This Kubernetes tutorial takes you from Beginner to Pro with 59 hands-on lessons covering both the CKAD and CKA exam syllabi. Every chapter is written so you can run the YAML against a real cluster - either a local Minikube/kind setup or a multi-node cluster on AWS - and every command output is from a working environment.
Start with Setup Kubernetes Cluster if this is your first time — get a cluster running before pods, deployments, and networking. The left sidebar lists core Kubernetes topics for quick jumps; the full syllabus below has every lesson in chapter order. If you already know the basics, jump to any chapter; each lesson is self-contained but the order builds on the previous topic.
Click Start the course to begin with Minikube, or use the syllabus to skip directly to what you need.
How to use this course
Treat the syllabus as two parallel tracks that overlap in the middle. CKAD-focused lessons emphasize pods, deployments, ConfigMaps, secrets, and application debugging. CKA-focused lessons add cluster setup, networking, storage, RBAC, and node maintenance. You do not need to sit an exam to benefit from either track; pick the chapter that matches the task in front of you.
Run every manifest against a real cluster. A single-node Minikube lab is enough for the first half of the course. Multi-node networking, ingress, and upgrade chapters assume at least two worker nodes or a cloud lab. When a lesson references kubectl commands, use the linked reference instead of memorizing flags on day one.
Lab environment
| Component | Minimum | Recommended for CKA chapters |
|---|---|---|
| Linux hosts | 1 VM with 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM | 3 VMs (1 control plane, 2 workers) |
| Container runtime | containerd or CRI-O | Same, with swap disabled |
| kubectl | Matches cluster minor version | Separate admin and developer kubeconfigs |
| Optional | Helm 3 for chart lessons | Load balancer or MetalLB for ingress labs |
Lessons that change node hostnames, firewall rules, or /etc/hosts call out the exact values used in captured output so you can diff your lab against the article.
Course map by topic
| Area | Representative lessons |
|---|---|
| Cluster lifecycle | Install with kubeadm, upgrade, add/remove nodes |
| Workloads | Deployments, StatefulSets, Jobs, CronJobs, HPA |
| Networking | Services, Ingress, NetworkPolicy, CoreDNS |
| Storage | PV, PVC, StorageClass, dynamic provisioning |
| Security | RBAC, ServiceAccounts, Pod security contexts |
| Packaging | Helm charts, hooks, template debugging |
| Operations | OOMKilled debugging, node drains, etcd backups |
After Kubernetes fundamentals, continue with Ansible for host provisioning, Terraform Associate certification course for cloud infrastructure, or the Kubernetes operator tutorial when you need controller patterns beyond plain YAML.
