As a DevOps professional, you understand the importance of continually developing and enhancing your skills. In an industry that is constantly evolving, DevOps certifications are a great way to stay on the cutting edge and take your career to the next level. With so many options available, determining which certifications are right for you can be challenging. 6 DevOps Certifications. This article highlights six of the top DevOps certifications for 2023 that will help advance your knowledge, increase your opportunities, and boost your earning potential. Whether you’re just starting your DevOps journey or have years of experience, these certifications have something to offer every professional looking to strengthen their expertise in this fast-growing field.
DevOps and Why Certification Matters
To advance in your DevOps career, certification is key. DevOps roles are in high demand, and certifications validate your skills and expertise to employers. The top DevOps certifications for 2023 are:
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – This certification proves your ability to provision, operate, and manage distributed application systems on AWS. It requires at least two years of experience provisioning, operating, and managing AWS-based applications.
- Azure DevOps Solutions Architect Expert – This certification demonstrates your expertise in designing and implementing DevOps solutions on Microsoft Azure. It requires advanced knowledge of Azure, Azure DevOps, and Agile methodologies.
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) – This certification shows you have the skills to administer Kubernetes clusters. It requires a thorough understanding of Kubernetes architecture, installation, configuration, and core concepts.
- Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer- This certification verifies your ability to deploy applications, monitor operations, and manage enterprise solutions in Google Cloud. It requires at least 3 years of industry experience and expertise with Google Cloud, Linux, and Python or Java.
- Chef Certified Automate Administrator- This certification proves you can deploy Chef Automate to manage infrastructure and applications as code. It requires proficiency with Chef Automate installation, disaster recovery, backup, and maintenance.
- Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration- This certification demonstrates your skills to install, configure, and administer Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. It requires knowledge of core concepts like containers, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.
Earning the certifications that match your experience and career goals will establish your credibility and open up more opportunities.
Qualified DevOps Engineer (CDE) From the Linux Base
To become a Certified DevOps Engineer (CDE), you must pass an exam from the Linux Foundation. 6 DevOps Certifications. This certification confirms your skills and knowledge in DevOps practices and tools.
Prerequisites
To qualify for the CDE exam, you need at least 5 years of IT experience, including 2 or more years of DevOps experience. Hands-on experience with DevOps tools like Git, Docker, Kubernetes, and Jenkins is also required.
Exam Details
The CDE exam consists of 60 multiple-choice questions which you have 90 minutes to complete. It covers four domains:
- CI/CD pipelines – Implementing continuous integration and delivery pipelines with tools like Jenkins, Git, and Docker.
- Automation – Automating infrastructure provisioning and configuration management using tools such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, SaltStack, and Terraform.
- Monitoring and Logging – Monitoring applications and infrastructure using tools like Zabbix, Nagios, Splunk, and ELK stack.
- Software Deployment – Deploying software and infrastructure changes with zero downtime using blue-green deployments, canary releases, and rolling updates.
To pass, you need a minimum score of 65%. The certification is valid for 3 years, after which you must recertify.
The CDE demonstrates your proficiency in the essential DevOps tools and practices. This certification can help advance your career as a DevOps engineer and open up more job opportunities. The exam fee is $300, but The Linux Foundation offers discounts for members.
Qualified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) From the Linux Basis
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification is offered by the Linux Foundation and is one of the most in-demand DevOps certifications. 6 DevOps Certifications. To earn the CKA, you must demonstrate a deep understanding of Kubernetes and be able to perform tasks and configure Kubernetes clusters.
As a Kubernetes administrator, you will be responsible for installing, operating, and maintaining Kubernetes clusters. This includes deployment, scaling, upgrading, networking, and security of clusters. The CKA exam covers these topics extensively. Some of the key areas you will be tested on include:
- Deploying applications on Kubernetes. This involves creating Kubernetes manifests to define and run containers. You need to know how to define applications, pods, deployments, services, volumes, and namespaces.
