How To Become An AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional?

Becoming an AWS certified DevOps engineer professional is not easy. Candidates often have to spend a long time preparing both intellectually and mentally. Having hands-on experience in this area means you’ll have an advantage in minimizing your review and practice time. However, having more experience doesn’t mean you don’t need to study to pass the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer exam. As you may know, taking the test requires candidates to possess maximum patience and concentration during the test. So even if you already have a certain amount of experience as well as related knowledge, you can still fail the exam if you don’t concentrate and read the mentioned question.

Many people who have passed the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer exam often have study guides optimized specifically for them. These are effective strategies that can be applied not only during the study period but also when you take the test. However, in general, these study guides will have the sections covered shortly.

This is a no-nonsense and completely free study guide created for the purpose of Engineer candidates in the preparation process before taking the Certified DevOps Professional exam. We will try to keep it as short as possible and on point to optimize your time and make you focus on the most effective and suitable covered services. Now, let’s get started with us!

General information about the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam 

The AWS will provide test takers with the general content outline in their AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam guide. To be more specific:

• The exam includes 75 multiple-choice questions.
• Candidates are required to complete the exam within exactly 180 minutes. However, it is possible for you to optimize the test time if you apply the below tips.
• The AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional certification cost for taking each test is $300.
• The minimum passing score of this test is exactly 750 points.
• Several available languages in this test are English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese.

There have been several changes to the new version of the AWS Certification exam. 

Read more: AWS What’s New: How do the AWS Certification Exams change?

Domain 1: SDLC Automation

AWS CodeBuild

• A completely administrated build service: Build your application from sources like AWS CodeCommit, S3, Bitbucket, and GitHub 
• CodeBuild: It is possible to investigate locally with an AWS CodeBuild operator
• To design-construct steps, you make a buildspec.yml within the source code created from your personal repository. 

This is exactly the display of an AWS CodeBuild buildspec.yml: 

AWS CodeDeploy

• Optimize the downtime due to an effective deployment strategy
• Centralized control focus on AWS CodeDeploy
• Iteratively release innovative AWS features
• Typical kinds of deployments are: Blue-green, In-place, and Rollingdeployments
• Typical types of deployment configurations are: HalfAtATime, AllAtOnce, and finally, OneAtATime
• Capability for installing CodeDeploy agents from the EC2 instances and related services for the purpose of doing deploys
• To absolutely specify what commands are effective for you to run for each stage of the deployment, it is recommended for you to utilize an AppSpec configuration.

This is exactly the display of an AWS CodeDeploy appspec.yml: 

AWS CodePipeline

AWS CodePipeline is considered an effective and standardized arrangement that includes consistency starting from source code to build/test and after that to convey in one flow. This solution also gives you the capacity to include a manual endorsement step.

• Source of deployment: GitHub, S3, and the CodeCommit
• Build and test code: Debugging with a Jenkins, CodeBuild, or TeamCity
• Deploying application: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, AWS CodeDeploy, AWS OpsWorks, or AWS Elastic beanstalk 
• Invoking method: Utilize a customized function for invoking
• Approval method: Utilizing SNS for the process of manual approval

Deployment strategies

For administrations services such as  AWS Beanstalk, AWS CodeDeploy, and AWS OpsWorks, it is possible for you to apply a few sending methodologies. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The deceive sheet underneath appears the sorts of arrangements and appears how great they rank on these columns: affect, send time, zero downtime, rollback prepare, and convey target.

Domain 2: Code-based configuration management and infrastructure 

For the next domain: Configuration Management and Infrastructure as Code, it’s necessary for you to  deeply understand the following  items for preparing for the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer exam:

• Understand the basic functions of AWS CloudFormation
• Understand the exact period of time and method to utilize AWS Elastic Beanstalk, AWS CloudFormation, and AWS OpsWorks
• Understand the method used for delivering Docker container images into Amazon ECS by utilizing types of CI or CD pipelines.
• During the process of routing “parts of users” to different applications, remember to choose the Route53 as your way
• In case there are any questions associated with compliance or configuration administration of AWS services andresources, the answer is most the same as AWS Configuration.

