Kubernetes in practice
Install, secure, troubleshoot and build for Kubernetes clusters, tested at a live command line rather than on paper.
Partners and press
Overview
Open source runs the cloud. These exams test who can run it.
The Linux Foundation certifies Linux, Kubernetes and cloud-native tools, now with PyTorch and Model Context Protocol exams. Professional exams give you a command line and a clock to do real tasks, while most Associate exams are multiple-choice. Every certification in this selection is valid for two years, and the exams are online and proctored.
23Credentials
2Levels
4New
13Roles
What it tests
Learn all the way down.
Learn all the way down.
Perform when it matters.
Platform engineering
Build internal platforms with GitOps, delivery pipelines, developer portals and observability across the cloud-native stack.
Linux administration
Manage services, networking, storage and users on Linux systems, from first commands to production fixes.
AI protocols and security
Work with PyTorch, connect agents to tools with the Model Context Protocol, and secure AI systems.
Certifications
All 23.
All 23.
Grouped by level and type.
Certified Kubernetes AdministratorLinux Foundation · ProfessionalCKA
Certified Kubernetes Security SpecialistLinux Foundation · ProfessionalCKS
Certified Kubernetes Application DeveloperLinux Foundation · ProfessionalCKAD
Certified Kubernetes Network EngineerLinux Foundation · ProfessionalCKNE
Certified Cloud Native Platform EngineerLinux Foundation · ProfessionalCNPE
Linux Foundation Certified System AdministratorLinux Foundation · ProfessionalLFCS
PyTorch Certified AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociatePTCA
Model Context Protocol AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateMCPA
Secure AI AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateSAIA
OpenSearch Certified AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateOSCASoon
Kubernetes and Cloud Native AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateKCNA
Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateKCSA
Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineering AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateCNPA
Certified GitOps AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateCGOA
Certified Argo Project AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateCAPA
Certified Backstage AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateCBA
Prometheus Certified AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociatePCA
OpenTelemetry Certified AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateOTCA
Istio Certified AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateICA
Cilium Certified AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateCCA
Kyverno Certified AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateKCA
Linux Foundation Certified IT AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateLFCA
RISC-V Foundational AssociateLinux Foundation · AssociateRVFA
Issued by
Certifying body · Independent of LUNARTECH
Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit that hosts open source projects, including Linux and Kubernetes. It runs the certification program itself, with online, proctored exams. Every certification in this list is valid for two years. LUNARTECH is independent of the Linux Foundation.
How you get there
Top-tier roles go to people who can do the work.
Top-tier roles go to people who can do the work.
Here’s how you get there.
Start where you are.
Associate is the way in: PyTorch Certified Associate, for one.
See the whole range.
23 credentials, grouped by level and type.
Earn it with Linux Foundation.
Linux Foundation runs each one and issues the credential, so you register directly with them.
Support
Support at every stage.
Support at every stage.
You won’t be working through this alone.
Before you start
Try it first.
A 3-day free trial opens a selection of the content. Your card is only charged once it ends.
While you learn
Mentors within reach.
Stuck on a concept? Reach out to a mentor whenever you need help.
While you learn
One-on-one sessions.
On the yearly plan, one-on-one sessions give you dedicated support.
Any time
A team behind you.
Write to info@lunartech.ai at any point, from your trial onwards. If your employer is funding you, we’ll set it up with them directly.
All the way through
A schedule that fits around your life.
Your own paceFrom anywhereAt any hour
After the last lesson
Stay in the network.
Your alumni network stays with you: ongoing support, opportunities and industry insight.
Career support
Career support, past the last lesson. Coaching, a sharper resume, real interview preparation and the people to know.
Career direction
Tailored coaching helps you decide where to aim and how to get there.
Strong portfolio
Hands-on projects become work you can show, not just claim.
Resume and profile
Personalized refinement, so what you send says what you can actually do.
Interview preparation
Preparation for the questions that decide it, so you walk in ready.
Network and search
Connections with industry leaders, and an alumni network that stays with you.
Reviews
Real stories from the community.
LUNARTECH Academy has been the most empowering learning experience of my life, giving me a clear, structured path from the absolute basics to building real-world AI systems with confidence.
Your page is fantastic. As a bachelor’s student in Data Science now accepted for a master’s at UConn, your work has been a real source of motivation.
The programme’s clear, bite-sized content and practical projects dramatically improved my speed from fuzzy idea to MVP and my ability to communicate AI value. I followed the system, and it works.
