What Is the Best Way to Learn Kubernetes?

You can explore tutorials, courses, and certification programs to help you learn Kubernetes. To choose between available options, you'll consider factors such as your current experience with containerization concepts and your career goals to determine the best way to learn Kubernetes according to your goals and learning needs. 

Learning Kubernetes can help you prepare for or advance in a role working as a DevOps engineer, system administrator, or cloud engineer. Explore what you can do with Kubernetes and how to start learning skills using this technology with Kubernetes tutorials, courses, and certification programs to validate your skills. 

What is Kubernetes used for?

Kubernetes is an important technology for container orchestration, or managing, deploying, and scaling containers. A container is a software package that contains the elements the software needs to run, such as libraries, code, versions, runtime, system tools, and settings. Some cloud-native software can have hundreds of containers featuring microservices that allow the program to call for services as needed. 

Kubernetes is the leading provider of container orchestration services. As of 2025, over 73,000 companies use containerization tools such as Kubernetes and Docker to deploy, scale, and manage containerized applications in an effort to reduce errors and increase efficiency [1]. Kubernetes is software originally created by Google for managing containerized workloads that Google eventually made open source and donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), a nonprofit member organization that hosts open source cloud infrastructure. Across the industry, 19.4 percent of developers used Kubernetes in 2024, and 25 percent of developers reported they want to work with Kubernetes in 2025 [2]. 

What skills make Kubernetes easier to learn?

Kubernetes is a tool for containerization and is closely tied to microservices and cloud-native development, which are key concepts to learn. Having a foundational understanding of these three concepts can help you learn Kubernetes faster. 

Microservices

Microservices allow companies to package their software into individual components with their own unique processes and storage. This is a flexible approach to developing IT infrastructure because it allows you to treat each component individually. For example, if you experience an issue that you need to troubleshoot, it would only affect any components in that microservice, and the rest of your program could still operate. You can develop each component in its own programming language or use a unique set of tools compared to other components, allowing you more flexibility in the technology your development project uses. 

Microservices allow software developers to use aspects of other companies’ software, infrastructure, computing power, and more by allowing the original company to package that service and offer it through an application programming interface (API). For example, you may use your login information for Google or Facebook instead of creating a unique user ID for a website you want to access. Microservices allow the website you want to log into to use the user authentication architecture that Google or Facebook already has, instead of building and maintaining its own system from scratch. 

Cloud-native development

Microservices and cloud-native development work together to allow developers to access and package software components as microservices before deploying them over the cloud. Cloud-native stack allows developers to use cloud services such as tools for automation, infrastructure, provisioning, data storage, or networking capabilities. Cloud-native development offers many benefits, including the ability to use microservices to loosely connect the components of your development project so you can make adjustments or updates to one portion of your software without interrupting the entire program. 

Containerization

Containerization is the process of packaging all of the technologies you need to run an app or program into a self-contained package that users can access with any computer without having to otherwise account for compatibility between the two. Containerization is the solution for microservices and cloud-native architecture because containers are portable and easy to scale, providing fast solutions for developers to run each component of a program in its own environment. Containerization is an effective way to package information when it moves to and from the cloud or for programs such as connected devices and Internet of Things (IoT) systems. 

Containerization, cloud-native development, and microservices work together to offer developers the ability to access and offer tools and solutions that users can access through the cloud. Understanding how these concepts work together may make it easier for you to understand how a program like Kubernetes works to help you orchestrate your containers. A software development project might use hundreds of containers, which represents a large task for managing and deploying these containers. Kubernetes can help you automate tasks and optimize your container management, making it easier to get more done faster and scale operations as needed. 

Kubernetes vs. Docker

Kubernetes and Docker are the leading solutions for creating and managing containers. Kubernetes is a solution for orchestrating containers—that is, deploying and managing containers that you can use to scale your operations as your needs grow. Docker is a tool you can use with Kubernetes to create containers, which you can then orchestrate in Kubernetes. 

The best way to learn Kubernetes based on your goals

You can find resources online to help you learn Kubernetes, but the best program for you will depend on what you already know and your learning goals. For example, if you already have some experience with containerization or cloud-native concepts and you want to learn specific tasks in Kubernetes, you may find the information you need in an online tutorial. If you want a broader range of Kubernetes knowledge as well as a foundational knowledge of cloud-native development, you may prefer a course or certification to help you learn the skills you need. 

Kubernetes tutorials and documentation

One option for learning Kubernetes is to choose from tutorials, written courses, and Kubernetes documentation available online. The Kubernetes documentation contains basic tutorial modules that can help you learn how to create clusters, deploy a Kubernetes container, and scale and update your app. You can also find tutorials from companies such as Microsoft, which offers cloud services like Microsoft Azure, where you can use Kubernetes to manage your cloud-native development. This option might be best if you already have some knowledge of containerization and feel comfortable learning without the support of an instructor. For example, a tutorial may assume you’ve already set up and installed the proper environment for working with Kubernetes. 

Kubernetes courses

You can also choose from the Kubernetes courses available online to help you learn fundamental Kubernetes concepts and how to use the program in a DevOps life cycle. These courses can help you learn Kubernetes concepts in a structured course format with the benefit of an instructor you can communicate with if you have questions or need help understanding the material. You can also stack courses into a larger credential. For example, you could complete a series of courses to earn a Specialization. A few examples of courses and a Specialization you may consider include: 

• Getting Started with Google Kubernetes Engine

• Kubernetes for the Absolute Beginners with Hands-on Labs

• Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine Specialization

Kubernetes certification

You can also learn Kubernetes and validate your knowledge to potential employers with a Kubernetes certification. The Linux Foundation, a membership organization for development professionals and open-source technology, offers several certifications you can earn to develop skills in Kubernetes and to use Kubernetes for specific applications:

• Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA): Represents foundational knowledge of the Kubernetes and cloud-native ecosystem

• Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate (KCSA): Represents foundational knowledge of the technology you can use to secure cloud-native applications

• Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD): Demonstrates your ability to design, build, and configure cloud-native apps using Kubernetes

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA): Represents your knowledge of installing, managing, and configuring Kubernetes clusters

• Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS): Validates your knowledge of the best practices of securing Kubernetes containers. 

Learn Kubernetes on Coursera

Kubernetes is the leading provider of container orchestration, which can help you manage, automate, deploy, and scale containers. To learn Kubernetes, explore courses, Specializations, and Professional Certifications on Coursera. For example, you could enroll in the IBM Back-End Development Professional Certificate to learn to deploy and scale applications using methodologies and tools, Docker, Kubernetes, microservices, and serverless functions, as well as master the most up-to-date practical skills and knowledge that back-end developers use in their daily roles.

You can also consider the IBM Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate, where you have the chance to work with front-end development languages and tools such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and Bootstrap; work with program applications using back-end languages and frameworks like Express, Node.js, Python, and Django; and deploy and scale applications using cloud-native methodologies and tools like containers, Kubernetes, microservices, and serverless functions.