Top 5 Free Courses to Learn Kubernetes for Developers and DevOps Engineers in 2024 - Best of Lot

Hello guys, DevOps is becoming an essential skill in today's Programming and Software Development world and Kubernetes is an important concept and tool for DevOps engineers. It takes container-based deployment to another level and allows you to manage it on the scale. You can use Kubernetes to scale your container environment or let Kubernetes do all the work for you by leveraging its auto-scaling feature. Many DevOps beginners think that Docker and Kubernetes are the same but they are not. Docker provides a container to deploy your application and commands to interact with those but container but Kubernetes is actually a container management technology, which decides how many containers are needed and deal with other management aspects.

In fact, Kubernetes or K8s is arguably the most important container management technology in the world at this moment and you shouldn't be surprised that the roots of Kubernetes lie in Google itself.

It's not a Google tool but created by a couple of Google developers as an open-source alternative of similar tools they have used in Google to manage containers at scale.

Kubernetes comes with some mind-boggling features like auto-scaling, it's very reliable, and also an extremely powerful container orchestration engine, probably the best at this moment.

It allows you to convert your infrastructure into a Container as a Service (Platform), bringing in some of the awe-inspiring features like Zero Down Time Deployments, Fault Tolerance, Auto Scaling, Cloud and Storage integrations, which were extremely difficult to implement.

More and more people are realizing the importance of DevOps and learning tools like Jenkins, Docker, and Kubernetes and if you also happen to be in the same boat then these free courses will provide you the springboard you need to jump into the DevOps world.

Btw, if you don't mind spending few bucks for learning something as valuable as Kubernetes, then I suggest you also check out Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide course on Udemy, it's not free but you can get it for just $10 on many Udemy flash sales which happens every month. You will learn both Docker and Kubernetes, which means you can kill two birds with just one stone. It is the perfect course to start with both Docker and Kubernetes in 2024.

7 Best Free Courses to Learn Kubernetes for DevOps Engineers in 2024

Anyway, here is my list of some of the best but free courses to learn Kubernetes in 2024. Even though these courses are free but they are nice courses and just made free by their instructor for promotional and educational purposes. If you are starting with Kubernetes, I suggest you join one of these courses to get a feel of what is Kubernetes and how it can help you in your DevOps work.

1. Just enough kubernetes to be dangerous [Free]

This is a really nice course to learn Kubernetes in a short time, precisely in just 1.5 hours. It helps you get started with Kubernetes quickly and build a foundation while learning by practicing it.

You will not only set up Kubernetes cluster with Google Kubernetes Engine but also learn how to deploy a micro-services application and publish it to the world.

You will also learn how to dynamically scale your application using the auto-scaling feature of kubernetes, and release application updates without any downtime, or, achieve Zero downtime deployments.

You will also learn the basics of kubectl utility, an important tool to work with Kubernetes. In short, a perfect course to start your Kubernetes journey for FREE.

2. Introduction to Containers w/ Docker, Kubernetes & OpenShift on Coursera

"Introduction to Containers w/ Docker, Kubernetes & OpenShift" is a comprehensive course led by esteemed instructors Alex Parker and Upkar Lidder, both experienced professionals at IBM. With a total enrollment of 79,091, this course, taught in English, forms part of multiple programs like IBM DevOps and Software Engineering Professional Certificate and covers crucial topics in containerization. 

In this course, you will gain proficiency in using containers to swiftly move applications across various environments. The curriculum emphasizes building cloud-native applications employing Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, and Istio. Participants will delve into Kubernetes architecture, enabling them to establish and operate a container management system throughout the application lifecycle. 

The course focuses on creating and leveraging YAML deployment files for configuring resources like pods, services, and replicasets in a declarative manner. Skills acquired include Openshift, Docker, Kubernetes, Containers, and Cloud Native technologies. 

The instructors' expertise and the hands-on labs ensure that participants gain practical insights into Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift. This course is particularly valuable for software developers, DevOps professionals, cloud architects, and individuals interested in cloud computing, providing essential skills for the evolving job market.

A shareable certificate and assessments, including eight quizzes, contribute to a comprehensive learning experience. With an average rating of 4.4, the course is designed for an intermediate level, requiring approximately 13 hours of flexible, self-paced learning and I highly recommend this course to intermediate developers. Like many other Coursera courses you can also watch it for free as audit. 

By the way, if you find Coursera courses useful, which they are because they are created by reputed companies and universities around the world, I suggest you join the Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects. It cost around $399/year but its complete worth of your money as you get unlimited certificates. They are also offering $200 discount now. 

3. Learn DevOps Kubernetes deployment by kops and terraform [Free]

This is another practical course to learn Kubernetes on AWS by using kops and Terraform. In this course, you will learn how to deploy a Kubernetes cluster in AWS and how to use Terraform to run an immutable infrastructure.

You will also learn about the horizontally scaled deployment in Kubernetes and how to use Kops to spin up the Kubernetes cluster.

