You can be old-school in music, but not in today’s ever-evolving technological world! If you have not heard about Docker Containers yet, I bet that you are not upskilling lately. Docker Certification is the talk of the hour. Most of the IT professionals are Docker certification aspirants because of the undisputed value it holds. This blog will address why the Docker Certified Associate (DCA) certification is a vital step towards a cloud-native approach.
Table of Contents:
- What is Docker?
- Why Docker in 2021?
- Docker Certified Associate [DCA]
- DCA Certification Benefits
- Skills Measured in DCA Exam
- DCA Exam Details
- Prerequisites for DCA Exam
- Four Week Learning Path
- DCA Hands-on Lab Guide
- Who is this Certification for?
- Sample Exam Question
- DCA Exam Preparation Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is Docker?
Docker is an open-source platform for developing and running applications inside packages called containers. These containers include everything that an application needs to run, like operating system, application code, runtime, system libraries, system tools, etc. Docker simplifies the process of building, running, managing, and distributing containerized applications.
Are you new to Docker? Check out our blog on Docker to know in detail.
Why do We Need Docker in 2021?
Just because an application works on your machine doesn’t necessarily mean it has to work on your friend’s computer too. Docker containers, the savior, help you run an application the same way that it used to run on yours.
Check out the following reasons why you can’t say no to Docker Container:
- Docker enables more efficient use of system resources
- It allows faster software delivery cycles
- It facilitates application portability
- Tailor-made for microservices architecture
Check out why Docker and Kubernetes are better together.
Docker Certified Associate [DCA]
Many organizations are adopting the cloud-native approach for effective software development. The rise in demand for highly available, super-fast applications directly generates more value for Docker. It aids in packaging applications into modules that can be easily replicated and scaled independently.
The Docker Certified Associate [DCA] exam emphasizes the essential tasks a Docker Certified Associate operates in day-to-day activities. So, clearing the exam certifies that a Docker Certified Associate has the knowledge and a level of where a certified Docker Associate can:
- Run containerized apps from the previously-stored images in a centralized registry
- Deploy images across the cluster
- Prioritize and resolve issue reports from stakeholders and resolve
- Migrate traditional applications to containers
- Configure and troubleshoot Docker engine
- Perform general maintenance and configuration
DCA Certification Benefits
Docker skills are highly preferable in today’s job market, and being an expert in Docker makes you a hot skilled candidate.
- Increase in demand for Docker Aspirants.
- The CV with Docker Certification is globally recognized and highly valued.
- After earning a certification, 26 percent report job promotions, and 35 percent of technical professionals say getting certified led to increased salary.
- In terms of job earning and prospects, a certification leads to a rampant gain in both.
- Updating your profile with this certificate will increase your chances of getting chosen.
Domains in Docker Certified Associate [DCA] Exam
Let’s dive deep into what exactly Docker Certified Associate exam covers:
1) Orchestration – 25%
- Setup the swarm mode cluster with managers and the worker nodes
- Manipulate a stack of running traces
- Explain and illustrate orchestration activities
- Expand the number of replicas, add networks, publish ports, and mount volumes
- Demonstrate and explain how to use templates with docker service create
- Identify the steps to troubleshoot a service not deploying
2) Image Creation, Management, and Registry – 20%
- Explain the use of Dockerfile
- Depict options such as add, copy, volumes, expose, and entry point.
- Log in to a registry, deploy a registry, utilize search in a registry, push an image, sign an image and pull and delete images from a registry.
- Characterize and exhibit how to create an efficient image via a Docker file.
- Detail and demonstrate how to tag an image, apply a file to create a Docker image, display layers of a Docker image, and modify an image to a single layer.
3) Installation and Configuration – 15%
- Describe sizing requirements for installation.
- Describe the use of namespaces, cgroups, and certification configuration
- Troubleshoot installation issues without assistance.
- Explain and demonstrate the repo setup, select a storage driver, and install the Docker engine on multiple platforms.
- Demonstrate the configuration of logging drivers and how to set up a swarm, configure managers, add nodes, and set up the backup schedule.
