The Cloud Panda

Kubernetes · course, labs and mock exams

CNPA course and practice labs

Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineering Associate: 6 modules of lessons and demos, 18 tasks from 18 lab templates on real kubeadm clusters, and 1 timed mock exams.

A course, original questions, kubeadm labs for the competencies kubectl can check, and a full mock. The exam is multiple choice.

  • Beginner
  • 6 hours
  • Certificate of completion
  • Pass mark 75%
Sign up freeSee the curriculum
Modules
6
Lessons
27
Demos
0
Labs
18
Tasks
18
Mock exams
1

The Linux Foundation · 120 minute exam

What you'll learn

Every domain of the exam, weighted like the exam

All 6 domains in the public curriculum. 6 of them already have labs.

What's included

A full course, not just a question bank

  • 27 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.

  • 18 hands-on labs

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

  • 6 module quizzes

    37 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

6 modules

27 lessons and 0 demos: 3 h 49 min of reading and demos, about 6 hours with the practice. The lessons open with a free account.

01Platform engineering fundamentals7 lessons · 1 h · 3 labs · quiz

Desired state, DevOps practice, environments, what a platform is for, and how integration and delivery show up on a cluster. Domain: Platform Engineering Core Fundamentals.

  1. lessonDeclarative resource management9 min
  2. lessonDevOps practices on a platform team8 min
  3. lessonApplication environments9 min
  4. lessonPlatform architecture and capabilities9 min
  5. lessonWhat a platform is for8 min
  6. lessonContinuous integration fundamentals8 min
  7. lessonContinuous delivery and a rollout9 min
02Observability, security, and conformance5 lessons · 44 min · 5 labs · quiz

The four signals, network policy versus encryption, admission policy, Pod Security, and what a pipeline identity is allowed to do. Domain: Platform Observability, Security, and Conformance.

  1. lessonTraces, metrics, logs, and events9 min
  2. lessonSecure service communication9 min
  3. lessonPolicy engines9 min
  4. lessonKubernetes security essentials9 min
  5. lessonSecurity in delivery pipelines8 min
03Continuous delivery5 lessons · 42 min · 3 labs · quiz

What a pipeline contains, how an incident is handled, how CI and CD meet, and how GitOps represents an environment. Domain: Continuous Delivery & Platform Engineering.

  1. lessonWhat a CI pipeline contains8 min
  2. lessonIncident response8 min
  3. lessonHow CI and CD fit together8 min
  4. lessonGitOps workflows9 min
  5. lessonGitOps across environments9 min
04Platform APIs and provisioning4 lessons · 34 min · 4 labs · quiz

The reconcile loop, custom resources as a product API, asking the cluster for infrastructure, and what makes a controller an operator. Domain: Platform APIs and Provisioning Infrastructure.

  1. lessonThe reconciliation loop8 min
  2. lessonCustom resources as a platform API9 min
  3. lessonProvisioning infrastructure from Kubernetes9 min
  4. lessonThe operator pattern8 min
05IDPs and developer experience4 lessons · 32 min · 2 labs · quiz

Narrow self-service, a catalog that is an API, what a portal is for, and where automation with a model belongs. Domain: IDPs and Developer Experience.

  1. lessonSelf-service within guardrails8 min
  2. lessonAPI-driven service catalogs8 min
  3. lessonDeveloper portals8 min
  4. lessonAI in platform automation8 min
06Measuring the platform2 lessons · 17 min · 1 labs · quiz

Whether developers are faster, and the four DORA outcomes that tell you if the path is working. Domain: Measuring your Platform.

  1. lessonEfficiency and team productivity8 min
  2. lessonDORA metrics9 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

18 hands-on tasks across 6 domains, about 2 hours of practice.

Platform Engineering Core Fundamentals 36% of the exam · 3 labs

Declarative Resource Management

  • F1Declare a Deployment from a ConfigMap8 min

DevOps Practices in Platform Engineering

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Application Environments and Infrastructure Concepts

  • F2Cap a stage namespace8 min

Platform Architecture and Capabilities

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Platform Engineering Goals, Objectives, and Approaches

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Continuous Integration Fundamentals

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Continuous Delivery and GitOps

  • F3Roll a release forward7 min

Platform Observability, Security, and Conformance 20% of the exam · 5 labs

Observability Fundamentals: Traces, Metrics, Logs, and Events

  • S1Read the signal the Pod wrote6 min

Secure Service Communication

  • S2Let one client reach the ledger8 min

Policy Engines for Platform Governance

  • S3Require an owner label on Pods8 min

Kubernetes Security Essentials

  • S4Enforce the baseline Pod Security profile8 min

Security in CI/CD Pipelines

  • S5A pipeline identity that cannot read Secrets8 min

Continuous Delivery & Platform Engineering 16% of the exam · 3 labs

Continuous Integration Pipelines Overview

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Incident Response in Platform Engineering

  • D1Restore the invoices Deployment7 min

CI/CD Relationship Fundamentals

No kubectl lab for this competency.

GitOps Basics and Workflows

  • D2Apply the portal desired state8 min

GitOps for Application Environments

  • D3Promote shop with a prod overlay8 min

Platform APIs and Provisioning Infrastructure 12% of the exam · 4 labs

Kubernetes Reconciliation Loop

  • A1Let the controller reach four workers6 min

APIs for Self-Service Platforms (CRDs)

  • A2Publish a Workspace API8 min

Infrastructure Provisioning with Kubernetes

  • A3Provision a volume for the export job8 min

Kubernetes Operator Pattern for Integration

  • A4Install the addon controller identity8 min

IDPs and Developer Experience 8% of the exam · 2 labs

Simplified Access to Platform Capabilities

  • E1Developer access without Secrets7 min

API-Driven Service Catalogs

  • E2Request a catalog service6 min

Developer Portals for Platform Adoption

No kubectl lab for this competency.

AI/ML in Platform Automation

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Measuring your Platform 8% of the exam · 1 labs

Platform Efficiency and Team Productivity

  • M1Record what the batch Deployment requests6 min

DORA Metrics for Platform Initiatives

No kubectl lab for this competency.

Mock exams

1 timed mock exams

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

MockKindTasksTime
CNPA Full Mock 01Full exam18120 min

Start the CNPA course

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

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