AWS CloudFormation

• Here are several features of AWS CloudFormation:

1. Code-created Infrastructure and templates are in  the format of Yaml or JSON
2. Version control, replicate, or simply the update templates such as the AWS CloudFormation code
3. Integrated with different types of CI as well as other related CDs tools
4. Automatically run the testing of different types of CI as well as other related CD environments

• Several sorts of CloudFormation stack updates:

1. Updates without any interference: No disturbance in operation and without changing the physical name 
2. Updates with just a few intrusions: A few disturbances without directly altering the physical name of objectives
3. Replacement process: Asset is reproduced and a modern physical ID is created

• Below are AWS Cloudformation helper scripts:

1. cfn-init: Executes cfn metadata one time, typically in the data of clients
2. cfn-hup: Administrating cfn metadata and applying these alternations during the process of discovering
3. cfn-signal: Provides users with completion signal of a WaitCondition or/and CreationPolicy
4. cfn-get-metadata: See all the metadata that has been stored within a CloudFormation stack

• Several attributes of AWS CloudFormation templates:

1. CreationPolicy Trait: Characterize a specific period of time amid which AWS CloudFormation will hold up for a flag sometime recently stamping the particular asset as Make Completed. Valuable after you need the asset to wrap up it’s arranging some time recently continuing to send another asset e.g. program establishment on an EC2 instance. 
2. DeletionPolicy Quality: Protect a reinforcement of an asset when its stack is erased, you’ll indicate the choices hold or depiction. By default, there’s no DeletionPolicy enabled. 
3. DependsOn Trait: Make an express reliance that requires an indicated asset to be made sometime recently another can begin. Metadata Trait: Relate organized information with a resource. UpdatePolicy Quality: Characterize how CloudFormation overhauls the AWS::AutoScaling::AutoScalingGroup asset.

AWS OpsWorks service

• Application infrastructure and building administration
• Adaptability to alter the arrangement as well as the configuration of the infrastructure during periods of time.
• There are several typical types of OpsWorks offerings:

1. AWS OpsWorks used for Chef automate
2. AWS OpsWorks sued for Puppet Enterprise
3. AWS OpsWorks used Stacks

Domain 3: Monitoring and logging

Processing things

When moving on to this domain, it’s imperative to know these things for the process of preparing for your AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam: 

• Determine how to set up the conglomeration, capacity, and examination of logs and metrics 
• Apply suitable concepts required for the purpose of robotizing checking and occasion administration of an environment 
• Apply suitable concepts required for the purpose of reviewing, logging, and screening working frameworks, foundations, and applications 
• Determine the suitable method for executing labeling to classify assets and get way better bits of knowledge into the costs 
• Know the distinctive logging choices and consider which is the most cost-effective mainly based on necessities

Amazon CloudWatch

• Important CloudWatch metrics:

Measurements are kept for approximately 15 months, the more seasoned the information the less granular they ended up. After 2 weeks (5 min interim), after months it’ll be hourly interim, etc.

1. Know these ELB metrics: 
2. SurgeQueueLength: Backend systems can not keep up with the ELB suggests
3. SpillOverCount: In case the above thing happens, the requests can decrease, hence the SpillOverCount.

• Know these EC2 metrics:

1. StatusCheckFailed: Reports if the occasion has passed both the occurrence status check and the framework status check at the final miniature.
2. CPUCreditUsage: The total number of CPU credits went through by the occasion for CPU utilization. 1 CPU credit breaks even with 1 vCPU running at exactly 100% utilization for 1 diminutive or a proportionate combination of vCPUs, utilization, and time (for illustration, one vCPU running at exactly 50% utilization for about 2 minutes or two vCPUs running at exactly 25% utilization for about 2minutes).
3. CPUCreditBalance: The total number comes from earned CPU credits that an occurrence has gathered since the period of time it was propelled or begun. For the T2 Standard, the CPUCreditBalance can also incorporate the sum of dispatch credits that have been carefully collected before.

