2026 update — some of the certifications below have been retired or renamed, and the exam prices have changed. Read the inline notes before you spend money.
This list was written in 2021 and is still a useful map of the DevOps and cloud certification landscape, but three specific things have changed and could cost you if you act on the original text:
- Docker Certified Associate (DCA) is no longer offered by Docker itself — see the note in that section for what to pursue instead.
- Offensive Security Certified Expert (OSCE) has been fully retired and replaced by OSCE³ (a bundle of OSWE, OSEP, and OSED) — details in that section.
- Puppet’s “5.5.0” reference is outdated, and Puppet’s certification program has changed hands and versions.
- Exam prices and durations across all of these have drifted since 2021; always confirm the current fee on the official page before registering.
For a clean, current list (including credentials that did not exist in 2021, such as the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS), HashiCorp Terraform Associate, and platform-engineering tracks), use our fully refreshed guide linked in the “Updated Version” section near the end. The notes below keep this original article accurate in the meantime.
Experience makes us perfect, and it stands applicable in every field. So if you are an aspiring cloud developer, you should make sure that your career graph has an added advantage compared to the others. Investments over any course demand a surety of the benefit that we will receive after completing the courses. This post will explore ten DevOps and Cloud Certifications that will surely give you an edge over the others in the industry.
Top 10 DevOps and Cloud Certifications
Following is a summary of 10 DevOps and Cloud Certifications that will help you boost your career and be a successful candidate.
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Docker Certified Associate
Knowing docker’s skill is favored worldwide now. The Docker Certified Associate ensures that all the candidates who enroll for the certification face real-world questions, uniquely designed by experienced Docker experts. There are various stages in the certification. The candidates’ skill set is checked based on their performance in multiple examinations.
Benefits: After completing the certification, the candidates will be provided with an official credential, proving that the respective candidate has completed his or her certification. The digital certificate that will be received by the candidates will be having the Docket Certified Associate Logo. There will be online verification to measure the candidate’s progress while the certification is on the go. The candidates will also be granted access to various professional networks of DevOps on Linkedln.
Exam Details: The certification, when purchased online, will cost USD 195. The examinations are based on multiple-choice questions as well as discrete optioned questions. A total of 13 multiple questions and 42 distinct optioned questions are to be solved within 90 minutes.
The certificate provided to the candidates will mark a minimum experience of 6 to 12 months of Docker experience. The availability of certification in English is globally possible. The results are released immediately, which acts as an added advantage for the candidates.
2026 update — the Docker Certified Associate is no longer offered by Docker, so do not plan around the details above. After Docker restructured its business (its enterprise product line went to Mirantis), Docker Inc. discontinued the DCA program. You may still see the credential referenced, and people who already hold it can list it, but you generally cannot register for it through Docker the way this section describes, and the $195 fee and format may not apply. What to do instead in 2026: container skills are now validated far more strongly by Kubernetes certifications — the CKA (below), the CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer), and especially the CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist), which did not exist when this article was written. If your goal was “prove I know containers,” target CKA/CKAD/CKS rather than the DCA.
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CKA Kubernetes Administrator
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator or CKA program was created by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and the Linux Foundation. The main aim was to develop the Kubernetes ecosystem. One of the highest open-source projects is found using the Kubernetes. At present, Kubernetes is performing excellent help for the growth of the community. Therefore having a Certified Kubernetes Administrator is always an added advantage for any individual.
Benefits: The Certified Kubernetes Administrator Program will provide an environment where every individual’s skills, knowledge, and competency will be tested based on the responsibilities that are to be performed by the Kubernetes administrators.
Exam Details: The exam will be online-based, and command lines are required to be solved time duration is 3 hours. There are several factors on which the examination will be counted, like application lifecycle management, installation, configuration, networking, security, logging, and monitoring. The cost of the certification is $300. Various exam resources are found on the main website of the Kubernetes.
2026 update — the CKA is still one of the best DevOps investments, with two current details. First, the exam duration is now 2 hours (not 3), and the CNCF periodically updates the curriculum to match current Kubernetes versions, so study against the latest exam objectives rather than 2021 material. Second, and most useful: the CKA now has two natural companions that did not feature in this original list — the CKAD (for developers building apps on Kubernetes) and the CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist), which requires an active CKA as a prerequisite and is highly sought after as Kubernetes security has become a specialty in its own right. A common 2026 path is CKA first, then CKS. The CNCF and Linux Foundation also bundle these with regular discounts, so check for a bundle price. Confirm the current fee and exam version on the Linux Foundation training site before registering. The rise of CKS mirrors a broader shift toward shift-left security and a stronger DevSecOps toolset, where the skills a cert validates translate directly into day-to-day posture management with CSPM.
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AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional Exam
The AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional Exam is a professional exam that is especially for those willing to perform a DevOps engineer role. This certification is beneficial for those who will have two or more years of experience in provisioning, operating, and managing the AWS environment.
