Monday, June 7, 2021

Top AWS Certification for Developers | By Simplilearn | My 20 minutes study

June 7, 2021

I like to challenge myself to learn more about AWS and cloud solution provide by Microsoft as well. I like to read basics and then think about how to make good plans. 

Top AWS Certification for Developers

By SimplilearnLast updated on Jun 1, 2021


Amazon Web Services (AWS) training and certification help candidates to validate and build their cloud skills. Allowing them to contribute to the transformation of businesses who are overwhelmingly migrating to cloud computing For those that want a career path in AWS, there are many questions about the AWS certification for developers, including how many certifications there are, what is the cost of AWS exam and training, how long it takes to be certified, what kind of jobs are available, etc.

To help you navigate the options AWS affords the information enclosed in this article with aid you in understanding the general principles of AWS, what certifications are available, and the best path for most aspiring AWS developers.

AWS certification is officially divided into four categories, with each category having a specific area of expertise. There are 10 different AWS certifications (as of writing this article) as shown below.

AWS Certification

  • AWS FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL CERTIFICATION

    Includes one:

    AWS Cloud Practitioner - Foundational

    Scope: A basic understanding of AWS and the services it offers.
    Prerequisites: None
  • AWS ASSOCIATE LEVEL CERTIFICATIONS

    Includes three:
  1. AWS Solutions Architect – Associate
  2. AWS SysOps Administrator – Associate
  3. AWS Certified Developer – Associate
  • AWS PROFESSIONAL LEVEL CERTIFICATIONS

    Includes two:
  1. AWS Solutions Architect - Professional
  2. AWS DevOps Engineer - Professional

    Scope: A more detailed understanding of each of the different facets of AWS
  • AWS SPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS

        Includes four:

  1. Advanced Networking - Specialty
  2. Security - Specialty
  3. Big Data - Specialty
  4. Machine Learning - Specialty

Scope: A detailed understanding of one specific area of expertise in AWS

From foundational to the professional level, all of these certifications offered by AWS are role-based and are designed specifically for developers, solutions architect, and system operations administrators.

Importance of AWS Certification

If you were to ask about the status of AWS certification back when it was launched in 2013, most people would give you a conservative forecast about its popularity in 2019. In just six years, AWS certifications have garnered significant support and demand. The support and demand are indicated by the high number of testing centers around the globe, as well as the multiple languages that offer an AWS course.

Today, the growth and support are predicted to continue for the foreseeable future as more and more enterprise and SMBs (small and medium businesses) continue to adopt cloud computing and the public cloud as a core part of their technology stack. In fact, most professionals and organizations alike see AWS as a thought leader and a point of reference in the cloud computing space because they are the most mature and reliable provider.  

Further evidence of the importance of AWS is what employers are willing to pay AWS professionals. In short, within a relatively short time, AWS certifications have managed to command top salaries when compared to other IT skills.

According to the 2018 IT salary skills report, conducted by Global Knowledge, the highest average IT salaries globally, are as follows:

  1. Business Architecture (e.g., TOGAF) Av. Salary $87,863
  2. Governance (e.g., COBIT, CGEIT) Av. Salary $84,420
  3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Av. Salary $84,108
  4. Knowledge Management (e.g. KCSF, KCSP) Av. Salary $82,823
  5. Security and Privacy (e.g., CEH, CISA, CIPM, CISSP) Av. Salary $82,652

If you are interested in obtaining an AWS certification, below is some useful information that will help you understand the different paths you can follow.

AWS Developer

AWS developer certification ensures that candidates can create and maintain applications running on AWS.

  • AWS Certified Developer- Associate
  • AWS Certified DevOps Engineer-Professional

AWS Solutions Architect

AWS Solutions Architect certification ensures that candidates can design distributed applications and systems on AWS.

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

AWS SysOps Administrator

AWS SysOps Administrator certifications ensure that candidates can provide, operate, and manage distributed application systems on AWS.

  • AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
  • AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional

Specialty Certifications

AWS specialty certifications ensure that candidates have unique skill and expertise in specific IT areas while working in AWS.

  • AWS Certified Big Data - Specialty
  • AWS Certified Security - Specialty
  • AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty
  • AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty
Below is detailed information for those that are inclined to pursue AWS certification for developers.

AWS Certification for Developers

Let us discuss what certifications are ideal for developers and details regarding them.  

AWS Certified Developer – Associate

The AWS Developer Associate certification is meant for software developers with at least one year of experience in the design and maintenance of applications on the AWS platform. Candidates must have an in-depth working knowledge of one or more high-level programming languages.

What Are the Important Areas Covered in the Certification?

  • Writing code that interacts with AWS services by using APIs, SDKs & AWS CLI.
  • Write code for serverless applications
  • Choosing the right AWS services for migrating an existing application or optimizing application by using AWS services & features.
  • Code-level application security (including encryption, IAM roles, credentials, etc.)
  • Deploy code/application using CI/CD services

Prerequisites

The skills and knowledge required before undertaking this certification include:

  • 1+ years of hands-on experience in the development and maintenance of AWS-based applications
  • Comprehensive knowledge of more than one high-level programming language
  • An understanding of foundational AWS including, use and best practices
  • Proficiency in development and deployment of AWS cloud-based solutions
  • Practical experience and knowledge in developing and maintaining applications programmed for Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Simple Queue Service, Amazon Simple Storage Service, Amazon Simple Notification Service, AWS CloudFormation and AWS Elastic Beanstalk
  • Hands-on coding experience with AWS APIs
  • Understand AWS deployment tools and automation
  • Understand of storage options and consistency models
  • In-depth knowledge of one or more AWS SDKs

General IT Knowledge

  • Understand stateless and loosely coupled distributed applications
  • Basic understanding of RESTful API interfaces
  • Basic understanding of databases (relational and non-relational)
  • Basic knowledge of messaging and queuing services
  • Knowledge of RESTful Web Services, XML, and JSON
  • Basic knowledge of the software development lifecycle
  • Practical experience with application security (including X.509 certificates, public key encryption, access credentials, and SSH)

Key features

  • $299
  • 28 hrs. of instructor-led training
  • Three simulation exams and 16 live demos of AWS services
  • Three hands-on practice projects using AWS console
  • Practice assignment after every lesson

Exam Fee and Recertification

  • Exam Registration Fee: $150
  • Recertification is required every two years (email notification is sent to the candidate 6 months before the expiry of the certification credential)
  • Recertification is done either by taking another exam  or by passing a professional-level exam (AWS Solutions Architect – Professional/AWS DevOps Engineer - Professional)

Exam Duration and Structure

  • 80 min.
  • Multiple-choice questions

Actionable Items


  1. Learn from AWS online tech talks, and watch as many talks as possible. I also need to read more articles and learn by myself. 
  2. Stay confident and learn from best engineers in the world through those talks. 
  3. Enjoy learning first and then I will figure out how to apply those knowledges in the future development. 

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