What certifications help DevOps Engineers grow their career?

Certifications play a key role in the career development of DevOps Engineers by validating skills, increasing job opportunities, and building credibility in an evolving and competitive field. Whether you're just starting your DevOps journey or looking to specialize in cloud platforms, automation, or container orchestration, obtaining the right certifications can help you stand out and advance within the industry. Here are the most valuable certifications for DevOps professionals looking to grow their careers.

1. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer ? Professional

Offered by Amazon Web Services, this certification is ideal for DevOps professionals working with AWS infrastructure.

• Focuses on CI/CD, infrastructure as code (IaC), monitoring, and security
• Covers tools like AWS CodePipeline, CloudFormation, and CloudWatch
• Highly respected for cloud-native DevOps practices

Best for mid to senior-level engineers already familiar with AWS services.

2. Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (Azure)

This certification targets DevOps Engineers working in Azure environments and focuses on collaboration, delivery, and automation.

• Requires prior certification as Azure Administrator or Azure Developer Associate
• Covers Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, infrastructure automation, and security
• Demonstrates ability to implement DevOps processes in enterprise cloud environments

Excellent for engineers in Microsoft-centric organizations.

3. Google Cloud Professional DevOps Engineer

Tailored for Google Cloud Platform users, this certification validates knowledge of site reliability engineering (SRE) principles and cloud operations.

• Focus on GCP services like Stackdriver, GKE, and Deployment Manager
• Includes monitoring, incident response, and continuous delivery practices
• Ideal for those managing GCP-based infrastructure

Recognized in organizations using Google’s cloud ecosystem.

4. HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate

Terraform is a leading infrastructure as code tool, and this certification verifies proficiency in provisioning and managing cloud resources using declarative configurations.

• Covers core Terraform concepts, state management, modules, and workspaces
• Platform-agnostic — supports AWS, Azure, GCP, and more
• Valuable for DevOps Engineers focused on automation and scalability

Ideal for those who want to master IaC as part of their DevOps stack.

5. Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)

For DevOps professionals working with containers and microservices, the CKA certification demonstrates strong understanding of Kubernetes architecture and operations.

• Focus on cluster management, pod orchestration, and troubleshooting
• Includes hands-on tasks using kubectl and YAML manifests
• Widely recognized in cloud-native and SRE roles

This certification is a must-have for container orchestration expertise.

6. Docker Certified Associate (DCA)

This certification proves your skills in using Docker to build, manage, and troubleshoot containerized applications.

• Cover topics such as Docker images, volumes, networks, and security
• Great foundation for working with Kubernetes or CI/CD workflows

Perfect for those starting with containers in a DevOps environment.

7. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation

Red Hat’s Ansible certification validates skills in using Ansible to automate systems, applications, and infrastructure tasks.

• Write and manage playbooks for configuration and deployment
• Integrate with Red Hat systems and cloud platforms

Beneficial for engineers who use Ansible for provisioning and configuration management.

Conclusion

DevOps certifications enhance credibility, expand knowledge, and open doors to advanced roles in cloud operations, infrastructure automation, and software delivery. Whether you're targeting AWS, Azure, GCP, or open-source tooling like Kubernetes and Terraform, the right certification can validate your expertise and accelerate your career. Combine certifications with real-world experience and a strong automation portfolio to become a well-rounded DevOps professional.