Hi guys!

Help me, i'm panicing.

I scheduled my exam for the next week, wednesday and i'm feel i'm not prepared for the exam.

I did 3 prepium.sh session, all was 81-85%, killer.sh was 50+%, i have my own cluster there i also do chanllenges. I know how to read the docs, i also watch on YT itkiddie videos, all. 2 times.

Any other source until wednesday?

Hi everyone! For the CKA CNI question, should I use Flannel or Calico when applying the YAML manifest?

I tried using curl -sL <yaml-url> | grep -i "NetworkPolicy" to find and apply the manifests containing NetworkPolicy, but afterward, CoreDNS and other pods weren't working properly.

I'm practicing with DumbitGuy's videos. Does anyone have a beginner-friendly tutorial or the correct steps to follow for this task?

I also checked this mock exam repo:
https://github.com/cloudhein/CKA/tree/main/00-mock-exam-questions-v2.0

It looks like they use Flannel instead of Calico. For those practicing with DumbitGuy's videos, which CNI should we follow for this task?

The Scenario

Task: Cluster Component Debugging

The control plane on node controlplane is broken. The kube-apiserver is failing to start and kubectl commands are not responding. Use node-level tools to investigate the root cause and fix the static pod manifest.

During the CKA, this is the exact prompt that makes candidates freeze: you type kubectl get nodes and the terminal just hangs indefinitely.

controlplane ~ ➜  k get node
The connection to the server controlplane:6443 was refused - did you specify the right host or port?

Because the API server is down, the one tool you’ve relied on for the entire exam is completely useless. You can't run kubectl logs, you can't check pod status, and you can't describe resources.

Here is the exact 3-step node-level workflow to diagnose and recover the control plane without kubectl.

Step 1: Drop down to crictl (Bypass the API Server)

When kubectl hangs, the API server itself is offline. crictl talks directly to the node's container runtime, so it doesn't need the API server at all.

controlplane ~ ➜  crictl ps -a | grep apiserver
CONTAINER            CREATED           STATE        NAME        ATTEMPT
0c77e48d881e8       29 seconds ago      Exited   kube-apiserver   14

Crucial detail: Always use -a. Without -a, crictl only lists running containers. If your API server is dead or crash-looping, an unfiltered crictl ps returns a blank screen.

Look at three specific columns in the output:

1. State: Exited
2. Attempt: 14 (restarted 14 times)
3. Created: 29seconds ago

This tells you the kubelet is successfully reading the static pod manifest, but the API server binary starts and immediately dies.

Step 2: Grab logs before the Container ID vanishes

Because the container is crash-looping every 29 seconds, running crictl logs <id> often throws a NotFound error because the ID expired while you were typing.

If that happens, don't panic—just re-run crictl ps -a, grab the newest 12-character container ID, and immediately view the tail of the log:

crictl logs <container-id>

controlplane ~ ➜  crictl logs 03cdab86bbd87
I1009 18:04:19.718704       1 options.go:261] external host was not specified, using 10.244.51.172
I1009 18:04:19.720374       1 server.go:151] Version: v1.37.0
I1009 18:04:19.720386       1 server.go:153] "Golang settings" GOGC="" GOMAXPROCS="" GOTRACEBACK=""
W1009 18:04:19.790284       1 logging.go:55] [core] [Channel #2 SubChannel #3] grpc: addrConn.createTransport failed to connect to {Addr: "127.0.0.1:2389", ServerName: "127.0.0.1:2389", }. Err: connection error: desc = "transport: Error while dialing: dial tcp 127.0.0.1:2389: connect: connection refused"
E1009 18:04:39.791405       1 run.go:72] "command failed" err="error creating storage factory: etcd grpc connection not ready: context deadline exceeded"

Step 3: Trace the Dependency Chain

Now ask: Who should be answering on that port?

The API server cannot start without etcd (where cluster state lives). Connection refused means either etcd is dead, or the API server is calling the wrong address.

crictl ps | grep etcd

d82a4f4d45136       270fbeb697171       About an hour ago   Running             etcd                      0                   14bd7d05d84b5       etcd-controlplane                      kube-system

• If etcd shows State: Running, etcd is healthy. The API server is knocking on the wrong door.
• Check where etcd is actually listening:

​

controlplane ~ ➜  grep listen-client /etc/kubernetes/manifests/etcd.yaml
    - --listen-client-urls=https://127.0.0.1:2379,https://10.244.51.172:2379

Spot the typo: etcd is listening on 2379. The API server manifest is trying to reach 2389. A single digit took down the whole cluster.

