Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine Specialization Course Syllabus

Overview: This specialization provides a comprehensive, hands-on learning path for mastering Kubernetes and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). Over approximately 17 hours, learners will progress through three core courses covering foundational concepts, workload management, and production-grade deployment practices. Each module combines theory with practical labs using Google Cloud tools, preparing learners to design, deploy, and manage scalable containerized applications on GKE. Lifetime access allows flexible, self-paced study.

Module 1: Getting Started with Google Kubernetes Engine

Estimated time: 6 hours

• Compare Google Cloud compute platforms: VMs, containers, and serverless
• Understand Kubernetes architecture and core components
• Explore the structure and benefits of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
• Create and manage GKE clusters using Cloud Console and gcloud CLI

Module 2: Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Workloads

Estimated time: 5 hours

• Create and manage containerized workloads in GKE
• Explain how pod networking functions within Kubernetes clusters
• Work with Kubernetes services and network policies
• Use persistent and ephemeral storage abstractions in GKE

Module 3: Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Production

Estimated time: 6 hours

• Define Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles for GKE and Kubernetes pods
• Implement security best practices in production environments
• Configure monitoring and logging for Kubernetes clusters using Cloud Operations

Module 4: Kubernetes Architecture and Components

Estimated time: 4 hours

• Describe the control plane and node architecture in Kubernetes
• Understand the role of etcd, kubelet, and kube-proxy
• Explore the Kubernetes API server and scheduler operations

Module 5: Scaling and Managing Applications on GKE

Estimated time: 5 hours

• Deploy and scale applications using Deployments and ReplicaSets
• Manage application configurations with ConfigMaps and Secrets
• Apply rolling updates and perform rollbacks in GKE

Module 6: Final Project

Estimated time: 6 hours

• Design and deploy a multi-tier application on GKE
• Implement networking, storage, and IAM security policies
• Monitor application performance and configure logging

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic cloud computing concepts
• Understanding of container technologies, particularly Docker
• Basic experience with command-line tools and Linux environments

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Understand the architecture and components of Kubernetes and GKE
• Deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications on GKE
• Implement networking, storage, and security solutions in Kubernetes clusters
• Apply production best practices for monitoring and logging
• Earn a certificate of completion to validate GKE expertise