and related cloud‑native developer positions typically earn between $110,000 and $140,000 per year, depending on experience and location.
• 2. Professionals with broader cloud skillsets—including DevOps Engineer and Cloud Engineer roles—often see salaries in the range of $105,000 to $145,000+ per year in the U.S. job market.
• 3. In more specialised or senior positions—such as Site Reliability Engineer, Cloud Native Architect or Senior Kubernetes Developer—total compensation can exceed $150,000 per year in many tech hubs.

Beyond financial rewards, CKAD certification strengthens your professional credibility, demonstrates your practical cloud‑native development skills and positions you for career growth in software engineering, DevOps, and cloud application roles.

By earning the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer certification, you establish yourself as a highly capable developer in the fast‑growing Kubernetes ecosystem—ready to contribute to modern cloud projects and pursue advanced roles in cloud and container‑native engineering.

This is not a course. It provides official access to the Linux Foundation CKAD certification exam through their portal. We are authorized resellers of exam vouchers, offering them at discounted prices along with exam preparation courses.

CKAD includes: