CNCF / Linux Foundation · Professional Certification · Professional
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
Crydd Score 63
Demand High
Career Value Strong
Recognition High
CKAD at a glance
- Provider
- CNCF / Linux Foundation
- Credential type
- Professional Certification
- Exam required
- Yes
- Category
- DevOps & Platform
- Level
- Professional
- Cost
- $395
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to earn
- 2–3 months
- Validity
- 2 years
- Format
- Performance-based (hands-on tasks in live clusters), 2 hours
- Prerequisites
- None
Profile_Status / Rated
The facts on this page are verified against provider information, and the Crydd Score is computed from them and Crydd’s demand, value, and recognition ratings. The long-form written verdict is part of a deeper editorial pass — never filled with invented data. Anything we couldn’t verify says “See official page.”
Skills it covers
- Kubernetes for developers
- Pod design
- Observability
- Application deployment
Where CKAD takes you
- DevOps Engineer
- Backend Developer
Career roadmaps show where this certification fits in each path. See the roadmaps.
Related certifications
Curated connections from the catalog — each labelled with how it relates to CKAD, so you know why it’s here.