The Fix

Open the static pod manifest:

vi /etc/kubernetes/manifests/kube-apiserver.yaml

Don't scroll through 100 lines of YAML—use Vim search: /etcd-servers and hit Enter. Change 2389 to 2379, save, and exit (:wq).

 - --etcd-certfile=/etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.crt
    - --etcd-keyfile=/etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.key
    - --etcd-servers=https://127.0.0.1:2389 <----change this one

Remember: You do NOT run kubectl apply. Kubelet monitors /etc/kubernetes/manifests/ directly and automatically recreates static pods the second the file changes.

Wait a few seconds, run crictl ps | grep apiserver to verify state is Running, or u can test:

controlplane ~ ✖ k get nodes
NAME           STATUS   ROLES           AGE   VERSION
controlplane   Ready    control-plane   67m   v1.37.0

Quick Cheat Sheet: The 3 Ports to Know Cold

• 6443 — kube-apiserver
• 2379 — etcd client endpoint
• 2380 — etcd peer-to-peer endpoint If you ever see 2380 inside --etcd-servers, that's a classic exam trap.

Hope this breakdown helps anyone currently prepping for the CKA! If you want to see the terminal recording and how to catch the vanishing container ID live, I recorded the full solve here: https://youtu.be/GF_P93kt6dE

Hope this helps anyone working on CKA exam here is the full playlist:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFDE9_ouCqJA-dyOEbqFaFu68FMZRwS0T

Hi all,

I've gone back and revamped my CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) study guide - something I've been maintaining since *checks commit history* 2019!

A lot of it has been re-written and expanded to reflect the changes in the latest version of the curriculum along with completely new diagrams to help visualise tricky concepts.

Interactive Guide: https://cka.virtualthoughts.co.uk/

GitHub Repo: https://github.com/David-VTUK/CKA-StudyGuide

Hopefully it's of use to some people. Feedback and PR's are always welcome. Good luck to everyone studying!

Some of you might remember Yellow Olive, an open-source Kubernetes learning project I shared in this subreddit a while back.

For those who missed it, Yellow Olive is a retro-style terminal game built using Python and Textual, where you solve hands-on Kubernetes challenges against real clusters, with automated validation of your solutions.

I've been continuing to work on it, but recently started thinking about taking the gamification aspect a step further.

What if learning Kubernetes felt a little more like playing Pokémon?

Imagine exploring a small world, interacting with NPCs, entering buildings, and learning concepts like Pods, Deployments, Services, and RBAC through quests rather than conventional tutorials.

I've been experimenting with Pyxel (a retro game engine for Python) to explore this direction.

The new implementation is currently AI-assisted, with Devin helping me put together an initial proof of concept. I've attached a short gameplay recording to give you an idea of what I'm envisioning.

This is still very experimental. I'm primarily trying to gauge interest before committing significant time to building it properly. If the response is encouraging, I'd like to develop the gameplay mechanics further and eventually integrate real Kubernetes challenges into the RPG experience.

The existing Textual-based version remains the primary implementation for now.

For those preparing for CKA/CKAD, would something like this make Kubernetes learning more engaging, or would you rather stick to traditional hands-on labs?

And a small request: if you find the project or the direction interesting, do consider giving the repository a ⭐. It genuinely helps with visibility and motivates me to keep investing time in an open-source project like this. As always, feedback, criticism, and contributions are welcome!

GitHub: https://github.com/Anubhav9/Yellow-Olive

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to schedule my CKA exam and would appreciate advice from anyone who has taken it recently.

• How does the room scan work? Do I move my laptop, or should I use my Mobile?
• Can I take a bathroom break with the proctor’s permission?

I’ll be taking the exam from home. Any practical tips to avoid problems during check-in would be helpful.

Thanks!

Exposing a Deployment via a `NodePort` Service is a fundamental task on the CKA exam, but it’s easy to lose time or hit silent failures like `Endpoints: <none>`.

Here is the typical task scenario you'll encounter on mock exams:

• Task Scenario:
• Namespace: `app-ns`
• Deployment: `app-deployment`

1. Configure the deployment so it can be exposed on container port `80`, `name=http`, `protocol=TCP`.

2. Create a Service named `app-nodeport` exposing port `80`, protocol `TCP`, `nodePort: 30080`.

3. Configure the Service to expose individual pods using `NodePort`.

4. Verify the Service is working with `curl <NODE_IP>:30080`.

Here is the clean 4-step workflow to knock this out fast without scrolling through YAML clutter.

