A free browser game that teaches Kubernetes architecture. Drag 53 real components — kubectl, the API server, etcd, kubelet, Services, HPA and more — into the 11 layers of a cluster, then beat quiz bosses.
Start playing — free, in your browser →
Each exam (KCNA, KCSA, CKA, CKAD, CKS, PCA, OTCA, ICA, CCA, CAPA, CGOA, CBA, KCA, CNPA, CNPE, LFCS) is a map built from its official curriculum domains and weights, with timed practice exams scored against the real pass mark, a study guide linked to the official docs, and 76 hands-on drills. Browse the exams →
18 missions on a simulated cluster in a k9s-style terminal: CrashLoopBackOff, OOMKilled, failing readiness probes, Pending Pods, drains and rollbacks, each following a page of the Kubernetes docs. Open the Lab →
Compete Mode times a full KubeLayers or Lab run. Cleared layers, bosses, badges and your fastest runs add up to one KubePoints score on one public leaderboard. See the leaderboard →
KubeRusted is a free browser game for learning Kubernetes architecture. You drag 53 real Kubernetes components into the 11 layers of a cluster they belong to, fight quiz bosses between tiers, and can type names from memory to lock them in. The k9s Lab then lets you practise troubleshooting on a simulated cluster.
It teaches how the pieces of a cluster fit together — which component lives in the control plane, which runs on every node, how traffic reaches a pod — which is the mental model most tutorials skip. Every component links to its official kubernetes.io page for going deeper.
A k9s-style terminal on a simulated cluster, right in your browser, with 18 guided missions based on the official Kubernetes docs: fixing CrashLoopBackOff, OOMKilled and Pending pods, a broken readiness probe, a Service selector typo, rolling back a bad deployment, draining a node, HPA autoscaling and more. You use real k9s keys and edit objects in a vi editor, just like kubectl edit.
No. It runs entirely in your browser — no cluster, no install, and it is free. Signing in with Google is optional: it saves your progress across devices, puts your KubePoints on the KubeChampions leaderboard under a nickname you choose, and lets you race Compete Mode for the top spots.
Yes — the Exams section has a playable map for all 16 certifications on the road to Golden Kubestronaut (KCNA, KCSA, CKA, CKAD, CKS, PCA, OTCA, ICA, CCA, CAPA, CGOA, CBA, KCA, CNPA, CNPE, LFCS). Each one uses that exam's official domains and weights as the drop zones, links every concept to its official docs, and has proctor bosses with exam-style scenario questions plus a mock exam. It is a learning aid, not an exam simulator or a brain dump: the hands-on exams (CKA, CKAD, CKS, ICA, CNPE, LFCS) still need real terminal practice, which the k9s Lab starts you on.
A title CNCF gives to people who pass every CNCF certification plus the Linux Foundation’s LFCS — currently CKA, CKAD, CKS, KCNA, KCSA, PCA, ICA, CCA, CAPA, CGOA, CBA, OTCA, KCA, CNPA and CNPE. Passing just the five Kubernetes exams (CKA, CKAD, CKS, KCNA, KCSA) makes you a Kubestronaut. KubeRusted’s Exams section mirrors that path, with Kubestronaut and Golden Kubestronaut badges for clearing every mock exam.
KubePoints are the KubeRusted score: one number that ranks every signed-in player on the KubeChampions leaderboard. You earn them by learning — clearing layers, beating bosses, typing layers from memory, finishing k9s Lab missions and unlocking badges — and by racing Compete Mode against the clock.
100 points per layer cleared plus 25 per star, 150 per boss defeated, 75 per layer stored on the Hard Drive by typing its components from memory (+50 more if flawless — no hints, mistakes or typos), 50 per k9s Lab mission completed and 20 per badge. Exam prep counts too, per exam: 20 per domain or mock exam cleared plus 5 per star, 40 per boss, 15 per Hard Drive store and 50 for clearing the whole exam. Replaying never costs points: only your best stars and your best Hard Drive run count.
Finishing a timed Compete run is worth 3,000 points, plus a speed bonus of 12,000 × par ÷ (par + your time). Par is 20 minutes for the KubeLayers race and 15 minutes for the k9s Lab race, so a run at exactly par scores 9,000 points and every second faster adds more. Only your best submitted time on each race counts, so racing again can only raise your score.
Sign in with Google and pick a nickname — every signed-in player is ranked automatically, no race required. Your email is never shown, and you can add an optional LinkedIn profile link. Points are calculated on the server from your saved progress and race times, so the ranking cannot be edited from the browser.