Guaranteed to runFew spots left
20. – 21. August 2026
09:00 - 16:00 (CET/CEST, German time)
Online🇩🇪German
1.110,00 €
per person · plus 19% VAT
Preparation for the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) Exam
Prepare for the KCNA exam in two focused days. From Kubernetes architecture through container orchestration to Cloud Native Architecture: all four domains of the current exam blueprint, practice questions after every block, and a complete mock exam with individual review.
- Workshop levelNo prior knowledge needed
- Satisfied participants2340+
- Days2
- LanguageGerman & English
- Workshop codeDW24
Workshop Details
What makes this workshop stand out
What you will learn and take away
After two days of KCNA training, you head into the certification with a clear exam strategy. Here is what you take away:
- All four exam domains covered, weighted by their importance in the exam (44% Kubernetes Fundamentals down to 12% Cloud Native Architecture)
- Mock exam completed with your strengths and weaknesses analyzed by domain
- Exam strategy developed: time management, elimination techniques, and flagging for the 60 questions in 90 minutes
The training takes place online in a small group. No setup, no lab, just focused question practice.
Want hands-on experience after? Our Kubernetes Fundamentals Training gives you practical cluster experience.
Why the investment pays off
Without structured preparation, many candidates fail the KCNA exam despite having the knowledge. This training changes that:
- Focused preparation instead of self-study: Two days with a trainer instead of weeks of piecing together YouTube videos and blog articles
- Immediate assessment: Mock exam with review shows whether your employee is exam-ready or which topics need more work
- Entry to the certification path: After KCNA, CKAD, CKA, and CKS follow as next career steps
Small groups with maximum 8 participants to leave room for individual questions.
Prerequisites
Required:
- Basic understanding of IT infrastructure (servers, networks, operating systems)
- Interest in cloud technologies and containerization
Not required:
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes or Docker
- Programming skills
- Linux terminal knowledge
Want to get hands-on after the theory? Our Introduction to Docker and Kubernetes Fundamentals Training build directly on this.
Workshop Agenda
Your Agenda at a Glance
Hands-on and structured. Every participant works in their own cloud environment. The agenda shows you what to expect each day.
Day 1: Understand Kubernetes fundamentals and container orchestration, solve first exam questions
5 topics09:00–10:00💬 Introduction Round
How do API Server, etcd, Scheduler, and Controller Manager work together in the Control Plane? This module explains the Kubernetes architecture component by component. You will understand the roles of kubelet and kube-proxy on Worker Nodes and confidently identify which component handles which task in exam questions.
Pods, Deployments, Services, ReplicaSets, Jobs, and CronJobs form the foundation of nearly every KCNA question. You will work through the core API objects systematically: what each resource does, how they relate, and when to use which one. By the end of this block, you can map typical scenarios to the correct resource types.
12:00–13:00🥪 Lunch Break
Since Kubernetes 1.24, dockershim has been removed. What does that mean in practice? You will learn the differences between containerd, CRI-O, and runc, and understand how the Container Runtime Interface (CRI) standardizes communication. This includes knowledge of Container Registries (Docker Hub, Quay.io, ECR) and the container lifecycle from image pull to termination.
Three cross-cutting topics that appear repeatedly in the exam:
- Networking: CNI, CoreDNS and Service Mesh with Istio and Linkerd
- Storage: Persistent Volumes, PVCs, Storage Classes and CSI
- Security: RBAC, Network Policies, Pod Security Standards, Secrets and ConfigMaps
For each topic, we clarify the concepts and typical exam scenarios.
Theory is good, applying it is better. In this session, you solve practice questions covering all Day 1 topics: Kubernetes architecture, API objects, container runtimes, networking, storage, and security. Every question is discussed together. You identify which domains are solid and where tomorrow needs more focus.
