// the find
ViktorUJ/cks
Open-source Platform for learning kubernetes and aws eks and preparation for for Certified Kubernetes exams (CKA ,CKS , CKAD, ICA)
A Terraform/Terragrunt-based platform that spins up real Kubernetes clusters on AWS EC2 (spot instances) for hands-on practice and mock exams covering CKA, CKS, CKAD, ICA, KCNA, KCSA, and LFCS. Each scenario provisions a full kubeadm cluster, drops you on a worker node, and includes automated grading via bats tests. Aimed at engineers actively studying for CNCF certifications who want something closer to the real exam environment than browser-based sandboxes.
Real clusters via kubeadm on EC2 spot instances — you're touching the actual control plane, not a managed service abstraction. Automated grading with bats test files means you get objective pass/fail feedback, not just answer keys. Broad coverage: CKA/CKS/CKAD/ICA plus LFCS and EKS labs, with multiple mock exams per cert. The k8s_self_managment Terraform module supports K8s 1.21–1.34 across containerd/CRI-O/Docker and multiple CNIs, so you can match the current exam version.
Hard dependency on AWS with admin-level IAM permissions — you need a real AWS account and will pay for EC2, making this inaccessible for casual learners compared to free alternatives like KillerKoda. The toolchain prerequisite list (Terraform, Terragrunt, jq, Make, AWS CLI, aws profile) is long and version-sensitive, and the Docker wrapper doesn't remove the AWS credential requirement. No local/offline mode — everything assumes a running AWS environment. KCNA and KCSA are just static question directories, not interactive labs, which is a significant gap compared to the other certs.