• Understand these HTTP status code metrics:

1. HTTPCode_Backend_5xx: Occurrences or databases may be at capacity, check their measurements to verify 
2. HTTPCode_ELB_4xx: Check the occasion logs, associations are timing out 

• Check inactivity metrics

In case idleness increments amid stack testing your application might not scale on a level plane. For example, nog auto-scaling or DB is a bottleneck, or calls to outside administrations are moderate.

AWS CloudWatch Logs

• Monitoring with Amazon Kinesis:

1. Collect prepare and analyze real-time spilling information (for speedy occurrence response) 
2. Logs are ingested through Kinesis information streams or Firehose Analysis is done with Kinesis Information Analytics 
3. Utilize Kinesis Firehose in the event that you wish a completely overseen benefit to exchange information to S3, Redshift, and Elasticsearch of Splunk. 
4. Utilize Kinesis information streams in case real-time logs are required. Be that as it may, it required more exertion to manage and set up. 
5. A great utilize case to execute Kinesis Firehose in case you centralize CloudWatch log occasions and move the information to S3 for longer maintenance and capacity.

• AWS CloudTrail

1. Track client action and API usage 
2. Log, persistently screen, and hold account action related to activities

• AWS CloudTrail’s most effective ​practices:

1. Empower in CloudTrail all regions 
2. Enable log record validation 
3. Encrypt logs Integrate with CloudWatch logs 
4. Centralize logs from all accounts 
5. Create extra trails as needed 
6. Understand how to empower log integrity
7. When you see an address almost reviewing client activities in AWS or detailing any API calls, the reply can include AWS CloudTrail.

Domain 4: Standards automation and related policies 

AWS Systems manager

Oversees frameworks within the Cloud and on-premises, great utilize case for fix management. When you tag fix bunches do not disregard that the labels are case sensitive and you’ll be able to partition fix bunches based on labels.

AWS Trusted advisor

Remember to keep cost optimization in intellect when replying to the AWS exam questions. Utilize labeling for cost administration. You would like to have a bolster arranged to be able to utilize AWS Trusted Advisor.

AWS Personal health dashboard

The AWS Personal Health Dashboard manages and handles issues in several typical bunches: open issues, plan changes, and other notices. Imperative to know here is that you can get EC2 occurrence retirement as well as several maintenance messages.

Data protection

Security is imperative, indeed in case of questions that do not center on security, attempt to target the reply with the foremost security. Here are a few highlights of AWS administrations that back encryption: 

• S3 side encryption 
• EBS side or encryption 
• Glacier by default encrypted 
• EFS bolsters just KMS encryption

AWS Config

• Track asset arrangement changes 
• Sends notices or naturally remediates when changes occur 
• Enables compliance checking and security analysis 
• When you see an address almost examine or check the state of assets. There’s a colossal opportunity that the reply includes AWS Config.

AWS Service catalog

• Make and oversee catalogs of favoring IT services 
• Limit connection to fundamental AWS services 
• Helps with steady administration and compliance requests
• Enable turn-key self-service arrangements for various clients

Domain 5: Incident and event response

When moving on to this domain, you ought to know how to troubleshoot issues and know how to reestablish operations. It’s absolutely critical to know exactly how to computerize mending and be able to set up event-driven robotized activities counting alerting.