16:00–16:30💭 Questions & Answers
Day 2: Cover cloud native ecosystem, develop exam strategy, and complete mock exam
5 topics09:00–10:00💭 Questions & Answers
What distinguishes microservices from monolithic architectures, and when is serverless the better choice? This module covers the CNCF landscape and its project categories, autoscaling (HPA, VPA, Cluster Autoscaler), and the open standards CRI, CNI, and CSI. In the current blueprint, this material together with observability forms the Cloud Native Architecture exam domain (12%).
Two exam topics in one block: Observability covers the three pillars of logs (Fluent Bit, Loki), metrics (Prometheus, Grafana), and traces (Jaeger, OpenTelemetry), part of the Cloud Native Architecture domain in the current blueprint. Application Delivery focuses on CI/CD concepts, GitOps with ArgoCD, and deployment strategies like Blue-Green and Canary: a domain of its own with a 16% exam weight. In both cases, questions demand precise terminology knowledge.
12:00–13:00🥪 Lunch Break
60 questions in 90 minutes means 1.5 minutes per question. We develop a strategy: how to use the flagging feature effectively, which question types cost the most time, and how to identify and eliminate obviously wrong answers. We also analyze typical KCNA exam traps and practice elimination techniques with examples.
Now it gets real: you complete a full mock exam with 60 questions under realistic conditions. The timer runs, questions cover all four exam domains with proper weighting. No looking things up, no discussion. This gives you a preview of the actual exam experience and builds routine.
Together we evaluate your mock results. For every incorrectly answered question, we discuss the correct answer and the underlying concept. You see your strengths and weaknesses broken down by domain and receive specific recommendations on which topics to review before the actual exam.
16:00–16:30💭 Questions & Answers
Our Benefits
All from one hand!
With our high-quality trainings and workshops, you can bring yourself and your team up to date. All this with many benefits that you get from us.
- High Practical Content
- 70% hands-on, 30% theory. You work continuously with real scenarios and take working code home with you. No PowerPoint battles, but directly applicable knowledge for your projects.
- Cloud Learning Environment
- DevNinjas Dojo: Your own Kubernetes clusters and VMs for each participant in the browser. No installation, works despite VPN/proxy/firewalls. You work with dedicated resources, not in shared environments.
- Experienced Trainers
- Full-time DevOps engineers and consultants from DevNinjas lead the workshops. Not external trainers, but specialized employees actively working on client projects and sharing real-world experience.
- Small Groups
- Maximum 8 participants per workshop. Everyone gets individual support from the trainer. Your specific questions and use cases get answered, not passed over in anonymous crowds.
- Real-World Scenarios
- No toy examples or hello-world demos. You work with production-grade setups: multi-container applications, CI/CD pipelines, monitoring stacks. Directly transferable to your production environments.
- Certification
- You receive an official certificate of attendance as PDF and a verified LinkedIn badge. Document your professional development for your employer, HR, and recruiters professionally.
Testimonials
How participants experience our trainings
4.9/ 5
1047+ participant reviews · unfiltered
across all DevNinjas trainings
Trainer
5.0
Content
4.8
Hands-on
4.8
DevNinjas overall: over 1,384 participants · 207 companies · 241 workshops
Including BMW, Bundeswehr, Deutsche Bahn and many more.
"My colleagues specifically looked for a sysadmin course for Docker with another provider and had an instructor who only set up an IDE for them and then only worked on a task sheet with development tasks. I had a course with lots of background information, an instructor who had a really extensive knowledge of the whole subject matter beyond the slides, and I feel optimally informed."
Johannes Bernstein
@TRIMET Gelsenkirchen SE
"The advanced Kubernetes workshop at DevNinjas really helped me grow professionally. The content was practical and excellently prepared, so even complex topics like RBAC, network policies and Ingress were conveyed in an understandable and directly applicable way. The deep expertise of the trainer was especially impressive and noticeable in every session. I can recommend this workshop to anyone who wants to use Kubernetes in production!"
Marius Büttner
@Siemens AG
"From my perspective, the workshop had the right speed and an appropriate level of challenge. The subject matter was explained clearly by the instructor and practically consolidated with well-distributed exercises. Adjusting the workshop focus to the participants wishes was not a problem. Valuable practical experiences were shared, and even more specific questions were gladly answered. The instructor's professional expertise and extensive practical experience on the subject gave this workshop a special quality."