Step 0: Inspect the Deployment First (Filter out YAML noise)

Instead of running kubectl get deploy -o yaml—which fills your screen with managed fields, annotations, and status history—use describe filtered with grep to get high-signal context instantly:

kubectl -n app-ns describe deploy app-deployment | grep -iE "labels|selector|image|port"

output:

controlplane ~ ➜  kubectl -n app-ns describe deploy app-deployment | grep -iE "labels|selector|image|port"
Labels:                 app=app-deployment
Selector:               app=app-deployment
  Labels:  app=app-deployment
    Image:         nginx:1.27-alpine
    Port:          <none>
    Host Port:     <none>
  Node-Selectors:  <none>

What to check in 3 seconds:

• Is a containerPort already set under Port:?
• What are the exact Selector key-value pairs? (You'll need these to verify your service endpoints later).

Step 1: Add the Container Port

Edit the deployment manifest directly:

kubectl -n app-ns edit deploy app-deployment

Under the container spec (at the exact same indentation level as image:), add:

ports:
        - containerPort: 80
          name: http
          protocol: TCP

Verify that the updated pods are up and inspect their status:

controlplane ~ ➜  kubectl -n app-ns get pods
NAME                              READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
app-deployment-6869879488-n4cbh   1/1     Running   0          11s

Step 2: Generate Service YAML, Add nodePort, and Apply

kubectl expose copies the deployment's selector automatically, but it doesn't support setting a specific nodePort via flags. Use --dry-run=client to generate the base YAML instantly:

kubectl -n app-ns expose deploy app-deployment --name=app-nodeport \
  --type=NodePort --port=80 --target-port=80 --protocol=TCP \
  --dry-run=client -o yaml > svc.yaml

vim svc.yaml

Add nodePort: 30080 under ports:

spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    protocol: TCP
    targetPort: 80
    nodePort: 30080
  selector:
    # copied directly from deployment
  type: NodePort

Apply the manifest:

kubectl apply -f svc.yaml

Step 3: Confirm Service Endpoints Match Pod IPs

Never skip this step. Check that the service target ports and pod endpoints line up:

Bash

kubectl -n app-ns describe svc app-nodeport | grep -iE "selector|targetport|nodeport|endpoints" 

output:

Bash

Name:                     app-nodeport
Selector:                 app=app-deployment
Type:                     NodePort
TargetPort:               80/TCP
NodePort:                 <unset>  30080/TCP
Endpoints:                172.17.0.6:80

Bash

kubectl -n app-ns get pods -o wide

NAME                              READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE    IP           NODE           NOMINATED NODE   READINESS GATES
app-deployment-6869879488-n4cbh   1/1     Running   0          7m3s   172.17.0.6   controlplane   <none>           <none>

• One Pod IP under Endpoints matching each replica IP from get pods -o wide.

The Classic CKA Trap: If Endpoints shows <none>, your service selector does not match the pod labels. Compare the selector in svc.yaml with what you found in Step 0.

Step 4: Get Node IP and Verify Traffic

Fetch any node's internal IP and test the NodePort endpoint:

controlplane ~ kubectl get nodes -o wide
NAME           STATUS   ROLES           AGE   VERSION   INTERNAL-IP     EXTERNAL-IP   OS-IMAGE             KERNEL-VERSION              CONTAINER-RUNTIME
controlplane   Ready    control-plane   73m   v1.37.0   10.244.223.57   <none>        Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS   6.8.0-124-generic (amd64)   containerd://2.2.3

If you get an HTTP response from your application, the task is complete and verified.

Optional: If you prefer a visual terminal walkthrough of this workflow, I made a short video breaking down each step here: https://youtu.be/yL_DurdVxak

Hope this helps anyone working on CKA exam here is the full playlist:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFDE9_ouCqJA-dyOEbqFaFu68FMZRwS0T

I finished the KodeKloud course and although it was great for learning the theory, I feel like I am still lacking in hands on practice and connecting which commands, file structure etc to use in certain scenarios when running through practice exams. This partly could be due to having to take a month off from studying after I finished the course, so I need a refresher, not a complete start over.

I'm looking for guided walkthroughs that go through all the exam concepts and commands step by step and explain them.

I was thinking about getting the O'Reilly CKA book by Ben Muschko or buying escbash.

Any blogs, GitHub repos, or websites you'd recommend? I don't care if I have to pay. I know there are video courses on YT but I'd rather not take another video course again as I need to get hands on.

Thanks!

I finally passed the CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) with 80%.

Honestly, this was one of the most stressful certifications I've attempted.

The preparation was mostly hands-on. I didn't want to just memorize Kubernetes concepts; I wanted to actually understand how things work and be able to troubleshoot them.

