Platform Engineering Makes Its KubeCon Comeback: The Discipline Goes Mainstream

From November 10-13, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation's flagship conference brought together thousands of adopters and technologists. The message was loud and clear: Platform Engineering is no longer a fringe discipline—it's a core cloud native competency.

And CNCF just made it official with the launch of new Cloud Native Platform Engineering certifications.

CNCF Makes It Official

CNCF announced the global availability of two key certifications that validate platform engineering expertise:

1. Certified Cloud Native Platform Associate (CNPA)

Launched June 15, 2025, this entry-level certification covers foundational skills for building, automating, and managing cloud native platforms at scale.

•Format: Online, proctored, multiple-choice exam
•No Prerequisites: Open to platform engineers, DevOps practitioners, SREs, and infrastructure architects
•Community-Driven: Built with input from CNCF Platforms Working Group

2. Certified Cloud Native Platform Engineer (CNPE)

Announced at KubeCon on November 11, 2025, the CNPE is an intermediate-level, performance-based certification designed for enterprise-scale Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs).

•Format: 120-minute, performance-based exam
•Domains: Platform Architecture (15%), GitOps & CD (25%), Platform APIs (25%), Observability (20%), Security (15%)
•Real-World Focus: Validates advanced expertise in architecting and operating enterprise IDPs

Why This Matters:

These certifications signal that platform engineering has matured from an emerging practice to a recognized discipline with standardized competencies. For professionals, the average platform engineer salary now ranges from $143,001 to $201,074, with an average of $172,038 in Q1 2025.

The Numbers Don't Lie

30%

Backend developers now interact with Kubernetes directly

(Down from 36% previously)

15.6M

Developers adopting cloud-native tools

Most through platform abstractions

96%

Enterprises using or evaluating Kubernetes

Critical mass achieved

27%

Organizations with Internal Developer Platforms

Up from 23% in Q3 2024

Translation: Platform teams are successfully abstracting complexity while maintaining governance and security.

The decrease from 36% to 30% in direct Kubernetes interaction isn't a failure—it's a feature. It means platform engineering is working. Developers are shipping features, not debugging Kubernetes networking.

Three Takeaways For Your Team

Abstraction Is Winning

If your backend developers are still writing YAML for every deployment, your platform team has work to do. The best platforms are invisible to their users—developers should be shipping features, not debugging infrastructure.

Certifications Signal Maturity

CNCF's new platform engineering certifications indicate this is no longer a fringe discipline but a core competency. With 2,500+ Kubestronauts across 100+ countries and growing certification demand, the industry is standardizing around platform excellence.

AI Changes Everything

The governance and security requirements for AI workloads are pushing platform engineering from nice-to-have to mission-critical. AI isn't just consuming infrastructure—it's demanding robust governance, security frameworks, and GPU orchestration that only mature platform teams can deliver.

Pro Tip

If you're building a platform team, focus on developer experience first. The best platforms are invisible to their users—developers should be shipping features, not debugging Kubernetes networking. Start with golden paths, then iterate.

The Era of Excellence

The era of every developer being a Kubernetes expert is over.

The era of platform engineering excellence is just beginning.

With tools like Backstage, Port, and Humanitec becoming core components of Internal Developer Platforms, organizations are building curated, opinionated platforms that reduce friction while enforcing enterprise standards around security, compliance, and scalability.

KubeCon 2025 proved that platform engineering isn't just a trend—it's the future of cloud native computing.

What's Coming in 2026

CNCF isn't stopping. In 2026, they'll release the Certified Kubernetes Network Engineer (CKNE)—an intermediate-level certification focused on networking of Kubernetes and cloud native platforms.

The message is clear: cloud native expertise is becoming increasingly specialized, with distinct career paths for platform engineers, network engineers, and security professionals.