S. Kaiser
@forcont business technology GmbH
"The instructor is very competent and was able to answer all questions satisfactorily even outside the presentation. It was a very pleasant workshop with a good learning pace. I learned a lot and look forward to applying and expanding my acquired knowledge in everyday work, as well as privately."
Schmucker
@RODIAS GmbH
"The training exceeded my expectations by far. It was excellently structured, and the trainer's expertise was evident from the very first moment. The topics were presented vividly and with practical examples, and the exercises were pleasantly challenging, exactly right for a course like this. Through targeted questions, the trainer drew me so deeply into the subject that I absolutely wanted to keep working after the session ended. The teaching was outstanding too: topics were explained clearly and the trainer always addressed follow-up questions. I can recommend DevNinjas one hundred percent."
Patrick J.
"In the workshop the most important Docker and Kubernetes topics were put together, prepared and explained superbly. The exercises fit precisely and were very well chosen in terms of difficulty. I am very satisfied with how much I learned in the five days and feel well prepared for upcoming tasks at work. Sure, you can teach yourself a lot on your own with AI tools, but without the workshop I would not have gained this overview or worked through so many exercises independently."
Christine L.
"The seminar was superbly prepared, the group pleasantly small and the materials first-class. An excellent instructor who knows the subject inside out, takes time for the participants and answers questions in detail. The learning material alternated in a balanced way between theory and hands-on exercises that were timed excellently."
Kevin H.
@Oest Holding GmbH
"All expectations met. Good technical expertise."
Manuel Köhn
@Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation
"Nico was very organized, technically excellent, and brought a great atmosphere from day one. He knows how to get people excited about the subject and conveys the knowledge very well. Questions were answered right away unless they would have given away later topics, and he then picked those up again at the right moment. All in all a very successful course and definitely a recommendation. Thank you, Nico, for the instructive and cool time."
Pascal S.
"I really enjoyed the Docker & Kubernetes workshop at DevNinjas. Nico explained the complex topics around containers and orchestration in a very understandable and practical way. The mix of theory and hands-on exercises was perfect for being able to apply everything directly. I was able to take a lot away for my everyday work and now feel significantly more confident working with Docker and Kubernetes."
Dominik Kneissl
@Siemens Healthineers
"Overall, I thought the training was very good. The instructor was technically very competent and gave plenty of input on every topic. On a personal level it was very pleasant too, which made it fun. The learning environment was absolutely exemplary in its setup and usability. I will definitely recommend the training and DevNinjas."
Marius B.
@Dataport
"The trainer's materials were very well prepared, and the approach was clearly structured, moving from the easy to the more demanding blocks of content. Advanced Kubernetes fundamentals and the path to a solution were shown using practical examples, and questions were always resolved with an answer and a fitting real-world example. My expectations were met, and I can only recommend this seminar."
Stefan J.
@BMI
"The "Docker & Kubernetes Bundle" training provided me with solid, practical knowledge for everyday work and enabled me to handle Docker and Kubernetes professionally. The excellently structured material offers real added value, even beyond the workshop. The combination of technical depth and interactive delivery by the trainer rounded off the whole experience. An experience that continues to help me even after the training."
Swen Strangfeld
@Bundesdruckerei GmbH
"It was fun and I learned a lot that I can actually apply directly in my company. The trainer's approach was very hands-on, and he repeatedly brought in real-world examples."
Felix R.
@Dirk Rossmann GmbH
"The workshop gave me a very good insight into Kubernetes and made working with containers much clearer. Nico delivered the content in a practical and well-structured way, so I could quickly find my way around. The hands-on exercises in particular helped me apply what I learned directly. For anyone looking for a solid introduction to Kubernetes, this workshop is definitely recommended."