Most importantly, you will learn how to see logs, get inside the Docker container within the pod in Kubernetes.

Overall, a nice little practical course to learn Kubernetes with AWS in 2024.

4. Introduction to Kubernetes [Free edx Course]

This is another free course to learn Kubernetes in depth. It's a self-paced course that runs for 14 weeks and 2 to 3 hours per week of work is required.

In this course, you'll learn some of Kubernetes' basic concepts and talk about the architecture of the system, the problems it solves, and the model that it uses to handle containerized deployments and scaling.

The course not only offers an introduction to Kubernetes but also includes technical instructions on how to deploy a stand-alone and multi-tier application.

It also teaches you about ConfigMaps and Secrets, and how to use Ingress.

After completing this course, you will have a solid understanding of the origin, architecture, and building blocks for Kubernetes, and will be able to build, test, and deploy containers at scale using Kubernetes in Cloud-native environments like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.

5. Containers 101 [Free Course]

This is a nice, free course to learn how to build and deploy containerized applications with Kubernetes, Docker, and Helm.

Like the name suggests, In this course, you'll learn the basics of building and deploying containerized applications.

The course introduces the concepts of containers powered by Docker and how to create them.

You'll also learn the essentials needed for modern DevOps with orchestration, packaging, and more built on the fast-growing Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm stack.

In short, a perfect course to learn containers in-depth, with 6-hours of quality material.

6. Kubernetes: Getting Started (Free Udemy Course)

Embark on your journey into the world of Kubernetes with the highly acclaimed tutorial, "Kubernetes: Getting Started," crafted by the expert, Srinath Challa. This free tutorial has garnered an impressive rating of 4.3 out of 5 from a diverse community of 4,501 learners, highlighting its quality and effectiveness. 

With 77,175 students enrolled and a runtime of 3 hours and 41 minutes, the course offers a comprehensive exploration of Container Orchestration and Kubernetes essentials. Srinath Challa guides you through the fundamentals, explaining the significance of a robust Container Orchestration Engine and showcasing why Kubernetes is the go-to solution. 

The tutorial then seamlessly progresses into hands-on sessions, enabling you to build and administer production-grade Kubernetes clusters effortlessly, whether on the cloud, on-the-go, or locally on your laptop. Dive deeper into the intricacies of Pods, learning how they connect and communicate, and cap off your knowledge by creating and deploying Pod manifest files on Kubernetes. 

The free tutorial also covers essential aspects of managing application protection and ensuring high-availability using ReplicaSet, ReplicationController, and DaemonSet. Finally, discover how to expose your applications to the internet with the NodePort service. 

This tutorial is an invaluable resource for those seeking a comprehensive understanding of Kubernetes basics. Plus, it comes at no cost, making it an accessible and worthwhile investment in your skill development journey.

7. Kubernetes for Developers: Core Concepts [Pluralsight Free Trial]

This is another hands-on course to learn Kubernetes online. In this course, you will learn the theory and practical skills required to get up and running with containers and Kubernetes as fast as possible. This course is specially designed for developers who need to deploy their apps to Kubernetes or want to see their K8 running applications  pods, services, secrets, configMap etc.

I first come across this course on my company which gives free Pluralsight license to every developer. Our apps were already running on K8 and I needed to know basic Kubectl commands to see logs, check if my app is running or not etc and that's when I joined this course.  

The course can be logically divided into three parts. In the first part, you'll dive into Kubernetes architecture, what the main components and services are, and how they come together to build a production-class container infrastructure. You will also learn how to to get Kubernetes up and running locally on your machine, interact with Kubernetes using kubectl, and explore different resources. 

In the second and third parts, you'll learn how to install and deploy Kubernetes on several cloud platforms and learn to work with pods, deployments, and services. You will also learn how to deploy containers like Docker images within Pods, work with deployments, and expose a Pod with a service. Then, you'll explore the role of storage, ConfigMaps, and secrets. 

Finally, you'll delve into troubleshooting Pods.  By the end of this course, you'll have a solid understanding of what Kubernetes is and how it works, as well as skills to deploy a Kubernetes cluster and simple applications.

By the way, you would need a Pluralsight subscription to join this course which costs around $29 per month or $299 per year (14% discount). I highly recommend this subscription to all programmers as it provides instant access to more than 7000+ online courses to learn any tech skill. Alternatively, you can also use their 10-day-free-pass to watch this course for FREE.

That's all about some of the free courses to learn Kubernetes in 2024. As I have said, Kubernetes is one of the most important container management technology and really important if you are thinking about DevOps in Cloud.  I suggest you spend some time learning various tools and features offered by Kubernetes for scaling your containers, including the auto-scaling feature of Kubernetes.


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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you found these best free Kubernetes courses useful then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.

P. S. - If you are looking for the best Kubernetes course and don't mind paying some money then Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide is the perfect course to start with both Docker and Kubernetes in 2024.