- Depict and illustrate how to create and manage users and teams, configure the Docker daemon to start on boot, configure backups for UCP and DTR
4) Networking – 15%
- Explain the Container Network Model and how it interfaces with the Docker engine, network, and IPAM drivers
- Portray the types of traffic that flow between the Docker engine, registry, and UCP controllers and various types and use cases for the built-in network drivers
- Describe the Kubernetes container network model and how to route traffic to Kubernetes pods using ClusterIP and NodePort services
- Explain and exhibit how to use Docker to load balance HTTP/HTTPS traffic to an application, deploy a service on a Docker network, and how to troubleshoot container & engine logs to resolve the connectivity issues between containers
5) Security – 15%
- Describe security administration and tasks, the process of signing an image, and default engine security.
- Describe swarm default security, MTLS, identity roles.
- Compare and explain UCP workers and managers.
- Explain the process to use external certificates with DTR and UCP.
- Describe and demonstrate how an image passes a security scan, enable Docker Content Trust, configure RBAC with UCP, integrate UCP with LDAP/AD, and create UCP client bundles.
6) Storage and Volumes – 10%
- Identify the correct graph drivers to use with various operating systems.
- Compare object and block storage and when should you use them
- Explain how an application is composed of layers and where all these layers reside on the filesystem.
- Describe the use of volumes with Docker for persistent storage.
- Identify the steps to be taken to clean up unused images on a filesystem and DTR.
- Describe and demonstrate how to configure device-mapper and how you use storage across cluster nodes.
- Explain how to provision the persistent storage to a Kubernetes pod using persistentVolumes.
- Describe the relation between container storage, interface drivers, storageClass, persistentVolumeClaim, and volume objects in Kubernetes.
Docker Certified Associate Exam Details
- 13 multiple choice ( MCQ) and 42 discrete option multiple-choice (DOMC) questions
- A total of 90 minutes to answer
- Proctored online on your Windows or Mac computer
- Available in English globally
- An exam fee of USD 195 or Euro €175
- Results delivered immediately
Prerequisites for Docker Certified Associate Exam
Your zeal to upskill can help you ace the DCA exam. There is no demanding prerequisite, but a hands-on is what makes you clear the certification with flying colors. But, don’t worry we got you covered with our Linux for Beginners FREE course! A bit of Linux knowledge would be a plus.
4-Week Learning Path for Docker Certified Associate
Yes, you read it right. A good four weeks following all the instructions by our certified industry experts is all you need to be exam-ready! Please have a look at our 4-week roadmap below.
Our comprehensive Docker Certified Associate hands-on training aligns with the Docker Certified Associate (DCA) exam. By successful completion, you will learn the core Docker technologies such as Docker Compose, Docker Hub, Dockerfile, Docker Swarm, Docker Containers, Docker Engine, Docker Daemon, Docker Images, Docker Network, and Docker Storage in this Docker course.
Docker Certified Associate Hands-On Labs
Everybody wants to learn Docker these days, and the best way to learn is to perform. Especially all the IT professionals want to earn the Docker Certified Associate (DCA): Hands-on Lab badge and add Docker to their expertise.
So, here is the list of our comprehensive 23 activity guides:
Lab 1: Register for AWS Free Tier Account And log into AWS Console
Lab 2: Creating & Connect to Ubuntu EC2 Instance
Lab 3: Docker Setup and installation on Ubuntu server
Lab 4: Working with Container
Lab 5: Working with Docker Image
Lab 6: Create an account on Dockerhub
Lab 7: Docker Networking (Bridge, Custom Bridge, Host Network)
Lab 8: Docker Storage (Host Path Mounting, Docker Volume, tmpfs mount)
Lab 9: Docker Private Registry
Lab 10: Working and Writing Dockerfile to create an image
Lab 11: Working with Application Stack
Lab 12: Configuring External DNS, Logging, and Storage Driver
Lab 13: Working with Multi-stage Dockerfile
Lab 14: Docker Swarm Pre-requisites
Lab 15: Docker Swarm Cluster Setup
Lab 16: Docker Service
Lab 17: Docker Service Placements and Constraints
Lab 18: Docker Secret
Lab 19: Docker Config
Lab 20: Docker Universal Control Plane (UCP)
Lab 21: Docker Swarm Maintenance
Lab 22: Bootstrap Kubernetes Cluster Using Kubeadm
Lab 23: Deploy an App on Pod & Basic Networking
Who is this Docker Certification For?
