Is the CKS Worth It?
Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist in My OPINION
CKA: Certified Kubernetes Administrator
CKAD: Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
CKS: Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist
Oh No, Security!
Why did I decide to take CKS?
Because security is the biggest concern, especially in the microservices world, and the default configurations in Kubernetes are often insecure, I was looking for a way to at least give a high-level view of Kubernetes security. CKS focuses on securing container-based applications and Kubernetes platforms during build, deployment, and runtime. Preparing for deep dive into K8s security will be a great start.
My tips to get CKS
I’ve been searching for the best books to help me with two things: get the information needed and take the test to validate my knowledge. Thanks to this repo, I found Learn Kubernetes Security: Securely orchestrate, scale, and manage your microservices in Kubernetes deployments book. I’ve summarized and reviewed a few chapters here on my Twitter account.
So, the resources are:
After finishing the book, I went through the exam curriculum with walidshaari/Certified-Kubernetes-Security-Specialist repo to remember the topics in K8s docs. I added all allowed docs in my browser bookmark bar menu to navigate them very quickly if needed during the exam like this:
It helped me save time when I wanted to copy long stuff rather than write!
24 hours before the exam date, I took the killer.sh simulator test. As you may know, it’s free and provided by the Linux Foundation.
Answer the Question: is the CKS Worth it?
Yes! it’s worth, at least for me!
I learned many things about K8s security, tools, configurations…etc. However, the CKS curriculum is repeated a little bit 🙄. Some topics are already covered in CKA since CKA certification is a prerequisite for this exam. Moreover, I wished that the exam focused on best practices for securing the K8s cluster and be deeper in troubleshooting security concerns.
Wish you to pass the exam too, good luck :)
If you need anything: https://twitter.com/Bshayr_A29
