Which path you should choose?
Client-Side (Infrastructure, Operations, Management) Developer-Side (Application Development, Programming)
Certifications Certifications
These certifications are typically for individuals who work on the These certifications are more focused on individuals who develop
management, operation, architecture, and security of AWS cloud applications and write code to create, deploy, and optimize cloud-based
infrastructure, ensuring services run efficiently and securely. software systems.
1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner 1. AWS Certified Developer – Associate
Role Focus: General cloud knowledge (Beginner Level) Role Focus: Cloud Developer
Key Skills: Basic understanding of AWS services and cloud Key Skills: Developing applications on AWS, using SDKs, deploying
concepts. serverless applications (e.g., Lambda), and managing APIs.
Category: Client-side (General Cloud Knowledge) Category: Developer-side (Cloud Developer)
2. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate 2. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
Role Focus: Cloud Architect Role Focus: DevOps Engineer / Developer
Key Skills: Designing scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant Key Skills: CI/CD pipeline design, automating infrastructure using
systems; selecting AWS services for use cases. tools like CloudFormation, CodePipeline, and Lambda, plus monitoring
Category: Client-side (Cloud Architect) and security automation.
Category: Developer-side (Cloud Developer / DevOps)
3. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
3. AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder – Specialty
Role Focus: Senior Cloud Architect
Key Skills: Designing complex architectures, migration strategies, Role Focus: Voice Application Developer
high-availability systems, and cost optimization. Key Skills: Designing, developing, and deploying voice-based
Category: Client-side (Cloud Architect) applications (Alexa Skills).
Category: Developer-side (Voice AI/Skill Development)
4. AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate
Which path you should choose?
Role Focus: Cloud Administrator / Operations
Key Skills: Managing, monitoring, and deploying AWS
infrastructure; performance tuning and cost optimization.
Category: Client-side (Cloud Administrator)
5. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
Role Focus: Cloud Administrator / DevOps Engineer
Key Skills: Implementing CI/CD pipelines, automation, monitoring,
and managing infrastructure.
Category: Client-side (Cloud Administrator / Operations)
6. AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty
Role Focus: Network Architect / Cloud Networking
Key Skills: Designing and managing hybrid IT network
architectures, multi-region networks, VPC setup, and networking
security.
Category: Client-side (Cloud Networking Specialist)
7. AWS Certified Security – Specialty
Role Focus: Cloud Security Specialist
Key Skills: Implementing security best practices, access control,
encryption, incident response, and compliance.
Category: Client-side (Cloud Security)
8. AWS Certified Big Data – Specialty
Role Focus: Data Architect / Data Engineer
Key Skills: Designing and implementing big data solutions, using
AWS services like Redshift, Kinesis, and EMR.
Which path you should choose?
Category: Client-side (Cloud Data Specialist)
9. AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
Role Focus: Machine Learning Specialist / Data Scientist
Key Skills: Designing ML models, managing their lifecycle,
implementing algorithms, and using AWS ML services like
SageMaker.
Category: Client-side (Cloud AI/ML Specialist)
For Admin Side: If you're interested in managing For Developer Side: If you're more focused on developing
infrastructure, resources, security, and operations, go for cloud applications and using serverless or containerized
certifications like AWS Certified SysOps Administrator or solutions, certifications like AWS Certified Developer –
Azure Administrator Associate. Associate or Google Cloud Professional Cloud Developer would
be ideal.
1. AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate 1. AWS Certified Developer – Associate
Target Audience: Cloud administrators who manage and operate Target Audience: Developers building applications on AWS.
AWS environments. Key Skills Tested:
Key Skills Tested: o AWS SDKs, Lambda functions, and serverless applications.
o Deployment, management, and operational aspects of o Application deployment using AWS Elastic Beanstalk.
AWS systems. o Troubleshooting and debugging applications in AWS.
o Automation and monitoring of cloud infrastructure. o AWS security best practices and cloud-native application
o Security and identity management. architecture.
o Cost and performance optimization. Exam Details:
Which path you should choose?
Exam Details: o Duration: 130 minutes
o Duration: 130 minutes o Cost: $150 USD
o Cost: $150 USD o Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of programming and AWS, but
o Prerequisites: None, but familiarity with AWS architecture no specific prerequisites.
and experience with systems administration is o Study Resources: AWS Developer Tools documentation,
recommended. online courses like A Cloud Guru, and exam readiness courses.
o Study Resources: AWS whitepapers, online courses like A
Cloud Guru, and the official AWS exam guide. 2. Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
2. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate Target Audience: Developers building applications on Azure.