Logging methods

• Utilize the CloudWatch logs operator for EC2/ECs to thrust logs to CloudWatch Logs 
• Focus on logging in a partitioned account, let’s utilize Kinesis firehose to move numerous streams of logging to S3 for instance. 
• Log as much as you’ll be able indeed in case you do not instantly utilize it 
• Keep logs as long as you’ll be able and utilize them for a long-lasting analysis

Auto-scaling and Configuration administration

• Make beyond any doubt you know how lifecycle snares work when scaling in and out. 
• Instances can be put in a hold-up state in a lifecycle snare operation. The largest sum of time to put an occurrence in a hold-up state is 2 days (default is 1 hour).
• Utilize a CreationPolicy property to EC2 occurrences in an auto-scaling gather to design or bootstrap it. At that point, make beyond any doubt to utilize the CFN-signal aide script to flag when an occasion creation handle has been completed effectively.

Domain 6: Disaster recovery

Backup and reestablish

Typically the most cost-saving strategy but takes a long time to reestablish from calamity recovery. 

Warm standby

A scaled-down version of your foundation is replicated within the fiasco recuperation locale. You merely ought to scale up the assets and overhaul the space to point to the catastrophe recuperation locale. This can be effective in case you wish RPO and RTO inside several minutes. 

Hot standby

The same as the warm standby but that the calamity recuperation framework is reproduced one-on-one with the first environment. This can be considered the foremost costly catastrophe recuperation strategy, but it minimizes your RPO and RTO to seconds rather than minutes.

Where to take the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional study material?

On the web, you’ll discover a part of the pondering fabric for the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam. It can be truly overpowering on the off chance that you wish to hunt for extraordinary quality fabric. Fortunate for you, I’ve gone through a few times curating the accessible ponder fabric and highlighting the stuff worth perusing.

AWS Practice Test which is distributed by ABC E-learning is presently reputable as one of the successful website/browser stages for AWS candidates to hone for their learning and planning preparation. All the tests with various practical questions and nitty-gritty answers are considered and carefully collected by numerous specialists with years of encounter within the cloud service industry. This web/browser can provide you with the most effective AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam so that it can optimize your trying process and improve your results.

Now, it’s time for you to try the Free AWS Certification Practice Exam 2021 so that you can prepare carefully for your AWS Certification exam!

In addition, an effective study guide also contributes to the success of your exam. 

Find more: AWS Study Guide

FAQ about AWS DevOps Engineer Professional exam 

Are there any Notes on Technical Preparation needed?

In this study guide, we have bundled up our notes which you’ll utilize when you’re planning for your upcoming AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam. Earlier to this Blogpost, we have moreover discharged a direct for the AWS Cloud Professional exam specialized arrangement notes. This includes the foundational data which can make a difference for this exam, therefore, we profoundly suggest perusing these notes from there as well.

When moving on to the planning, we have composed specialized notes which highlight all the imperative points of interest that are worth recollecting for the exam. We have categorized it into the space areas as it’s shown within the substance diagram. This can make your learning process become easier because in case you are doing a practical exam from AWS, they will after that share the outcomes of how you scored on each space. At that point, you’ll be able to see which spaces require more consideration when examining for the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam.

Is the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional exam hard to pass?

In case you do not have a part of commonsense involvement, the reply is yes. You’ll get to learn the foundations of the DevOps way of working. This means you would like to know how to mechanize, configure and deploy workloads. In the event that you’re comfortable with these concepts, it’s basic to spend time learning the AWS administrations that you simply do not utilize that regularly. That was generally AWS Beanstalk as well as AWS OpsWorks.

How long is the preparation process for the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional exam?

It depends mainly on the ability, characteristics, and demands of each person. In the event that you’re less experienced, it can take at least a handful of weeks to urge comfortable with each service and I would recommend you to test them out.

Learn more: The Most Up-to-date FAQs About AWS Certification Exam

Do you find the information above about AWS certified DevOps engineer professional useful? We hope that your information can help you in your preparation process for this exam.

After obtaining the AWS Certification, you might need to prepare for the interview to get an ideal job. Let’s take a look at The Most Frequently Asked AWS Interview Questions.