The Cloud Panda

Kubernetes · course, labs and mock exams

CCA course and practice labs

Cilium Certified Associate: 8 modules of lessons and demos, 5 tasks from 5 lab templates on real kubeadm clusters, and 1 timed mock exams.

Labs store Cilium and Kubernetes policy objects and read them with kubectl. They do not install the Cilium agent.

  • Beginner
  • 3 hours
  • Certificate of completion
  • Pass mark 75%
Sign up freeSee the curriculum
Modules
8
Lessons
16
Demos
0
Labs
5
Tasks
5
Mock exams
1

The Linux Foundation · 90 minute exam

What you'll learn

Every domain of the exam, weighted like the exam

All 8 domains in the public curriculum. 2 of them already have labs.

What's included

A full course, not just a question bank

  • 16 lessons

    Short lessons for the exam competencies, with commands to copy and links to the official docs.

  • 0 demos

    Walk through a task step by step before you try it yourself.

  • 5 hands-on labs

    5 tasks with their variants, on a kubeadm cluster, graded check by check.

  • 8 module quizzes

    48 original questions, with an explanation for every answer.

  • 1 mock exams

    1 full mocks and 0 domain mocks. Pass mark 75%.

  • Certificate of completion

    From The Cloud Panda when you finish the course. It is a course certificate, not one from The Linux Foundation.

Curriculum

8 modules

16 lessons and 0 demos: 2 h 14 min of reading and demos, about 3 hours with the practice. The lessons open with a free account.

01Architecture2 lessons · 18 min · quiz

What Cilium is for in a Kubernetes cluster, which process does which job, how pods get addresses, and how packets cross the node. Domain: Architecture.

  1. lessonWhat Cilium does, and which component does it9 min
  2. lessonIPAM modes and the two datapaths9 min
02Network policy3 lessons · 25 min · 3 labs · quiz

Identity-based policy, the three enforcement modes, how a Cilium rule is shaped, and where that differs from a Kubernetes NetworkPolicy. Domain: Network Policy.

  1. lessonIdentity and the three enforcement modes8 min
  2. lessonHow a Cilium rule is put together9 min
  3. lessonKubernetes NetworkPolicy beside CiliumNetworkPolicy8 min
03Service mesh2 lessons · 18 min · 2 labs · quiz

Ingress and Gateway API, what a mesh is for, encrypting traffic between nodes, and why Cilium does not put a proxy in every pod. Domain: Service Mesh.

  1. lessonIngress and Gateway API9 min
  2. lessonMesh use, encryption, and no sidecar9 min
04Network observability2 lessons · 16 min · quiz

What Hubble can see, when a flow includes the HTTP or DNS detail, and how the CLI and the UI relate. Domain: Network Observability.

  1. lessonWhat Hubble records8 min
  2. lessonLayer 7 visibility, the CLI, and the UI8 min
05Installation and configuration2 lessons · 16 min · quiz

The Cilium CLI: read and change configuration, install, wait until the agents are up, and run the connectivity test. Domain: Installation and Configuration.

  1. lessonRead and change configuration with the CLI8 min
  2. lessonInstall, status, and the connectivity test8 min
06Cluster mesh2 lessons · 16 min · quiz

Why two clusters would share one network, and how a Service finds endpoints in both. Domain: Cluster Mesh.

  1. lessonWhy Cluster Mesh exists8 min
  2. lessonService discovery and load balancing across clusters8 min
07eBPF2 lessons · 16 min · quiz

What eBPF is doing for Cilium, what that buys you, and how it differs from an iptables kube-proxy. Domain: eBPF.

  1. lessoneBPF inside Cilium8 min
  2. lessoneBPF and iptables kube-proxy8 min
08BGP and external networking1 lessons · 9 min · quiz

How pods get out of the cluster with a predictable address, and how BGP and routing connect a Cilium cluster to the network around it. Domain: BGP and External Networking.

  1. lessonEgress and connecting the cluster to the outside9 min

How a lab works

The same loop as a hands-on exam

A task, a live cluster, and checks that read the cluster.

  1. We set the scene

    A setup script puts a live environment into a real state, often a broken one: a broken workload, a missing permission, a Service with no endpoints. You get the task and a terminal.

  2. You fix it

    With the real tools and the official documentation, exactly as you will in the exam. Nothing is simulated and there are no multiple-choice shortcuts.

  3. Checks grade it

    Each lab runs checks against the live environment and shows which passed. There is no answer text to match: if a check fails, you know exactly what is left.

Lab library

Every lab, by exam domain

5 hands-on tasks across 8 domains, about 1 hours of practice.

Architecture 20% of the exam · 0 labs

Understand the Role of Cilium in Kubernetes Environments

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Cilium Architecture

No kubectl lab for this competency.

IP Address Management (IPAM) with Cilium

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Cilium Component Roles

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Datapath Models

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Network Policy 18% of the exam · 3 labs

Interpret Cilium Network Policies and Intent

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Understand Cilium's Identity-based Network Security Model

  • NP3CiliumNetworkPolicy entity rules12 min

Policy Enforcement Modes

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Policy Rule Structure

  • NP2CiliumNetworkPolicy endpoint selector12 min

Kubernetes Network Policies versus Cilium Network Policies

  • NP1Kubernetes NetworkPolicy from one client10 min

Service Mesh 16% of the exam · 2 labs

Know How to use Ingress or Gateway API for Ingress Routing

  • SM1Ingress host and path10 min

Service Mesh Use Cases

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Understand the Benefits of Gateway API over Ingress

  • SM2HTTPRoute host and path12 min

Encrypting Traffic in Transit with Cilium

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Sidecar-based versus Sidecarless Architectures

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Network Observability 10% of the exam · 0 labs

Understand the Observability Capabilities of Hubble

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Enabling Layer 7 Protocol Visibility

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Know How to Use Hubble from the Command Line or the Hubble UI

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Installation and Configuration 10% of the exam · 0 labs

Know How to Use Cilium CLI to Query and Modify the Configuration

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Using Cilium CLI to Install Cilium, Run Connectivity Tests, and Monitor its Status

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Cluster Mesh 10% of the exam · 0 labs

Understand the Benefits of Cluster Mesh for Multi-cluster Connectivity

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Achieve Service Discovery and Load Balancing Across Clusters with Cluster Mesh

No kubectl lab for this competency.

eBPF 10% of the exam · 0 labs

Understand the Role of eBPF in Cilium

No kubectl lab for this competency.

eBPF Key Benefits

No kubectl lab for this competency.

eBPF-based Platforms versus IPtables-based Platforms

No kubectl lab for this competency.

BGP and External Networking 6% of the exam · 0 labs

Egress Connectivity Requirements

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Understand Options to Connect Cilium-managed Clusters with External Networks

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Mock exams

1 timed mock exams

Pass mark 75%. A task appears in only one mock.

MockKindTasksTime
CCA Full Mock 01Full exam590 min

Start the CCA course

A free account opens the lessons. The free starter labs on the CKA stay the CKA labs.

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