CNCF Launches Certified Kubernetes Network Engineer (CKNE) Certification

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) announced at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2026 the global availability of the Certified Kubernetes Network Engineer (CKNE) certification. Developed with Linux Foundation Education, the vendor-neutral exam validates hands-on expertise in designing, securing and troubleshooting networking across production Kubernetes environments.

CKNE is a performance-based, 120-minute exam in which candidates complete practical tasks in a Linux-based remote desktop environment. It covers five domains: Core Infrastructure and CNI (15%), Service Networking and DNS (25%), Advanced Traffic Management (20%), Network Security and Policy (25%) and Observability (15%). No prior certification is required, but the exam assumes Kubernetes administration knowledge comparable to the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA). Contributors to the exam included Dojobits, Ericsson, Infosys, Isovalent, Kong, Microsoft, RX-M and Solo.io.

“Networking is fundamental to running Kubernetes reliably at scale, yet it remains one of the most complex areas for teams operating production environments,” said Chris Aniszczyk, CTO of CNCF.

New Training Pathway and 2027 AI Certifications

CNCF and Linux Foundation Education also introduced the CKNE Certification Pathway, a bundle of five training modules covering CNI and pod connectivity, service networking and DNS, advanced traffic management, network security and policy, and network observability. CNCF said it plans to add two AI-focused credentials in 2027: Kubernetes AI Associate (KAIA) and Certified Kubernetes Inference Engineer (CKIE). Starting Feb. 15, 2027, CKNE will be required to earn Kubestronaut status, according to Linux Foundation Education.