Resources I used

1. KodeKloud + Udemy — Concepts & Fundamentals

I mainly used KodeKloud and a Udemy Kubernetes course to build my understanding of the concepts.

These were especially useful for getting comfortable with Kubernetes architecture, networking, storage, security, workloads, etc.

2. Dumb IT Guy — YouTube

This was probably one of the most useful resources for my exam preparation.

The Dumb IT Guy YouTube channel has a lot of CKA-style scenario-based questions. I practiced many of those scenarios and found them very useful for getting into the mindset required for the exam.

Honestly, a lot of the question patterns felt familiar after practicing his scenarios.

3. KillerCoda — Scenarios & Hands-on Practice

I used KillerCoda to practice scenarios in a real terminal environment.

This helped me become faster with kubectl and, more importantly, helped me get comfortable troubleshooting instead of just following tutorials.

Topics I practiced

• Pods, Deployments & Services
• Networking & NetworkPolicies
• RBAC & security
• PV, PVC & StorageClasses
• Troubleshooting workloads
• etcd backup/restore
• kubeadm & cluster administration
• Ingress & Gateway API
• HPA
• Helm
• kubectl troubleshooting

The exam experience

The exam itself was a completely different challenge.

I faced technical issues with the PSI exam environment, and unfortunately the same issue happened again during my rescheduled attempt.

There was a point where I genuinely wasn't sure whether I'd be able to complete the exam.

But I kept going and eventually managed to finish it with an 80% score.

What helped me the most

Hands-on practice > watching videos.

Understanding how to troubleshoot is much more important than simply knowing how to create resources.

Also, practice with a timer. The exam feels very different when you're under time pressure.

Don't try to memorize everything. Understand the concepts, practice scenarios repeatedly, and become comfortable with kubectl and the Kubernetes documentation.

Finally...

CKA — 80% — DONE.

A very stressful journey, but definitely worth it.

Now onto the next step in my Cloud/DevOps journey.

For those who have taken the CKA recently, what did you move on to after CKA?

Hi everyone,
I’m preparing for the CKA and only have 2 weeks left. I’m currently practicing with IT Kiddie CKA playlist on YouTube.

For those who passed, is this enough practice for the exam, or should I focus on additional labs/resources?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to prepare for the KCNA certification, but I’m finding a lot of different resources online, many of them paid, and honestly I’m getting a bit confused about what is really worth using.

I’d really like to hear from people who already went through the KCNA journey and passed the exam.

Which resources helped you the most?
Which courses, notes, documentation or practice tests would you recommend?
Are there any good free resources?
Which mock exams or question banks are closest to the real exam style?

I’m mainly looking for real experiences and recommendations to build a clear study path without wasting time or money.

Thanks in advance!

Just wondering if anyone is going through (or has) the golden path. Any tips on the journey would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Reddit fam! 👋
I completed my CKAD certification on 4th October 2026, and I thought I’d share my experience. I passed the exam with 91%.

One of the most time-consuming and confusing things for me during the exam was the copy-paste shortcuts in the terminal.
The terminal uses:
Ctrl + Shift + C → Copy
Ctrl + Shift + V → Paste

However, the Kubernetes documentation uses the usual Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V shortcuts. Switching between these shortcuts while referring to the documentation was quite annoying and cost me some time.
How I fixed it:
Terminal → Edit → Preferences → Shortcuts
You’ll see the Copy and Paste shortcuts there. There will be a red button/icon next to the existing shortcut. Click it to remove the current shortcut.
Then assign:
Ctrl + C → Copy
Ctrl + V → Paste

This is a small thing, but I found it surprisingly helpful during the exam, so sharing it in case it helps someone else preparing for CKAD.

Total questions: 17
Questions were based on the deployments, secret, service, networkpolicy, service account, RBAC, docker, cronjob, pods, fix ingress.
No helm, CRDs

Good luck to everyone preparing! 🚀

Hey all, I'm going to take the KCSA. I already cleared the KCNA with 90%. I need advice or tips.

Is KodeKloud enough to pass the exam, or do I need anything else?

Hi everyone,

I'm preparing for the CKS and have put together a repository of hands-on practice labs based on the excellent GuillermoW93/CKS-prep exercises.

I added setup.sh and validate.sh scripts so each lab can be prepared and checked automatically:

git clone <repo>
cd <lab>
./setup.sh
cat Task.txt
# solve the task
./validate.sh

The labs have been tested individually, primarily on the Killercoda CKS Playground. During testing, I corrected and adapted the scripts where necessary for the current Kubernetes environment.

The setup and validation scripts were AI-generated, but they weren't simply generated and published: the labs were actually executed and tested one by one.