Daniel Hagen
@DKB Service GmbH
"The CKAD content is extensive, and the hands-on exercises are helpful and necessary to really learn it. This course struck a good balance between enough practice and sufficient depth. The understanding conveyed over the three days is definitely enough to work through the remaining CKAD topics on your own, because the concepts are taught clearly. The learning environment worked smoothly and reliably."
Peter Menze
Continue Learning
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Your Contact
Vincent Sturm
Key Account Manager
Looking for the right Kubernetes or DevOps training for your team? Vincent personally advises you on open workshops, certification prep and customized in-house training. He can also connect you with our consulting services. Get in touch with him directly.
Frequently asked questions
No, you do not need hands-on experience with Kubernetes or Docker. The KCNA exam tests conceptual understanding, not practical skills. We explain all concepts from the ground up: from container architecture to Kubernetes resources. Basic IT understanding (servers, networks, operating systems) is sufficient to get started.
The KCNA is considered moderately difficult. The format is 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, and you need at least 75% correct answers. The challenge lies less in depth and more in breadth: the exam covers four domains, from Kubernetes Fundamentals (44%) to Cloud Native Architecture (12%), detailed in the official KCNA curriculum (checked July 2026). Precise terminology knowledge and the ability to clearly distinguish between similar concepts are what matter most.
Since November 24, 2025, the Linux Foundation has been testing against an updated blueprint with four domains instead of five: Kubernetes Fundamentals (44%), Container Orchestration (28%), Cloud Native Application Delivery (16%), and Cloud Native Architecture (12%). Observability is no longer a separate domain but part of Cloud Native Architecture. Format and passing threshold remain unchanged: 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, at least 75% correct answers. Our training fully follows the current blueprint. The official overview: Linux Foundation KCNA program changes (checked July 2026).
The three certifications differ in format and depth:
KCNA (Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate) is the entry-level certification: 60 multiple-choice questions on concepts and terminology. No practical tasks.
CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer) is performance-based: you solve practical tasks in a real cluster, focused on application development and deployment.
CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) is also performance-based, but focused on cluster administration, upgrades, and troubleshooting.
The KCNA is the official proof that you understand the fundamentals of Kubernetes and Cloud Native. It is particularly valuable for three groups: beginners who need their first Kubernetes credential, IT professionals who want to demonstrate Kubernetes knowledge without taking performance-based exams, and teams building a shared baseline understanding. The exam costs $250 and is valid for two years. Afterward, you can continue with CKAD or CKA.
No, the KCNA exam is available in English only. Our training, however, runs in German or English: each public date in the date list is labelled with its language, and English delivery is additionally available on request. Whichever training language you choose, we use all technical terms in English (such as Pod, Deployment, Service Mesh), so there is no terminology mismatch between training and certification.
No, this workshop does not include hands-on labs. The KCNA is a multiple-choice exam, not a performance-based certification like CKA or CKAD. That is why we focus on what the exam requires: conceptual understanding, terminology knowledge, and question practice. If you want hands-on experience after the theory, our Kubernetes Fundamentals Training is the natural next step.
Our trainings usually take place from 9:00 to 16:00, both on-site and for public remote trainings.
For corporate trainings, other time models are flexible and can be worked out together.
Yes, upon completion you will receive an official certificate of attendance from DevNinjas as PDF. This confirms your successful participation and the topics covered. The certificate is perfect for conversations with your employer and your personnel file.
Additionally, you will receive a verified digital badge that you can directly embed in your LinkedIn profile (section "Licenses & Certifications"). The badge follows the Open Badges 2.0 standard and is verifiable via QR code at any time. This way you showcase your qualification and position yourself with recruiters.
Our public trainings are currently not eligible for a Bildungsgutschein (education voucher from the Federal Employment Agency or Jobcenter), as we do not hold an AZAV provider accreditation.
For employees, there are often employer-side funding options instead: many companies cover the training costs directly, and under the German Qualifizierungschancengesetz employers can receive subsidies for upskilling their staff. Get in touch and we will gladly provide the documents you need for your employer.