I really appreciate your teaching style and the way you break down complex topics. It has been incredibly helpful.
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As a Data Science graduate, I want to thank you for the effort you put into making videos to support growing data scientists.
I’ve been following your work since taking your machine learning course, and I’m impressed by your practical approach to applying AI.
Why choose us
Built around how you actually learn.
One standard behind every course, from the first lesson to long after the last.
Hands-on practice
Apply every idea to real problems, so it becomes something you have used, not only seen.
Industry-aligned curriculum
We keep courses current with the tools, techniques and skills the field asks for.
Flexible learning
Study at your own pace, from anywhere, at any hour.
Certificate of completion
Finish the course and earn a certificate that shows what you have learned.
Focus on your success
Personalized learning plans and support structures carry you through the hard parts.
Lifetime alumni network
Stay connected after you finish, with ongoing support, opportunities and industry insight.
Your certificate
It doesn’t raise its voice. Neither will you.
Finish a LUNARTECH course and its certificate is issued in your name, under our signature. Linux Foundation’s credentials come from Linux Foundation.
Certificate of completion
Your Name
Linux Foundation certification course
LUNARTECH RISE Academy
In practice
Eight roles.
Eight roles.
One issuer across them all.
Here’s where each role leans hardest, and where its work ends up.
- 01Professional
- 02Associate
-
Clusters, pipelines and portals are one job. These exams test all three.
Professional, Associate
Cloud and platform teams, Site reliability
-
A cluster is only as safe as its defaults. These exams test who changes them.
Professional, Associate
Cybersecurity, Cloud and platform teams
-
Code only counts once it runs on a cluster. These exams test how it gets there.
Professional, Associate
Cloud and platform teams, Open source projects
-
Agents need tools, and tools need protocols. MCP and PyTorch cover both ends.
Associate
Machine learning teams
-
Pod networking is networking with new names. CNI and Cilium exams cover it.
Professional, Associate
Cloud and platform teams, Site reliability
-
Reliability needs metrics, traces and a cluster that heals. The observability and Kubernetes exams cover both.
Professional, Associate
Site reliability, Cloud and platform teams
-
Models train in PyTorch and often serve from Kubernetes. These exams cover both ends of that path.
Associate
Machine learning teams
-
Linux is still the floor under every cluster. The system administrator exams test the floor.
Professional, Associate
Cloud and platform teams, Site reliability
- Cloud and platform teams
- Site reliability
- Cybersecurity
- Machine learning teams
- Open source projects
Cloud & Platform Engineer
Clusters, pipelines and portals are one job. These exams test all three.
Over 10,000 students trust LUNARTECH
LUNARTECH gives you the skills
to learn, build, create and lead.
Engineers
Understand systems all the way down. Build the ones others rely on.
Scientists
Understand what the data says. Build models that hold up.
Researchers
Understand the papers. Build on them, and take the work further.
The field
Anyone can use AI.
Anyone can use AI.
Few can engineer it. This is where that starts.
+340%growth in open roles requiring AI skills
Roles and pay
~35,000 open roles right now
Open roles: Built In, Greenhouse, LinkedIn.
Typical salaries: Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, Payscale, Indeed, Ravio, JobRise, U.S. BLS. Military: 2026 U.S. basic pay, drone officers with aviation incentive pay.
Updated November 2026.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Need help? These answers cover most of what people ask before they start.
No. Linux Foundation issues them, and you deal with Linux Foundation directly. LUNARTECH is independent of Linux Foundation, and its names and marks belong to it. When you finish a course of ours, you earn a LUNARTECH certificate of completion for that course.
No. We design our own course for each certification here, around what it covers. Linux Foundation has no part in them, and you still deal with Linux Foundation directly for the credential.
Start from the work you want to do, not the logo. Open any certification above to see what it tests and who Linux Foundation recommends it for.
We last reviewed it on 5 November 2026. Catalogues change often, so check Linux Foundation’s official page before you book.
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The courses
Build the skills behind Linux Foundation’s certifications.
Kubernetes and the cloud-native stack, now with PyTorch and Model Context Protocol. Start with a free trial, or enroll in a plan and work through the course for the one you’re after. Linux Foundation issues each credential.
LUNARTECH is independent of the vendors and certifying bodies listed here. Their names, exam titles and marks belong to them, exams are run by them, and credentials are issued by them. Reviewed 5 November 2026. Catalogues change often, so confirm the details on the official page before you book.
