Important Certifications for DevOps Engineers: Career Guide
The hands-on Kubernetes exams (CKA, CKAD) carry the most credibility in DevOps interviews because they are practical. Cloud certifications help most when they match the employer's provider. Pair any exam with a public repository that deploys something real.
Below is a comparison of the credentials devops engineers most often consider, with prerequisites, exam formats and renewal rules, followed by live data showing how often current job descriptions actually mention each one. Exam formats, fees and renewal policies change, so confirm current details with the issuer before you pay.
Quick comparison
| Credential | Issuer | Level | Prerequisites | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional | Amazon Web Services | Professional | No formal prerequisite; AWS recommends two or more years operating AWS environments. | Valid for three years. |
| Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) | The Linux Foundation / CNCF | Professional | None. | Time-limited; check the current validity period. |
| HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate | HashiCorp | Associate | None; basic Terraform experience recommended. | Valid for two years. |
| Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400) | Microsoft | Expert | Requires Azure Administrator (AZ-104) or Azure Developer (AZ-204) first. | Renew annually with a free online assessment. |
| Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer | Google Cloud | Professional | None formally; three or more years of industry experience recommended. | Valid for two years. |
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
Best for: Experienced engineers at AWS-heavy companies or consultancies that bill for certified staff.
Exam format: Long, scenario-based multiple-choice exam.
Prerequisites: No formal prerequisite; AWS recommends two or more years operating AWS environments.
Keeping it current: Valid for three years.
Skip it if: You are early in your career; start with an associate-level AWS certification.
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
Best for: Anyone running Kubernetes in production; widely recognised because it cannot be passed by memorisation.
Exam format: Two-hour, hands-on exam in live clusters: installation, networking, storage, troubleshooting.
Prerequisites: None.
Keeping it current: Time-limited; check the current validity period.
Skip it if: Your employers use managed serverless platforms and little Kubernetes.
HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
Best for: Early-career engineers proving IaC fundamentals; inexpensive and quick.
Exam format: Online proctored multiple-choice exam.
Prerequisites: None; basic Terraform experience recommended.
Keeping it current: Valid for two years.
Skip it if: You can show substantial Terraform in public repositories.
Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
Best for: Engineers in Azure and Azure DevOps environments, common in enterprise and public sector.
Exam format: Proctored exam covering pipelines, source control, security and monitoring on Azure.
Prerequisites: Requires Azure Administrator (AZ-104) or Azure Developer (AZ-204) first.
Keeping it current: Renew annually with a free online assessment.
Skip it if: You work outside the Microsoft ecosystem.
Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer
Best for: Engineers at GCP-based companies; covers SLOs and error budgets in depth.
Exam format: Proctored multiple-choice exam with a strong SRE focus.
Prerequisites: None formally; three or more years of industry experience recommended.
Keeping it current: Valid for two years.
Skip it if: Your target market is AWS or Azure.
Which should you take first?
Sequence credentials by what you can realistically qualify for and what your target vacancies ask for. By level, a sensible order is: HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (associate), then AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (professional), then Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) (professional), then Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer (professional), then Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400) (expert). You rarely need all of them; one well-chosen credential plus strong evidence usually beats several overlapping ones.
JobsRemoteList inventory data
Which credentials DevOps engineer job ads actually mention
Figures below are calculated from every active DevOps, SRE and platform jobs listed on JobsRemoteList on 10 October 2026, after expired and closed vacancies were removed. They describe this catalogue, not the whole job market.
- Active listings
- 289
- of 16,061 in the catalogue
- Hiring companies
- 144
- Posted in the last 7 days
- 86
- median listing age 9 days
- Publish a salary
- 26%
- catalogue average 34%
- Open worldwide
- 4%
- 226 name specific countries
- • 26% of these listings publish a salary, below the 34% average across the whole catalogue.
- • Senior, lead and staff titles make up 57% here, more senior-heavy than the catalogue overall.
- • 30% were posted in the last 7 days (catalogue average: 35%), a sign of slower hiring in this segment.
