Ascend to Stardom: Becoming a Golden Kuebstronaut in the CNCF Universe

Objective of this article

Learning is my passion; learning is my hobby. If you are reading this line, you have already given some thought to learning something. I want to amplify that thought and help you materialize it. This is not difficult; we just need to take one step at a time!

I will start by sharing my story, then share some tips, and finally list the study guides for all CNCF certifications. This is the path to becoming a Golden Kubestronaut !

My major milestones

I completed my first-ever CNCF certification (CKA) on June 5, 2023. Since then, here are my major milestones, listed from latest to oldest

9th of Jan 2025: With the Kyverno certification, I became the first person (jointly) in the world to achieve the Golden Kubestronaut status by completing all 13 certifications!

26th of Dec 2024: With OpenTelemetry certification, I became the 3rd person in the world to complete all 12 CNCF certifications! See my certdirectory.io profile here. (Only 12 certifications were active as of this date)

9th of Nov 2024: With Backstage certification, I became the first one in the world to complete all 11 CNCF certifications! (Only 11 certifications were active as of this date)

8th of Oct 2024: I officially became the 4th person in the world to complete all 10 CNCF certifications! ?? (Only 10 certifications were active as of this date)

14th of May 2024: I became the 83rd (debatable) Kubestronaut!

The Cost (and how to reduce it)

Let me address the main problem — The Linux Foundation training and certifications can be a bit pricey. But don’t let that discourage you! Here are some tips to help you save:

1. Use coupon code KUBEFLEX30 at checkout for 30% off any Linux Foundation training or certification! This works for any offering, not just CNCF certifications. Click here to see more information!
2. Without a doubt, I promote official The Linux Foundation course materials as they are high-quality and carefully curated/reviewed by the maintainers of the respective projects. At the same time, The Linux Foundation uses its funding to support a variety of open-source projects, initiatives, and community-driven efforts. However, if you would like to look for third-party study materials, you can definitely go ahead with the leading DevOps course provider, KodeKloud. Check this repository to see available discounts.
3. For the Cilium Certified Associate (CCA), you can get a 40% off coupon if you complete 3 discovery labs via Isovalent. I haven't tried this myself, but you can find the official documentation here. (Pro Tip: You can also earn free Credly digital badges by completing labs. Check this GitHub repository if you would like to see a list of free courses where you can earn digital Credly badges!)
4. Tux Rewards Membership: Tux Rewards Membership is The Linux Foundation 's loyalty program that rewards you for purchasing training and certification from them! There is no fee and it’s easy to join! You earn 1 point for every $1 spent to a 500 max per day. 500 points earns you a 50% off coupon code to be used toward (1) one course, certification exam, bundle, or Bootcamp. Click here to log in into your The Linux Foundation individual dashboard.

My rewards balance as of this writing

The Certification Path

Here’s the order I followed to achieve my CNCF certifications:

1. Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
2. Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
3. Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA)
4. Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)
5. Istio Certified Associate (ICA)
6. Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)
7. Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate (KCSA)
8. Certified Argo Project Associate (CAPA)
9. Certified GitOps Associate (CGOA)
10. Cilium Certified Associate (CCA)
11. Certified Backstage Associate (CBA)
12. OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA)
13. Kyverno Certified Associate (KCA)

Which order should you follow?

I completed the CKA, CKAD, PCA, CKS, and ICA certifications before the Kubestronaut title was announced. I’d say I had a head start. In your case, I suggest following the Kubestronaut certification path!

To become a Kubestronaut, you need to complete the following certifications:

• CKA, CKAD, CKS (hands-on)
• KCNA, KCSA (multiple choice)

Here’s my personal take:

• If you’re already familiar with Kubernetes, start with CKA and and then work on CKAD -> CKS -> KCNA -> KCSA
• If you’re new to Kubernetes, begin with KCNA and KCSA to build confidence.

Please see the next section for the study guide for those certifications.

Once you achive the elite Kubestronaut title, work towards Golden Kubestronaut title. The Golden Kubestronaut is?a title given to those who complete all the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) certifications. There are 13 CNCF certifications as of this writing.

The following order might help you on your learning path, but you can make exceptions based on your preferences.

While your Kubestronaut title and your grit are still fresh, I recommend going for the Istio certification. In my opinion, this is by far the hardest exam of the lot. Please refer to my study guide in the next section for more details. The advantage is that you'll have more structured guides and documentation to prepare for this certification. This effort will significantly aid your preparation for the CCA (Certified Cilium Associate) certification, which you can pursue afterward.

Between CAPA and CGOA, I would recommend starting with CAPA. CAPA is more focused on the Argo Project , while CGOA is more concept-based. I chose CAPA first because it allowed me to follow structured learning through the Argo documentation, which ultimately provided the concepts as well. But that's just my preference—if you're already comfortable with the concepts, you might choose to start with CGOA instead.

Study guides

Here are the study guides for each of these certifications.

• See CKA Medium article here!

• See CKAD Medium article here!
• See CKS Medium article here!
• See KCNA Medium article here!
• See KCSA Medium article here!
• See PCA Medium article here!

• See ICA Medium article here!
• See CGOA Medium article here!
• See CAPA Medium article here!

• See CCA Medium article here.

• See CBA Medium article here.
• See OTCA Medium article here.
• See KCA Medium article here.

How you can help me?

1. I created a community platform called certdirectory.io This is to showcase our certifications/badges. I appreciate if you could join. It is free!
2. Click here to follow Cloud Native Study Group on LinkedIn

Finally, good luck on your learning journey. Feel free to reach out to me if you need anything!