- Securing a cluster. This includes authentication, authorization, admission control, network policies, pod security policies, and encryption at rest. You must be able to implement role-based access control, use service accounts, and enable audit logging.
- Managing resources and storage. This includes configuring CPU and memory requests/limits, persistent storage using volumes and persistent volume claims, and dynamically provisioning storage.
- Installation and configuration. You must be able to install Kubernetes on multiple platforms, configure high availability, use Kubernetes primitives to build clusters, and upgrade Kubernetes components. This requires knowledge of kubeadm, kubelet, kubectl, and CNI networking.
- Troubleshooting. You must be able to troubleshoot application, node, and cluster issues. This includes debugging pods, deployments, services, networking, storage, RBAC, upgrades, and more. Strong troubleshooting skills are essential for any Kubernetes administrator.
Earning the CKA will prove your competence in these critical areas and open up more career opportunities as a Kubernetes administrator.
Hashicorp Certified Terraform Associate
To advance your DevOps career, the Hashicorp Certified Terraform Associate certification is a great option to consider. 6 DevOps Certifications. 6 DevOps Certifications. This certification verifies your ability to use Hashicorp Terraform, an open-source tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.
Skills Required
To pass the exam, you will need to demonstrate proficiency with:
- Terraform syntax
- Terraform configuration files
- Terraform CLI (Command Line Interface)
- Variables, data sources, outputs
- Provisioning resources (compute, storage, networking, etc.)
- Using Terraform modules
- Environment variables and sensitive data
- Terraform state
- Terraform workspaces
Exam Details
The paper contains of 65 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions. You’ll complete with 90 minutes. Score of at least 65% is required to pass. The certification is valid for two years, after which you need to recertify to maintain it.
Preparation
The recommended preparation for this exam includes:
- Significant hands-on experience using Terraform (at least 3-6 months)
- Review the Terraform documentation
- Study the Terraform Associate Exam Curriculum
- Take a Terraform training course (optional but helpful)
- Practice Terraform configuration examples
Earning the Hashicorp Certified Terraform Associate certification will demonstrate your competency in this widely used IaC tool and open up more career opportunities. With DevOps skills in high demand, this certification can help set you apart.
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional Certification
To prove your expertise in DevOps and cloud computing, consider obtaining the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional certification. This certification confirms your technical skills and experience in provisioning, operating, and managing distributed application systems on the AWS platform.
Exam Details
The certification exam covers a wide range of AWS services and DevOps tools. It validates your ability to:
- Contrivance and manage continuous delivery systems and methodologies on AWS.
- Automate security controls, domination processes, and compliance authentication.
- Express and deploy monitoring, metrics, and logging systems on AWS.
- Instrument systems that are highly available, scalable, and self-healing on the AWS platform.
- Design plan, manage, and maintain tools to computerize operational methods.
To earn this certification, you must pass one exam (Exam DOP-C01) which costs $300 USD. The exam includes a mix of multiple choice and multiple response questions. You’ll have 170 minutes to complete the exam.
Benefits of Certification
Becoming an AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional provides several benefits:
- Demonstrate your technical expertise in DevOps engineering and AWS.
- Advance your career by standing out to potential employers.
- Increase your earning potential. According to PayScale, the average salary for an AWS Certified DevOps Engineer in the US is over $130,000 per year.
- Access useful resources and connect with other professionals in the AWS community.
- Stay up-to-date with the latest AWS services and DevOps tools. The certification is legal for two years, after which you must recertify.
The AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional certification is a valuable credential for any DevOps professional working with AWS. By validating your technical skills and knowledge, it can help take your career to the next level.
Conclusion
Your DevOps career is in your hands. Pursuing one or more of these top certifications will prove your competence, open up new opportunities, and allow you to progress to higher levels of responsibility and pay. While the road ahead requires diligent study and dedication, the rewards of achieving a respected DevOps certification are well worth the effort. You have the chance to become a leader in this fast-growing field. Take that first step now towards a challenging yet rewarding career as a certified DevOps professional. The future is yours to shape.
