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Containers & Orchestration Learning Path

From your first container to production-grade Kubernetes clusters. This path sequences ~75,000 words of CloudCaptain's Docker and Kubernetes guides: ~10–14 weeks at 5–7 hours/week, from docker run hello-world to CKA-ready.

By the end you'll be able to: containerize any application with a production-quality Dockerfile, operate a Kubernetes cluster (workloads, networking, storage, security), and pass the CKA/CKAD with the exam-prep guide.

Stage 1: Container Fundamentals (2–3 weeks)​

  1. Docker Fundamentals — namespaces, cgroups, OCI, images, containers, volumes
  2. The Dockerfile Guide — multi-stage builds, layer caching, best practices (80+ examples)
  3. Compose & Swarm — multi-container applications
  4. Networking & Storage — bridge/overlay networks, volumes vs bind mounts
  5. Security & Production — image scanning, rootless mode, hardening
  6. Podman — the rootless, daemonless alternative

✅ Checkpoint: the Docker cheat sheet should feel like review, and you should hold your own against the Docker interview questions.

Stage 2: Kubernetes Core (3–4 weeks)​

  1. Kubernetes Fundamentals — architecture, pods, kubectl, the control plane
  2. Workloads — Deployments, StatefulSets, DaemonSets, Jobs
  3. Networking & Services — Services, Ingress, Network Policies
  4. Storage — PVs, PVCs, StorageClasses
  5. Docker → Kubernetes — how the concepts map

✅ Checkpoint: drill the Kubernetes cheat sheet until kubectl is muscle memory.

Stage 3: Advanced Kubernetes (2–3 weeks)​

  1. Security — RBAC, Pod Security, secrets management
  2. Helm — package management and templating
  3. GitOps — ArgoCD and FluxCD for declarative delivery
  4. Operators & Service Mesh — custom controllers, Istio/Linkerd concepts

Stage 4: Production Operations (2–3 weeks)​

Production Operations covers the day-2 reality: monitoring with Prometheus/Grafana, logging, autoscaling (HPA/VPA/Cluster Autoscaler), troubleshooting, and multi-cluster patterns.

Hands-On Practice​

LabWhat it's for
Play with DockerFree browser Docker sandbox
Play with KubernetesFree browser K8s cluster
KillercodaInteractive CKA/CKAD-style scenarios

Prove It​

  1. Certify — the Kubernetes exam-prep guide covers CKA, CKAD, and CKS: curriculum breakdown, time-saving tricks, and practice strategy.
  2. Interview — 60+ Kubernetes interview questions and the Docker set.
  3. Level up — continue with the Platform Engineering path or the SRE path.