All About the Docker Certified Associate (DCA) Certification

Right now, Docker skills are highly sought after, and getting a docker certification is a great way to validate your skills and experience with Docker. Docker currently offer the Docker Certified Associate certification, otherwise known as the Docker DCA, which is a multiple choice exam designed to test your real world docker skills.

I’ve put this post together to help prepare for the docker certification exam by sharing some useful content, from this site and from elsewhere.

The docker certification exam has 55 multiple choice questions designed to test your knowledge of Docker’s products, including Docker Engine, Swarm, Docker Trusted Registry, and Universal Control Plane. For me, it offers a structured way to learn about container technology, and whilst you may be more into Kubernetes than Docker Swarm – it will certainly help expand and reinforce your knowledge of containers. The Docker DCA certification is valid for 2 years.

exam details
The docker dca exam is currently made up of a combination of multiple choice and discrete option multiple choice (DOMC) questions.

The certification is designed to validate professionals with a minimum of 6 to 12 months of Docker experience.

You can find the docker exam blueprint / study guide here.
docker certification questions
The certification exam can be broken down as follows:
Orchestration 25%
Images and Registry 20%
Installation and Configuration 15%
Networking 15%
Security 15%
Storage and Volumes 10%
how long is the docker exam?
The docker dca exam is currently 90 minutes long. This exam is remotely proctored to a Windows or Mac device, and is available globally in English.
what does the docker certification exam cost?
The Docker DCA exam is currently USD $195 or Euro €175
Check here for latest details.

Docker Certified Associate Study Resources

As I have been working through the exam objectives, I have been writing articles about many of the topics covered by the certification, which are listed below, loosely categorised:

installing and running
Installing Docker on Centos 7 How to install the Docker Engine on Centos 7
Docker ExecHow to use Docker Exec effectively
How to copy a Docker ImageCommands used to copy a docker image
Where Are Docker Images StoredDocker image location on Linux and Windows Docker hosts
Docker DCA – Running Docker ContainersAll about how to run Docker containers
Listing Docker Containers and ImagesHow to list Docker containers and images
Linux namespaces and cgroupsUnderstanding Linux cgroups and namespaces
All about DockerFilesBuilding Docker Images using DockerFiles
Docker Inspect How to use docker inspect
All about Docker Images Docker Images
Docker ComposeDocker Compose Tutorial
Docker Private RegistryHow to create a private registry
configuring docker
Configure Docker Logging DriversAll about how to configure logging
storage and networks
A Quick Look at Docker Storage DriversHow to configure docker storage drivers
docker swarm
Docker DCA – Creating a Docker SwarmHow to create a Docker Swarm
Locking and Unlocking a SwarmHow to configure auto-lock
Docker ServicesCreate and Manage docker services
docker cheatsheets
docker swarm cheat sheetall about docker swarm commands
docker compose cheat sheetall about docker compose commands

My Favourite Docker Certification Books

There are a lot of great docker books to help you on your journey to becoming Docker Certified. In this section I will list some of the ones I have used whilst studying for the Docker Certified Associate exam. Hopefully they may help you also get your dca certificate!

Docker Deepdive. This is the ultimate book for learning Docker,
brought to you by Docker Captain and leading educator in the container ecosystem Nigel Poulton.
Docker in Practice, presents nearly 120 practical techniques,
hand-picked to help users get the most out of Docker.

Final Thoughts

I’ll be adding to the content here as I work through the docker certification objectives, so bookmark this page and keep checking back. I’ll also be posting to Twitter as new content is added, so be sure to follow me there! Here’s to success on your Docker certification journey!

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