The Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineer (CNPE) is a community-driven CNCF certification designed to validate advanced, real-world platform engineering expertise—from architecting and operating enterprise-scale internal developer platforms (IDPs) to enabling secure, scalable self-service infrastructure for modern developer teams.
CNPE offers a clear pathway for professionals progressing from foundational knowledge to senior, high-impact platform engineering and architecture roles.
Cost $250 | Online Exam
About the program
CNPE is ideal for experienced platform engineers, senior DevOps/SRE practitioners, platform architects, and infrastructure engineers who want to prove they can design and evolve production-grade platforms that accelerate delivery while maintaining strong operational standards. It’s especially relevant if you’re moving toward roles such as Senior/Principal Platform Engineer or Platform Architect.
Unlike knowledge-only exams, CNPE is a hands-on, performance-based certification exam. It is delivered as an online, proctored test where candidates solve multiple tasks in a Linux-based remote desktop using the terminal and web-based interfaces.
Earning a CNPE certification demonstrates:
- Your ability to architect, secure, and optimize complex cloud native platforms for enterprise needs.
- Your capability to implement production-grade GitOps/CD, self-service platform APIs, and operational excellence (observability + incident remediation).
- You are prepared for senior roles such as Senior Platform Engineer, Principal Platform Engineer, or Platform Architect, operating at the intersection of platform design, developer enablement, and governance.
CNCF has open sourced the CNPE curriculum to guide candidates’ exam preparation and to support companies offering training.
CNCF also offers wholesale pricing on exams to training companies purchasing in bulk—contact trainingpartners@cncf.io for details.
Exam details
This exam is an 120-minute online, proctored, performance-based test.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Platform Architecture and Infrastructure | 15% |
| GitOps and Continuous Delivery | 25% |
| Platform APIs and Self-Service Capabilities | 25% |
| Observability and Operations | 20% |
| Security and Policy Enforcement | 15% |
The cost is $445 and includes one free retake. For questions on the exam, please reach out.