How to use this handbook
Concept-first notes for the KCNA. Each page explains which Kubernetes piece or cloud native practice solves which problem.
The KCNA is a multiple-choice exam, and it is broad rather than deep. It rarely asks you to write YAML. It asks which component does a job, which object fits a workload, and which CNCF project fills a gap. Most wrong options are real Kubernetes terms used in the wrong place. These notes are built around telling those terms apart.
Reading a page
The decision. One line on the question the topic answers.
The picture. A diagram or comparison table of the pieces involved.
Signals and traps. The wording that points to an answer, and the look-alike options that are wrong.
Scenarios. Short exam-style questions you can answer on the page. Your answer is checked right away.
The callouts
Exam signal
A keyword or constraint that usually decides the answer.
Trap
A common wrong answer, and why it's wrong.
Legacy: use the current API or project instead
Something older material still teaches that Kubernetes or the CNCF has deprecated, removed or archived.
The domains
| Domain | Weight | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Kubernetes fundamentals | 44% | Architecture, core objects, the API, scheduling and containers |
| 2 · Container orchestration | 28% | Networking, service mesh, security, troubleshooting and storage |
| 3 · Cloud native application delivery | 16% | GitOps, CI/CD, packaging, release strategies and debugging |
| 4 · Cloud native architecture | 12% | Observability, cloud native principles, the CNCF ecosystem and community |
Almost half the exam is Domain 1, so start there. If you later move on to the CKA, the CKA handbook covers the same objects hands-on.
Sections follow the four domains of the official KCNA curriculum, and each page lists the competencies it covers. Start with the exam itself.
Independent notes
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation or the Linux Foundation. Check the linked Kubernetes and project documentation for current behaviour.