Key Skills Tested:
Target Audience: Administrators managing Azure services, o Developing Azure compute solutions (Azure Functions, Web
including computing, networking, storage, and security. Apps, etc.).
Key Skills Tested: o Managing and implementing Azure storage solutions.
o Implementing and managing storage solutions. o Implementing security, authentication, and authorization.
o Managing Azure compute resources (VMs, Web Apps, o Monitoring and debugging Azure applications.
etc.). Exam Details:
o Configuring and managing virtual networks. o Duration: 120 minutes
o Monitoring and optimizing Azure environments. o Cost: $165 USD
Exam Details: o Prerequisites: Some programming knowledge and familiarity
o Duration: 120 minutes with Azure are recommended.
o Cost: $165 USD o Study Resources: Microsoft Learn, Pluralsight, and practice
o Prerequisites: None, but familiarity with Azure is tests.
recommended.
o Study Resources: Microsoft Learn platform, Pluralsight, 3. Google Cloud Professional Cloud Developer
and practice exams.
Target Audience: Developers building scalable, secure cloud
3. Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer applications on Google Cloud.
Key Skills Tested:
Target Audience: IT professionals focused on networking and o Designing and building cloud-native applications.
security within Google Cloud environments. o Deploying, managing, and scaling applications on Google
Key Skills Tested: Cloud.
o Implementing network architectures. o Cloud database management, security, and debugging.
Which path you should choose?
o Configuring VPCs, load balancing, and security. o Integrating APIs and implementing CI/CD pipelines.
o Monitoring and managing network operations. Exam Details:
o Implementing hybrid and multi-cloud network o Duration: 2 hours
architectures. o Cost: $200 USD
Exam Details: o Prerequisites: Experience with Google Cloud and software
o Duration: 2 hours development practices is recommended.
o Cost: $200 USD o Study Resources: Google Cloud documentation, Qwiklabs,
o Prerequisites: Recommended to have hands-on Coursera, and study guides.
experience with Google Cloud and networking concepts.
o Study Resources: Google Cloud training, Coursera, and 4. Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
Qwiklabs.
Target Audience: Developers who work with containerized
4. Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) applications in Kubernetes environments.
Key Skills Tested:
Target Audience: Professionals managing Kubernetes clusters and o Designing and building containerized applications using
orchestrating containerized applications. Kubernetes.
Key Skills Tested: o Deploying, monitoring, and debugging Kubernetes
o Kubernetes architecture and deployment. applications.
o Cluster setup, management, and troubleshooting. o Networking and persistent storage management in
o Networking and storage within Kubernetes. Kubernetes.
o Security and monitoring of Kubernetes environments. o Implementing application health checks and scaling.
Exam Details: Exam Details:
o Duration: 3 hours o Duration: 2 hours
o Cost: $395 USD (includes a retake voucher) o Cost: $395 USD (includes a retake voucher)
o Prerequisites: Experience with Kubernetes in a production o Prerequisites: Practical experience with Kubernetes is highly
environment is highly recommended. recommended.
o Study Resources: Linux Academy, Kubernetes o Study Resources: Kubernetes documentation, Udemy
documentation, and CKA study guides. courses, and CKAD study materials.
5. CompTIA Cloud+ 5. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Developer
Target Audience: IT professionals with cloud computing Target Audience: Developers building applications and services on
experience, covering various cloud providers and technologies. Oracle Cloud.
Which path you should choose?
Key Skills Tested: Key Skills Tested:
o Cloud architecture and service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS). o Working with Oracle Cloud SDK, REST APIs, and OCI services.
o Virtualization and networking fundamentals. o Building, deploying, and scaling applications.
o Security and compliance within cloud environments. o Using containers and microservices for cloud-native
o Disaster recovery and business continuity in the cloud. development.
Exam Details: o Implementing automation and DevOps pipelines.
o Duration: 90 minutes Exam Details:
o Cost: $338 USD o Duration: 90 minutes
o Prerequisites: CompTIA Network+ or equivalent o Cost: $245 USD
experience recommended. o Prerequisites: Familiarity with Oracle Cloud and application
o Study Resources: CompTIA study guides, video tutorials, development.
and practice exams. o Study Resources: Oracle University, hands-on labs, and Oracle
Cloud documentation.
o .