Benefits: There are certain benefits of DevOps and Cloud Certifications, which cannot be compared with the others. For example, the candidates will be given explicit knowledge about the implementation and automation of the security controls, governance processes, compliance validation, and the display of the deployed monitoring, metrics, and locking systems on AWS. The certification maps neatly onto real-world practice: automating security controls is the heart of a mature secure software development lifecycle, the same shift you see when a lean team consolidates native and open-source tools into a correlated CNAPP or when a team bakes shift-left code security into GitLab CI/CD pipelines. This certification will help the candidate to build a robust developing code in at least one high-level programming language and, at the same time, will also ensure the candidates will get experience in the field of administering the operating systems.
Exam Details: The exam will be conducted in multiple-choice and multiple-answer type questions. The total duration of the examination will be 180 minutes, and the cost will be 300 USD. This exam is available in various languages, including English, Japanese, Korean and simplified Chinese. The candidates are required to visit the official site and schedule the exam according to their convenience.
2026 update — this certification is still very much worth it, with a couple of current details to note. The AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional remains one of the strongest DevOps credentials, but AWS has revised the exam since 2021 (exam code DOP-C02), so the domains now put more weight on modern practices like infrastructure as code, observability, and CI/CD automation with current AWS services. AWS also runs frequent promotional pricing and offers a 50% discount voucher after you pass another exam, so the effective cost can be lower than the listed $300. One prerequisite reality check: AWS recommends holding the Associate-level foundation and having real hands-on experience first — this is a genuinely advanced exam, not an entry point. Always confirm the current exam version and fee on the official AWS Certification page before booking.
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Azure DevOps Solution Certification Exam
Azure DevOps Solution Certification Exam is for those who have experience working with people, processes, and technologies daily for delivering business value. The responsibilities for the people holding the certification include designing, implementing, developing code structures, security, testing, delivery, etc. The prerequisite for certification is that the individual should know about Azure Administration and development and be at least an expert in one area.
Benefits: This certification ensures that the candidates face questions, which will help them tackle real-world scenarios. The certification serves as proof for being the experts in the respected field.
Exam Details: The exam costs 165 USD and is available in English, Japanese, simplified Chinese, and Korean. Visiting the official site will help us to schedule the exam based on convenience.
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Puppet Professional Certification
From the fact that there are over 35 000 organizations worldwide using Puppet, we can know the importance of this certification. Completing this certification will always help an individual to stay one step ahead of everyone.
Benefits: Completing the Puppet certification will always hold the right place in hiring employees. So if one has this certification, then there are more chances of getting a better job, with higher salaries.
Exam Details : The exam will be of 90 minutes and will cost $200. There are several versions of Puppet certification available. The latest being 5.5.0.
2026 update — “the latest being 5.5.0” is long out of date, and Puppet’s ownership and certification program have changed. Puppet is now under Perforce, and the product has moved many major versions beyond 5.5.0 (Puppet 7 and 8 era), so any exam tied to “5.5.0” no longer reflects current content. More importantly for your investment decision: the configuration-management landscape has shifted. Ansible (Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation) is now the more widely demanded config-management skill, and infrastructure work has moved heavily toward Terraform/OpenTofu (the HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate is one of the most valued DevOps certs in 2026). If you were choosing a certification for infrastructure automation today, Terraform Associate and Ansible would usually be higher-return choices than a Puppet credential — verify current Puppet exam options on Perforce’s site before committing.
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Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional or CISSP helps the candidates to gain knowledge about implementing, designing, and managing cybersecurity programs. Completion of this certification will make the candidate an expert in all aspects of cybersecurity.
Benefits: Cybersecurity is one of the main pillars of development in recent years. So having a certification in such a field will always advance the career.
Exam Details: The CISSP is a six-hour-long examination, including multiple-choice based questions and advanced innovative questions. The cost of this certification is $699.
2026 update — the CISSP is no longer a six-hour exam. Since April 15, 2024, ISC2 delivers the CISSP exclusively in Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) format in all languages. That cut the maximum time from six hours to three hours, with between 100 and 150 questions that adapt in difficulty based on your answers. The certification remains one of the most respected in security and still requires five years of cumulative paid experience across the CISSP domains (with a one-year waiver for a qualifying degree or credential); if you pass without the experience, you become an Associate of ISC2 while you accrue it. The credential also carries an Annual Maintenance Fee and CPE requirement to stay active — factor that ongoing cost in. Confirm the current exam fee on the ISC2 site, as it varies by region.
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Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)
The Offensive Security Certified Professional helps to get self-placed hacker certification. The certification uses the best techniques and penetrating tools to help the candidates get familiar with the best possible penetrating tests.
Benefits: After completing the certification, the candidates will get a better idea about real-life penetrating problems and find it easier to cope with real issues.
Exam Details: There are three packages for completing this certification: For 30 days of access, it is $999. For 60 days of access, it is $1199, and for 90 days, it is $1349.