Seniority in job titles
- Mid-level / not stated114 · 39%
- Senior92 · 32%
- Lead / staff / principal73 · 25%
- Head / director / VP7 · 2%
- Junior / entry level3 · 1%
Employment type
- Full-time288 · 100%
- Contract1 · 0%
Published pay (USD, annualised)
$160k – $240k
Median published range. The middle half of range midpoints falls between $173k and $222k.
Based on 69 employer-published USD ranges; estimates are excluded.
Companies hiring most
Countries named in eligibility
- United States134
- Germany34
- Netherlands26
- France25
- Canada21
- Spain20
Most requested skills and tools
Where these listings come from: Greenhouse (167), Ashby (80), Workday (4), Lever (3), plus company career pages. Every listing is re-checked at the employer's source at least every 30 days and removed once it is found closed or its published closing date passes.
Credentials named in current job descriptions
Share of the 100 most recent DevOps, SRE and platform jobs descriptions we hold that name each credential. A mention can be a requirement or a nice-to-have, so read the vacancy wording.
- Kubernetes (CKA / CKAD)6 · 6%
- AWS certification5 · 5%
- Google Cloud Professional2 · 2%
- Azure DevOps Expert (AZ-400)0 · 0%
- Terraform Associate0 · 0%
Newest DevOps engineer listings
- Senior Platform EngineerWayve · Remote
- Mid Azure DevOps EngineerCodeRoad · Latin America
- Principal Consultant - Financial Services Cloud ArchitectTELUS Digital · Remote
- Principal Consultant - Education Cloud ArchitectTELUS Digital · Remote
- Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (DevOps)Cloudflare · Hybrid
- IT Systems Engineer, Client Platform Engineer, macOSAnthropic · Boston, MA; Remote-Friendly (Travel-Required) | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA | New York City, NY; Washington, DC
Build evidence alongside the exam
Credentials open doors; evidence gets offers. Pair your studying with a project you can discuss in interviews:
- A fully automated deployment of a sample app: Terraform for infrastructure, CI pipeline, Kubernetes manifests or Helm, and monitoring.
- A chaos exercise on your lab: kill a node or database and document detection, recovery and fixes.
- A cost report and optimisation of your own cloud account with before-and-after spend.
- A reusable Terraform module published with documentation and tests.
A realistic study plan
- Week 1: download the official exam outline and take a diagnostic test to find weak areas.
- Weeks 2–5: study one domain at a time and apply each in a lab, exercise or work task.
- Week 6: take timed practice exams and review every wrong answer until you can explain the right one.
- Week 7: revise weak areas, then book the exam while the material is fresh.
Entry and associate exams often fit this schedule. Professional and expert credentials, and licensing exams, usually take months of preparation.
Ask your employer to pay
Many employers fund exams, courses and study time for devops engineers. Link the credential to your current work and a team goal, propose a timeline, and check whether you would have to repay the cost if you leave within a set period.
Red flags when choosing a provider
- Promises of guaranteed jobs or salaries.
- No clear link to the official issuer or exam outline.
- Course-completion certificates marketed as professional credentials.
- Pressure to buy expensive bundles before you have checked what employers ask for.
How to list certifications on your CV
Use the official credential name, the issuer and the date earned, plus the expiry date where one applies. Label anything in progress clearly ("expected June 2027"). In a DevOps engineer cover letter, mention a certification only when it directly supports the role; in interviews, be ready to explain how you have applied what you learned.
Related guides for devops engineers
- Resume examples for devops engineers
- Cover letter examples for devops engineers
- DevOps Engineer interview questions and answers
- How to become a DevOps engineer
- Remote DevOps engineer salary guide
- Current remote DevOps engineer jobs
Frequently asked questions
Which certification is most useful for devops engineers?
It depends on your target vacancies. The hands-on Kubernetes exams (CKA, CKAD) carry the most credibility in DevOps interviews because they are practical. The live data above shows which credentials current job descriptions mention most.
Can a certification replace experience?
Rarely. Employers treat certifications as supporting evidence; practical results, portfolios and references carry more weight in hiring decisions.
Do these certifications expire?
Some do and some do not. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional: valid for three years. Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA): time-limited; check the current validity period. HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate: valid for two years. Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400): renew annually with a free online assessment. Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer: valid for two years.