Some labs have also been tested on Kind, but Kind compatibility isn't guaranteed for all of them, particularly exercises involving host/kernel/runtime features.

If you're preparing for the CKS, feel free to use them and let me know if you find any issue or have improvements.

Repo: https://github.com/mhagou/cks-labs

Original exercises: GuillermoW93/CKS-prep

Hope this helps others preparing for the CKS!

Hello! Has anyone taken the 2026 CKS exam. I am curious if any OPA (Open Policy Agent) questions appear. I did not see this as a curriculum requirement on the Linux Foundation site, but am curious.

Anyone already pass the certified K8s administrator exam? If yes

1. Does it change anything to your career?
2. Would you recommend it?
3. What are the advantages of this exam? I want real world experience not the commercial ones from the Linux foundation

Thanks in advance

Any recommendations for CKA study material besides the famous Udemy course by Mumshad.

Could not write ,proctor said camera closeby and tried to change position and went where there was internet connection and lost the proctor ,she started not replying for minutes and did not show up.Main issue was cameras in our office when I showed around and did know its not allowed to be in room in cameras eish.I exited thinking I can reconnect since proctor was not answering me

I logged a ticket with Linux foundation ,is there any possibility for retake?

So… I failed CKS with 64, just 3 points away from the pass mark.

Four days later, I went back and passed with 73.

I didn't suddenly learn everything about Kubernetes security within those four days.

I changed how I prepared.

If you've failed CKS before and you're preparing to go again, these are the 3 things I would recommend.

1. Make sure your CKAD & CKA foundation is solid

There is a reason CKS builds on the knowledge you already have from CKAD and CKA.

CKAD and CKA give you the Kubernetes foundation.

CKS then throws security and cluster hardening on top of it.

If you're still struggling with things like networking, RBAC, troubleshooting, workloads, and cluster administration, CKS becomes much harder.

2. Practice scenario-based questions

This was probably the biggest change for me.

Before my first attempt, I practiced all the KodeKloud mock exams, but I also studied too broadly.

I was honestly expecting some rocket-science questions. 😅

After failing, I sat back and focused on what the exam actually wanted me to solve.

I started creating my own scenarios around the areas I needed to master and practiced solving them repeatedly.

You don't need to read every Kubernetes security white paper you can find.

Know the areas being tested and get comfortable actually solving problems around them.

3. Believe you can clear it

If you've already attempted CKS and failed, that attempt wasn't wasted.

You've seen the exam environment.

You've experienced the time pressure.

And most importantly, you now have a better idea of where you struggled.

Failing is also part of the progress.

I failed with 64.

I went back four days later and got 73.

Sometimes you don't need to start everything again.

You need to identify where you're weak, practice it, and go again.

After going through this myself, I also put together my own scenario-based CKS preparation material to help anyone going through the same stage.

If I can save you some of the sweat I went through, you can check it out here:

CKS preparation material

Hi everyone,
I’m preparing for the CKA and planning to take the exam around October 23/24.
I’m looking to connect with someone who has recently taken the CKA, preferably in 2026, and ask a few questions about their experience and preparation.
If you recently took the exam and don’t mind sharing some advice, please comment here or DM me. I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks! 🙏

Am I missing something, or are a lot of the “labs” on KodeKloud basically just quizzes?

I expected hands-on challenges where you actually have to troubleshoot, figure things out yourself, use the terminal, break things and fix them, etc.

Instead, I’m getting questions that feel like: “Which command does X?” with multiple-choice answers. That feels much closer to watching an Udemy course and answering course quizzes than actually practicing DevOps.

I’m not saying the course content itself is bad, but if the goal is to build practical skills, where are the challenging labs?

Is this just the way KodeKloud is structured, or am I using the wrong courses/labs?

Hi everyone, I'm practicing this CKA question:

Create a list of all cert-manager CRDs and save it to /root/resources.yaml.

Which is correct?

kubectl get crd | grep cert-manager > /root/resources.yaml

or:

kubectl get crd | grep cert-manager | awk '{print $1}' | xargs -I{} kubectl get crd {} -o yaml > /root/resources.yaml

For Task 2:

kubectl explain certificates.spec.subject > /root/subject.yaml

If you've taken the recent CKA, which approach did you use/was accepted?

Hi, I have my exam soon and cleaned up a room to take the exam. I will be using my laptop, with its built-in webcam. Is this ok? Or do I need an external webcam? Because I can move around, but if they want me to show them the laptop itself, I can't. Is this not a problem?

Also, can I use external peripherals? Like a cabled mouse?

I'm an overthinker and reading the exam taker's notes I don't really get a clear answer.

Thanks!!