AWS

AWS — Vendor Overview

Parent: Amazon · Founded: 2006 · HQ: Seattle, WA · Public: AMZN

Amazon Web Services (AWS), launched in 2006, is the global leader in cloud infrastructure services. With approximately 30% of the global IaaS market share (Q2 2025), AWS generated ~$117 billion in annualized revenue in FY2025 and continues to dominate enterprise cloud adoption. AWS's certification program follows a pyramid model (Foundational → Associate → Professional → Specialty) designed to match role progression and organizational maturity in cloud adoption. The 2024–2025 restructure introduced new role-based certifications (AI Practitioner, Data Engineer Associate, Machine Learning Engineer Associate) and retired legacy specialty exams (Database, Data Analytics), consolidating around 12 active, stackable certifications across cloud generalists, developers, operations professionals, and specialists.

Certification Ladder (Active 2026)

Foundational

• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)
  Entry-level; no prerequisites. Covers AWS fundamentals, services overview, billing, and cloud concepts. 65 questions, 90 minutes. Passing score: 700/1000. Cost: $100 USD

• AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01)
  New (2024). Validates understanding of generative AI and machine learning concepts within AWS. 85 questions, 120 minutes. Passing score: 600/1000. Cost: $100 USD

Associate

• Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03)
  Recommended prerequisite: CLF-C02 or equivalent experience. Validates ability to design distributed systems on AWS. 130 questions, 130 minutes. Passing score: 720/1000. Cost: $150 USD

• Developer Associate (DVA-C02)
  Target: developers building applications on AWS. Covers SDKs, APIs, deployments. 130 questions, 130 minutes. Passing score: 720/1000. Cost: $150 USD

• CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03)
  Updated Sept 2025 (replaced SOA-C02). Validates operations, monitoring, deployment, and systems management skills. 130 questions, 130 minutes. Passing score: 720/1000. Cost: $150 USD

• Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01)
  New (2024). Covers AWS data pipeline tools (Glue, DMS, Kinesis). 130 questions, 130 minutes. Passing score: 720/1000. Cost: $150 USD

• Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C01)
  New (2024). Replaces MLS-C01 (retiring March 2026). Covers SageMaker and ML model workflows. 130 questions, 130 minutes. Passing score: 720/1000. Cost: $150 USD

Professional

• Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02)
  Prerequisite: SAA-C03 (strongly recommended). Advanced multi-tier, hybrid, and DR architecture. 180 questions, 180 minutes. Passing score: 750/1000. Cost: $300 USD

• DevOps Engineer Professional (DOP-C02)
  Prerequisite: SOA-C03 or DVA-C02 (recommended). Infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD pipelines, automation. 180 questions, 180 minutes. Passing score: 750/1000. Cost: $300 USD

Specialty (2026)

• Advanced Networking Specialty (ANS-C01)
  Validates AWS networking expertise (VPC, hybrid networks, DDoS mitigation). 65 questions, 170 minutes. Passing score: 720/1000. Cost: $300 USD

• Security Specialty (SCS-C02)
  Covers Identity & Access Management (IAM), encryption, compliance, incident response. 65 questions, 170 minutes. Passing score: 750/1000. Cost: $300 USD

Retiring / Retired

• Machine Learning Specialty (MLS-C01)
  Status: Retiring March 31, 2026. Holders retain active certification for 3 years from award date. Being replaced by MLA-C01 (Associate level, broader ML scope).

• Database Specialty (DBS-C01)
  Status: Retired April 30, 2024. No direct successor; skills absorbed into specialized Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01).

• Data Analytics Specialty (DAS-C01)
  Status: Retired April 30, 2024. No direct successor; AWS recommends Data Engineer Associate.

• SAP on AWS Specialty (PAS-C01)
  Status: Retired April 30, 2024. Skills incorporated into Solutions Architect Professional and specialized courses.

• Alexa Skill Builder Specialty (AXS-C01)
  Status: Retired March 2021.

Renewal & Recertification

Validity: 3 years from award date.

Renewal methods (choose one):

1. Pass the same exam within 3 years.
2. Pass any higher-level certification (e.g., passing SAP-C02 renews SAA-C03; passing DOP-C02 renews SOA-C03).
3. Re-take any exam to reset the 3-year timer.

AWS Certification maintains an online credential profile and verification badge (AWS Badge/Credly integration).

Free & Paid Training

Official AWS Training

• AWS Skill Builder — Primary training platform. Free tier includes AWS Cloud Quest gamified labs; premium subscription ($39/month) includes Exam Prep Enhanced courses, hands-on labs, digital courses.
• AWS Cloud Quest — Gamified role-playing labs. Free with AWS Skill Builder free tier.
• AWS Workshops — Self-paced, hands-on labs. Free.
• AWS YouTube Channel — Official video content, tutorials, re:Invent recordings. Free.
• AWS Builder ID — Free AWS account tier with personalized ramp-up guides, hands-on labs, and certification prep resources.

AWS Certification-Specific Resources

• Exam Guides (detailed blueprints) on AWS Certification.
• Practice Exams on AWS Skill Builder ($40–80 per exam).
• Official whitepapers (e.g., "Architecting for the AWS Cloud," "Well-Architected Framework").

Exam Pricing & Discounts

Discount Opportunities:

• 50% off voucher awarded upon passing any AWS certification. Valid for 1 year toward the next exam.
• Free AWS Skill Builder Standard tier for all users; 7-day free trial of Premium subscription ($39/month).
• Academic discounts for students (via AWS Educate).
• Exam retake policy: Failed exams can be retaken 14 days after failure (first two attempts free; subsequent retakes $50–300 USD depending on exam level).

Notable 2025–2026 Changes

References

• AWS Certification official documentation: AWS Certification
• AWS Certification Exam Guides: Exam Guides
• AWS Certification Retirements and Launches: Training and Certification Blog
• AWS Market Position (2025): AWS Statistics 2026, Cloud Market Share Analysis
• AWS Exam Pricing 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown
• AWS Company Info: About AWS

Last verified: 2026-05-01 · Parent ecosystem: AWS Ecosystem Deep Dive