Certification Guide
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) is a hands-on, live-terminal exam focused on building and deploying applications to Kubernetes — Pods, Deployments, ConfigMaps, Secrets, Services, and observability. It is the CKA's application-focused sibling and is easier to pass but still rigorous.
Exam Code
CKAD
Cost
$445 (includes one free retake)
Duration
120 minutes
Passing Score
66%
Validity
2 years
Vendor
Linux Foundation / CNCF
Difficulty
Associate
Salary Impact
$10K – $25K premium; strong signal for backend engineers shipping to Kubernetes
Who This Certification Is For
- Backend engineers deploying services to Kubernetes daily
- Full-stack engineers at K8s-native startups
- Engineers preparing for CKA who want a lower-stakes hands-on cert first
- DevRel or SDK engineers building tooling for the Kubernetes ecosystem
Exam Domains
What CKAD actually tests, with weightings where the vendor publishes them:
- Application Design and Build (20%)
- Application Deployment (20%)
- Application Observability and Maintenance (15%)
- Application Environment, Configuration and Security (25%)
- Services and Networking (20%)
Study Path
An opinionated plan, in order. Timelines assume ~10 hours per week.
Week 1–3: Mumshad Mannambeth's CKAD course on Udemy — every lab, every mock exam
Week 4: killer.sh practice sessions (two free with your voucher)
Week 5: Speed drills — YAML generation with kubectl create --dry-run=client -o yaml is the highest-leverage skill
Week 6: Book the exam. Aim to finish with 15+ minutes to spare for troubleshooting.
Top Employers That Value CKAD
How HiringFunnel Uses Your CKAD
Backend roles at K8s-native companies increasingly ask for CKAD as a proxy for 'ships to production without hand-holding.' HiringFunnel targets these roles and matches your credential to the seniority band that pays the premium.
Have your CKAD? Let it work for you.
HiringFunnel targets roles where your certification is a keyword filter — not a nice-to-have — and applies at scale in the background.
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