Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) | CNCF

Enroll your company as a CNCF End User and save more than $10K in training and conference costs
The Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) exam demonstrates a user’s foundational knowledge and skills in Kubernetes and the wider cloud native ecosystem.
The KCNA is a pre-professional certification designed for candidates interested in advancing to the professional level through a demonstrated understanding of kubernetes foundational knowledge and skills. This certification is ideal for students learning about or candidates interested in working with cloud native technologies.
A certified KCNA will confirm conceptual knowledge of the entire cloud native ecosystem, particularly focusing on Kubernetes. The KCNA exam is intended to prepare candidates to work with cloud native technologies and pursue further CNCF credentials, including CKA, CKAD, and CKS.
Join The Training Mailing List
Stay up-to-date on all things Training + Certification by signing up for our mailing list:
KCNA will demonstrate a candidate’s basic knowledge of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies, including how to deploy an application using basic kubectl commands, the architecture of Kubernetes (containers, pods, nodes, clusters), understanding the cloud-native landscape and projects (storage, networking, GitOps, service mesh), and understanding the principles of cloud-native security.
The KCNA exam is ideal for those looking to validate their foundational skills and start their journey in the Kubernetes and cloud-native ecosystem as the certification will:
The Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) certification demonstrates foundational knowledge of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies.
The KCNA certification validates:
Earning the KCNA demonstrates readiness to work with Kubernetes and cloud-native tools and allows candidates to showcase their foundational expertise in Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies, laying the groundwork for entry-level roles in the Kubernetes ecosystem.
CNCF has open sourced the curriculum around which the KCNA exam has been created to guide candidates’ exam preparation.CNCF offers wholesale pricing on our exams to training companies purchasing in bulk. For more information, please contact trainingpartners@cncf.io.
KCNA is part of the CARE program in order to simplify the Certification Maintenance.
This exam is an online, proctored, multiple-choice exam.
The cost is $250 and includes one free retake. For questions on the exam, please reach out.
Subscribe for updates, event info, webinars, and the latest community news
By submitting this form, I consent to receive marketing emails from the LF and its projects regarding their events, training, research, developments, and related announcements. I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time using the links in the footers of the emails I receive. Privacy Policy.
Copyright © 2026 The Linux Foundation®. All rights reserved. The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our Trademark Usage page. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings Accessibility Statement Submit an issue with this page