This certification is for everyone who wants to upskill and grow! Your interest in cloud technologies and your aim to learn something out of the box is all you need as a prerequisite. Keeping the certification aside, understanding the Docker Containerization technology will take you to better places for sure. Let me list a non-exhaustive (almost) list of professionals who should start their Docker Certified Associate journey right now:
- Software Developers
- Cloud Professionals
- Solutions Architect
- Database Managers
- Data Scientists
- Testers
- Release Engineers
- System Administrators
- Non-IT Professionals are looking for a career change and many others!
Don’t be too late to jump into the container world because a lot awaits you there (huge open job market)! Also, read why Docker Certification is a must for Software Developers, Data Scientists, Cloud Computing, Database Managers, or anybody else!
Sample Exam Question!
Here is a sample DOMC question from the Docker Certified Associate [DCA] exam:
Note: In the live exam, the options above display one at a time
Docker Certified Associate Exam Tips
As ‘manners maketh man‘, similarly ‘K21Academy & practice make a Docker Certified Associate‘. Our interactive live sessions and the 23+ extensive hands-on labs are the keys to success. You will be helped with all your doubts by our industry expert certified instructor and our support team.
With K21Academy you get to ask all your doubts on the dedicated WhatsApp groups of trainees and raise a ticket for personal assistance.
- Install Docker and practice each hands-on lab until you are through
- An excellent hands-on on different scenarios in our labs voids the need for any prior experience
- Make a list of all the crucial points, and this will come in handy before the exam
- 55 questions in 90 minutes mean that you get around one and a half minutes for every question. So, if you get stuck or don’t know the answer to any question, skip it and come back later
- Flag the unanswered questions or the ones you want to re-check
- Even though we can run Docker freely, a hands-on on the enterprise edition (30-day free trial) is advisable
- Trouble us as much as you want, but DO NOT have any of your doubts unaddressed
- Schedule the exam to take at the most peaceful hour of your day, keep calm, ACE the exam, and become a Docker Certified Associate!
Docker Certified Associate FAQs
What is a Docker Certification?
Docker Certification will validate your technical knowledge with an industry-recognized credential. It will recognize your technical skills on the Docker platform.
How long will my Docker certification be valid?
The validity of a Docker Certified Associate certification is 2 years, and after that, you will be needed to update your certification every two years.
What if I need to reschedule or cancel my exam
Exams can be rescheduled or canceled but 48 hours before the scheduled appointment time, and failing to cancel or reschedule within this time will result in forfeiting exam fees.
If I do not pass the exam, can I retake it?
Well, it should not happen if you’re a part of our training program. (Click here to join the waitlist) However, if you fail due to any circumstance, you may retake the exam with the following conditions: ➪ To retake the exam, wait 14 days from the day you fail. ➪ Pay the exam price each time you attempt the exam.
Where do I register for the Docker Certified Associate exam?
You can register for the DCA exam from the official Mirantis website.
Related/References
- Containers for Beginners: What, Why, and Types
- Docker Architecture and Components
- Docker Vs. Virtual Machine
- Docker Certified Associate (DCA): Step-by-Step Activity Guide (Hands-on Lab)
- Docker Container Lifecycle Management
- Docker Images: A Complete Guide For Beginners
- Docker Storage: Volume, Bind Mount, tmpfs, And NFS
- Docker Installation Overview
Next Task For You
If you are considering in-depth learning about Docker Certified Associate (DCA) in the coming days, then do join this waitlist… and don’t miss an opportunity to attend a free class and gain a plethora of insights on the basics of Docker and also the Docker Certified Associate Exam.
Arjen says
K8s deprecating support for docker as container runtime. So, is it still worth going after docker?
Piyush Jain says
Hi Arjen,
We are glad that you liked our blog!
Yes, Kubernetes is deprecating support for docker as container runtime, but to understand Kubernetes first, you need to understand containers and how it works. Docker is a very popular runtime and to create images using docker file and push images on docker hub you need docker knowledge.
Kubernetes remove support for the docker but to work on the Kubernetes we need container(docker) knowledge.
Regards,
Piyush
Team K21academy