Manifestation to Reality: Representing Nepal in CNCF Golden Kubestronaut Map

· 5 min read

cncf golden-kubestronaut certification kubernetes
Contents

In this blog, I will share my Golden Kubestronaut journey, how I became the first and youngest Golden Kubestronaut from Nepal, what motivated me to pursue this path, and what it actually takes to earn the title.

Golden Kubestronaut: Basic Anatomy of the Program#

Golden Kubestronauts are individuals who have passed all 16 CNCF certifications, covering the full breadth of the cloud-native ecosystem. It is the highest recognition in the CNCF certification journey and reflects deep, hands-on expertise. You can find more details here

Kubestronaut Journey: A Bit of History#

I started my Kubestronaut journey during my college days in 2024. At the time, I was looking for an internship and initially planned to take the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam. After thinking it over, I asked myself: what if I went for the CKA instead? The CKA is a performance-based exam and carries real value in the market. I decided to pursue the CKA.

I attended KubeCon India 2024 in Delhi, where I saw many Kubestronauts. That experience inspired me to aim for the Kubestronaut title myself. You can read more about my Kubestronaut journey here

I received my Kubestronaut jacket at KubeCon India 2025 in Hyderabad. Wearing that jacket and walking around the event was a genuinely special feeling.

From Kubestronaut to Golden Kubestronaut#

After becoming a Kubestronaut, I never imagined I would go for Golden Kubestronaut. At that time, I felt I wouldn’t pursue many more certifications in the near future.

Fast forward to 2026: I attended KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India 2026 at Mumbai. My CKA was set to expire on November 15, which meant I would lose my Kubestronaut title. That fear motivated me to aim for Golden Kubestronaut.

Using the 60% off coupon I received as a KubeCon attendee, I purchased the Kubestronaut to Golden Kubestronaut bundle.

The journey began on July 11 and finished on August 30 and 50 days in total. It was genuinely challenging because I was juggling several other responsibilities at the same time:

  1. My full-time job
  2. LFX mentorship with KubeVela
  3. Maintaining the KubeVirtBMC project

I am grateful for the strength to handle all of this simultaneously. I still didn’t get a chance to receive an exclusive backpack with the Golden Kubestronaut logo and Golden Kubestronaut beanie. I will try to receive it at the upcoming KubeCon’s.

You can find all my badges and certification here.

You can check my profile on CNCF Golden Kubestronaut Map.

Timeline for each Certifications#

  • PCA (Prometheus Certified Associate): Jul 11, 2026
  • CGOA (Certified GitOps Associate): Jul 13, 2026
  • CAPA (Certified Argo Project Associate): Jul 17, 2026
  • ICA (Istio Certified Associate): Jul 24, 2026
  • CBA (Certified Backstage Associate): Jul 30, 2026
  • KCA (Kyverno Certified Associate): Aug 4, 2026
  • CCA (Cilium Certified Associate): Aug 9, 2026
  • OTCA (OpenTelemetry Certified Associate): Aug 12, 2026
  • CNPA (Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineering Associate): Aug 17, 2026
  • CNPE (Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineer): Aug 21, 2026
  • LFCS (Linux Foundation Certified Systems Administrator): Aug 28, 2026

Why I Decided to Pursue Golden Kubestronaut#

  • Personal recognition and representation : To represent Nepal in this space, as awareness of CNCF and open source is still limited in my country.
  • Community recognition: Visibility at events like KubeCon and KCDs, along with the cool jacket, bag, and other benefits.
  • Learning: Most importantly, the certifications gave me exposure to a wide range of tools. True expertise, however, comes from hands-on work, not just passing exams.

What Comes Next#

The certification grind stops here. There is nothing left in the catalogue that would meaningfully change what I know, and collecting badges for their own sake does not interest me. What comes next is contribution, maintaining the projects I work on, continuing the work I started through mentorship, and helping more people from underrepresented parts of the community make the same climb.

To anyone reading this from a place with a small cloud-native community: it is realistic. I did this from Nepal, on a normal schedule, alongside a full-time job. I hope the number on the map grows from my home country Nepal near future.

FAQs to Me:#

Which one is the most hardest exam among those 11 certification excluding kubestronaut one ?

CNPE is most hard one. I failed two times for cilium one as well cause question were tricky, luckily I got Lift scholorship from CNCF and I bought the certification again and passed it on third attempt. Also, I falied backstage in first attempt and passed it on second attempt. Rest all I passed in single shot.

What are the materials to pass all these certification?
KodeKloud will be enough.

Note: I’m not advocate of KodeKloud. It is my personal experience

What should be the correct order to do all these certifications?
You do not need to follow any single path; follow the path you are comfortable with.

Will it help to land a DevOps job or internship?
You should ask this question to yourself at first. One thing I can say is that it will increase your chances.

How you could be so focused and where all the motivation is coming from ?
Till then you know why of what you do, you really don’t need any motivation. One my favourite quote that is hardcorded in my mind is “Everything is possible cause nothing is real”. Therefore, there is no celing for achievement, you can achieve anything you want.

If you are working toward Kubestronaut or Golden Kubestronaut and want help, feel free to reach out. I will always make time for it.

If you like this post make sure to share and give one clap :) Have a good time, see you in next some technical blog. Bye Bye !