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Hands-on Kubernetes labs, on your own machine

Exam-style tasks for the performance-based certifications, run on a real kubeadm and Cilium cluster that the GoldenKube CLI builds on your Mac and grades locally. Your results land on your dashboard; the cluster never leaves your machine.

Browse the CKA catalogInstall the CLI
goldenkube· local cluster, graded locally
$ goldenkube doctor  multipass (qemu) · cpu · memory · disk · virtualization · network$ goldenkube login  open the device code in your browser, then return here$ goldenkube start cka-arc-001  provisioning a fresh kubeadm cluster · Namespaced RBAC: Role and RoleBinding for a ServiceAccount  … solve the task on the cluster …$ goldenkube submit  grading on your machine · result saved to your dashboard
Commands are the real CLI commands; the output lines are shortened for illustration.

Status by certification

Three states only: available, preview, planned. Hands-on exams of the Kubestronaut title first.

  • CKACertified Kubernetes AdministratorPreview37 published scenarios →
  • CKADCertified Kubernetes Application DeveloperPlannedno scenarios yet
  • CKSCertified Kubernetes Security SpecialistPlannedno scenarios yet

The other performance-based exams of the Golden program (LFCS, ICA, CNPE) are planned as well; each has its status on its certification page.

How a lab run works

  1. Install the CLI and Multipass

    One Homebrew cask for the CLI, one for Multipass. goldenkube doctor checks the host (CPU, memory, disk, virtualization) and changes nothing.

  2. Sign in from the terminal

    A free GoldenKube account links the CLI to your dashboard; the catalog and your run history live there.

  3. Start a scenario

    The CLI provisions a fresh cluster for that scenario, applies its setup (a broken component, a missing resource, a task to complete) and prints the task the way the exam words it.

  4. Solve, then submit

    Work on the cluster with kubectl and SSH. On submit the grader reads the live cluster state on your machine; the same state always gets the same result, and only the outcome is sent to your account.

What is in the preview today

Published CKA scenarios
37
CKA domains covered
5 of 5
Runtime
Multipass with the QEMU backend, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS guests, kubeadm, Cilium CNI
Platform
macOS on Apple Silicon (arm64)

Counts come from the published catalog when the page is served. Tasks are public; hints, reference solutions and grader internals stay inside the CLI.

CKA catalogAbout the CLI

Frequently asked questions

Do the labs run in the cloud?

No. Every cluster runs on your own Mac inside Multipass virtual machines. GoldenKube servers only handle sign-in, the scenario catalog and your progress records. No cloud account or credit card is needed.

What does "preview" mean for the CKA labs?

The CKA scenarios are published and the CLI runs them end to end, but the first signed public build is not on the Homebrew tap yet. Until it is, the catalog is readable and the install steps describe the planned flow; nothing on this site counts preview as available.

Is the grading an official score?

No. The grader checks your cluster state deterministically on your machine and records which checks passed and the points earned. It is practice feedback for a GoldenKube scenario, not a Linux Foundation result.

Why labs instead of multiple-choice questions for CKA?

CKA, CKAD and CKS are performance-based: you type commands against a live cluster for two hours. Many of their topics only exist on real nodes (kubeadm upgrades, etcd backups, a kubelet that will not start), so GoldenKube practises them on a real kubeadm cluster rather than with quiz questions.

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Independent community project, not affiliated with or endorsed by CNCF or The Linux Foundation. Lab results are practice feedback, not an exam score.