Learn to build, configure, deploy, observe, and connect Kubernetes applications through 42 guided labs. The course starts with kubectl, namespaces, Pods, YAML, labels, and API discovery, then develops those foundations into workload patterns, runtime configuration, release workflows, debugging, and application networking on a live cluster.
This is a structured teaching path for CKAD-style hands-on work rather than a challenge-only mock exam. Every lab explains why commands or manifest fields are used, asks you to inspect stable evidence, and verifies the resulting state before later labs combine the same concepts in more realistic application workflows.
What You Will Learn
- Navigate contexts and namespaces, discover API resources, create and inspect Pods, and generate, edit, and validate YAML manifests
- Build and scale Deployments, run Jobs and CronJobs, choose workload resources, and use init containers, sidecars,
emptyDir, and PVCs - Configure applications with ConfigMaps, Secrets, environment variables, mounted files, projected volumes, requests, limits, and quotas
- Assign a dedicated ServiceAccount, apply non-root security contexts, and discover, create, update, and select custom resources
- Perform rolling updates and rollbacks, tune update strategy, and implement canary and blue/green releases
- Create and upgrade a local Helm chart, build Kustomize bases and overlays, and build and roll out local application images
- Read logs and Events, use
execand port forwarding, configure probes, repair CrashLooping apps, and migrate deprecated APIs - Expose workloads with Services, diagnose DNS and EndpointSlices, route Ingress traffic, restrict access with NetworkPolicy, and repair named ports
Who This Course Is For
This course is for new or early-stage Kubernetes application developers who understand containers and want a guided path from basic objects to practical delivery and debugging. It also suits CKAD candidates who need systematic instruction before attempting independent, timed practice exams.
Prerequisites: Basic Linux command-line skills and a general understanding of containers are recommended. You do not need to be fluent in kubectl or Kubernetes YAML at the start, but you should be prepared to read commands, manifests, and live cluster output carefully as the labs progress.
Learning environment: All 42 Beginner-level guided labs run separately in an Ubuntu 22.04 CKAD terminal VM with the single-node labex-v135 Kubernetes profile. The five stages contain 168 task steps and 168 automated checks. Individual estimates range from 25 to 45 minutes and total 1,590 minutes, while each fresh VM prevents one lab’s resources from carrying into the next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a guided course or a practice exam?
It is a guided course. Each step teaches a concept, supplies complete commands or manifest examples, explains the evidence, and checks a focused outcome. The separate CKAD Practice Exam courses remove that walkthrough and ask you to solve independent tasks from acceptance criteria, making them a suitable next step.
How beginner-friendly is it when later topics are complex?
All 42 labs are labeled Beginner and introduce one application workflow at a time. Later labs still cover canary and blue/green delivery, Helm, Kustomize, security contexts, Ingress, NetworkPolicy, and API migration. “Beginner” describes the guided pacing, not that every Kubernetes topic is simple.
How long should I expect the course to take?
The lab estimates total 1,590 minutes, or about 26 hours 30 minutes. Individual estimates are 25–45 minutes, with many later labs at 40 or 45 minutes. Actual time depends on your experience and how deeply you inspect the output, so completing the course across multiple sessions is realistic.
Is this official CKAD training, and does it cover cluster administration?
No. It is an independent LabEx resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Linux Foundation or CNCF, and completion does not guarantee an exam result. The course is application-focused; it does not teach CKA-style node maintenance, control-plane repair, kubeadm lifecycle, or etcd administration.