2026 update — the OSCP is still OffSec’s flagship, but the pricing model and the exam have changed. OffSec largely moved away from the old fixed 30/60/90-day lab packages toward a subscription model (Learn One / Learn Unlimited) that bundles course access, lab time, and exam attempts, so the standalone dollar figures above are out of date — check OffSec’s current pricing directly. The exam itself was also updated: it now includes an Active Directory attack chain and a bonus-points structure, and OffSec introduced OSCP+, a version of the credential that expires after three years to reflect currency (the classic OSCP does not expire). The 24-hour hands-on practical exam plus documentation report remains the core, and it is still one of the most respected offensive-security certifications you can hold. If you are aiming for the OSCE³ track discussed later, OSCP is the right starting point.
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Offensive Security Certified Expert (OSCE)
Offensive Security Certified Expert or OSCE introduces the candidates to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations present in the various operating systems.
Benefits: After completing this certification, the candidate will be called an advanced penetration testing skills expert. There are self-taught hacking skills as well, which can be learned.
Exam Details: The exam has many packages, and a suitable one is to can be chosen. There are 170 questions to be solved, and the duration is 4 hours.
2026 update — the OSCE has been retired; you cannot earn it anymore. It was replaced by OSCE³. OffSec retired the “Cracking the Perimeter” (CTP) course on October 15, 2020, and with it the path to the OSCE. People who already hold the OSCE keep it, but new candidates now pursue OSCE³ (OSCE-cubed), which you earn by completing three separate advanced certifications: OSWE (Advanced Web Attacks and Exploitation), OSEP (Evasion Techniques and Breaching Defenses), and OSED (Windows User Mode Exploit Development). So the “170 questions / 4 hours” format above no longer applies — each of the three OSCE³ component exams is its own multi-hour, hands-on practical exam. If advanced offensive security is your goal in 2026, plan for the OSCE³ track (or start with the OSCP, which remains OffSec’s flagship entry point and is described above).
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Certified Security Compliance Specialist (CSCS)
The Certified Security Compliance Specialist or CSCS provides a 2-day instructor-led certification, validating the candidates’ knowledge and skillset in information security.
Benefits: The certifications ensure that all the candidates should be able to face real-life scenarios. There are situations when the candidates will be examined on their performance in handling cases like information security breaches etc.
Exam Details: The CSCS examination is conducted over two days. Day 1 is more examine the skill set, and day two will be based on multiple-choice based questions. There will be 60 questions to be solved in 60 minutes. The cost of the examination is $340.
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Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge
Certificate of Cloud Security and Knowledge requires a bit of prior knowledge in DevOps and cloud computing. Apart from this, the certification requires no other specific criteria. With every passing year, the importance of DevOps and Cloud seems to increase on a larger scale. In such an era of competition, completion of this certification will be an intelligent move. It is surely one of the most important DevOps and Cloud certifications.
Benefits: There are options for self-paced study, which were developed, keeping in mind that the grasping capacity of every individual stands to be different. Many resources available in this certification serve an excellent purpose for self-study as well. And there is no doubt that adding the completed certification will be a boon to the resume.
Exam Details: The exam consists of 60 multiple choice based questions, which must be solved in 90 minutes. The cost of the certification is $395.
2026 update — the CCSK is now on version 5, which is a significant refresh worth choosing over older material. The Cloud Security Alliance released CCSK v5 in July 2024, and it is the version you should study for today. It expanded well beyond the original body of knowledge to cover GenAI/AI security, Zero Trust, DevSecOps, and cloud telemetry and security analytics — all central to cloud security in 2026. The current exam is open-book and online, with a 120-minute time limit, and the bundle typically includes two exam attempts plus access to CSA’s study materials. Because it is vendor-neutral, the CCSK pairs well with a provider-specific security certification (AWS/Azure/GCP) to show both breadth and depth. Verify the current price and what the bundle includes on the CSA training site, since it is sold as several different course-plus-exam packages.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned top 10 best DevOps and Cloud Certifications are worth investing in 2022. According to your interests, you can enroll in the certifications.
2026 update — the year references in this post (both “2023” in the title and “2022” here) reflect when it was written; the guidance below on how to choose a certification is what still matters. Rather than anchoring to a specific year, use these durable criteria when deciding where to spend your time and money in 2026:
- Hands-on beats multiple-choice. Practical, lab-based exams (CKA, CKS, OSCP, OSCE³ components) carry more weight with employers than multiple-choice tests, because they prove you can actually do the work.
- Match the cert to where the market is going. In 2026 the highest-demand areas are Kubernetes and platform engineering, infrastructure-as-code (Terraform/OpenTofu), cloud security (CKS, AWS/Azure/GCP security specialties), and increasingly secure use of AI in the pipeline.
- Cloud-provider certs still anchor most DevOps roles. The AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud DevOps/architect certifications remain among the safest investments.
- Always confirm current cost, format, and validity period on the official page — every certification here has changed its fee or renewal terms since 2021. For the fully refreshed 2026 list, see the “Updated Version” link just below. No doubt, they will be worth your time and financial investment! You may also check some of our posts like how an individual can practice continuous DevOps. Here’s a free checklist for you so that you know you aren’t doing DevOps the wrong way!
Updated Version
This post was originally published in 2021. For the latest certifications, updated exam details, and modern credentials including Kubernetes Security, Terraform, Platform Engineering, and more, read our fully updated guide: DevOps and Cloud Certifications To Invest In 2026.
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