Earn the new Google Kubernetes Engine skill badge for free

We’ve added a new skill badge this month, Optimize Costs for Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), which you can earn for free when you sign up for the Kubernetes track of the skills challenge. The skills challenge provides 30 days free access to Google Cloud labs and gives you the opportunity to earn skill badges to showcase different cloud competencies to employers. 

In this post, I’ll explain the basics of GKE cost optimization and how to earn this new skill badge. For best practices from experts and a live walkthrough of how to manage workloads and clusters at scale to optimize time and cost, sign up here for my no-cost March 19 webinar. Can’t join the event live on March 19? The training will also be available on-demand after March 19. 

GKE is a secured and fully managed Kubernetes service now with an autopilot mode of operation. It allows you to speed up app development without sacrificing security, streamline operations with release channels, and manage infrastructure with Google Site Reliability Engineers. 

When using GKE, you need to know Kubernetes workload best practices and understand how to optimize your costs. GKE includes autoscaling and our training will show you how to use this to help you run less when you don’t need it and more when you do. 

How to earn the Optimize Costs for Google Kubernetes Engine skill badge

Before you take the training to earn the Optimize Costs for Google Kubernetes Engine skill badge, you’ll need to already know basic concepts around cluster creation and management. 

To earn the skill badge, you’ll first need to go through four labs which will provide you with hands-on experience on how to manage a GKE multi-tenant cluster with namespaces, optimize costs for GKE Virtual Machines, combine GKE autoscaling strategies, and optimize GKE workloads. 

Afterwards, you’ll need to successfully pass the challenge lab, which will test your knowledge before the skill badge can be yours. In this lab, you’ll play the role of the lead GKE administrator for an online boutique store whose site is broken down into microservices and now it’s time to get it running on GKE. 

As the GKE administrator, you need to make sure your GKE cluster is optimized to run the online boutique application with all its many microservices because you have a big marketing campaign coming up. You’ll also want to make sure it can autoscale appropriately to handle both traffic spikes and traffic lulls where you’ll want to save on your infrastructure costs. Along the way, you’ll learn core principles of cost optimization in GKE you can apply in your own environments.

Ready to take your first step towards learning how to optimize GKE costs and earning your skill badge? Join me for my March 19 webinar. You can also watch the webinar on-demand after March 19.