Whether you want to learn Kubernetes to enhance your skills or achieve certification to prove your expertise, you can choose from many free online learning materials and courses. However, after learning Kubernetes, your next step will be to apply your learnings on an actual Kubernetes cluster. The easiest way to create a Kubernetes cluster for learning is to take advantage of one or more free online practice trials.Â
Here are the top five free platforms where you can apply your Kubernetes skills (in alphabetical order) and some factors to consider before you sign up to any of these platforms:
Top Five Free Platforms to Practice Kubernetes
Google Cloud Platform
Whether you are new to the Google Cloud Platform, or an existing customer, Google will provide you with a $300 credit towards using the Google Kubernetes Engine for up to 90 days. You are limited to one Autopilot or Zonal cluster per month; you also have complete access to over 20 additional free products on the Google cloud. You can sign up for this free trial hereOpens a new window .
IBM Cloud
IBM’s free trial is for beginners who intend to practice Kubernetes on the IBM Cloud platform. IBM’s trial provides free use of a Kubernetes cluster with one worker node for up to 30 days. The cluster integrates with the IBM Cloud Container Registry. You will also have free access to over 40 other products on the IBM Cloud during the trial period. You can sign up for IBM’s Kubernetes practice trial hereOpens a new window .
See More: Why Managed Kubernetes as a Service Should Be a Part of Your DevOps Strategy
MS Azure
Microsoft offers a $200 credit that you can use for up to 30 days to define and build Kubernetes-orchestrated microservices on its MS Azure cloud platform using Visual Studio Code (VSC). You will be able to deploy a multi-node Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster and manage the Kubernetes environment through the Azure portal. You will also have access to over 40 other free Azure services during the trial period. To sign up for the Kubernetes trial on MS Azure, click hereOpens a new window .
O’Reilly Katacoda
If you do not wish to sign up with a cloud provider, which may involve an unavoidable expense, you can create and work with a cluster for free on the O’Reilly Katacoda platform. Katacoda is a free browser-based learning platform for running various interactive scenarios. These scenarios guide you through everyday tasks in Kubernetes, such as launching a single-node cluster, deploying containers using Kubectl and YAML, running stateful services on Kubernetes or deploying serverless functions with Kubeless.Â
Each scenario provides you with a single-node cluster to work with online for up to 60 minutes. Katacoda also provides a Kubernetes playground for unstructured experimenting, exploring and learning Kubernetes. The playground has a pre-configured Kubernetes cluster with two nodes, one configured as the Control Plane node and another worker node. To access Katacoda’s free Kubernetes learning platform, click hereOpens a new window .
In addition to Kubernetes scenarios, Katacoder also provides browser-based scenarios for Docker. These scenarios guide you through common Docker tasks such as deploying your first docker containers, creating data containers and networks between containers, or deploying Node.js applications as containers. There is also a Docker playground available for unstructured learning. You can access Katacoder’s free interactive Docker scenarios hereOpens a new window .
RedHat Openshift
RedHat provides a fully managed RedHat OpenShift Dedicated trial cluster with self-service sign-up and cluster provisioning. Your free trial lasts for a maximum of 60 days. To sign up for the trial, you must have an existing AWS or Google Cloud account.Â
RedHat also provides a self-managed 60-day trial account on the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, which can be deployed to any environment, in the cloud, on your computer or in your datacenter–providing you with full cluster administrator access. You must have an existing infrastructure or cloud account for this free option. You can sign up for any of these two RedHat Openshift trials hereOpens a new window .
See More: 5 Reasons Your Organization May Migrate to Kubernetes in 2022
Considerations for Choosing Free Practice TrialsÂ
If your goal is to master Kubernetes within a specific cloud environment, then a cloud-specific trial is your best choice. Suppose you want to try out a free Kubernetes cloud-specific platform. In that case, it is essential to remember that these trials are not for production use, and you will have to have an account on a specific cloud platform to use them.Â
Cloud-specific Kubernetes trials restrict your usage to practice and to learn only. Also, once you use up your free credit or your free trial period ends, your credit card will be charged for any further activity on the platform. In the end, no matter which platform-specific trial you choose, you will need to plan and determine which skills you can successfully practice within the time frame allotted to you.Â
Another consideration is the time it takes to spin up a Kubernetes cluster and how long your cluster will remain online. Google, IBM, MS Azure and RedHat let you spin up a Kubernetes cluster in approximately 10 minutes. Your cluster will remain active throughout the trial. Katacoda, on the other hand, enables you to spin up a cluster in less than a minute. However, you must work within the various scenarios it lays out for you. You cannot use and test your files. Katacoda will delete your cluster within 10-59 minutes after use.Â
Which cloud platform would you pick to build a mock Kubernetes cluster? Let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!
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