Master AWS operations, monitoring, automation, and troubleshooting. Become proficient in managing and deploying production systems on AWS with hands-on operational skills.
AWS SysOps Administrators manage, monitor, and troubleshoot AWS infrastructure. You'll automate operational tasks, implement monitoring and logging solutions, ensure high availability and business continuity, optimize costs, and maintain security compliance. This role is hands-on and operational, requiring deep knowledge of AWS services and best practices for production environments.
AWS Cloud Practitioner
Optional FoundationSysOps Administrator
After Phase 7The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate (SOA-C02) exam tests your knowledge across six key domains:
⚠️ Important: SOA-C02 includes a 20-minute hands-on lab exam!
This certification uniquely tests your practical AWS Console skills with real-world operational tasks. You must be comfortable performing actions in the AWS Console under time pressure.
If you're new to AWS SysOps:
→Begin with Phase 1: Monitoring, Logging & Remediation (expand below)
→Complete AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) first if you're completely new to AWS
→Practice extensively in the AWS Console as you progress through each phase
→Focus on one phase at a time — finish it completely before moving forward
Already have AWS experience?
→Jump to the phase that matches your current skill level
→Ensure you practice hands-on lab scenarios for the practical exam component
Metrics, alarms, logs, dashboards, CloudWatch agent, log insights, metric filters, subscription filters
API logging, management events, data events, insights, multi-region trails, log file validation
Session Manager, Run Command, Patch Manager, State Manager, Parameter Store, Automation, OpsCenter
Configuration tracking, compliance auditing, Config rules, remediation actions, conformance packs
Multi-AZ deployments, Load Balancers (ALB, NLB), Auto Scaling, Route 53 routing policies, health checks
AWS Backup, EBS snapshots, RDS backups, DynamoDB backups, S3 versioning and replication, RPO/RTO strategies
Backup & Restore, Pilot Light, Warm Standby, Multi-Site Active-Active, cross-region replication
Templates, stacks, stack sets, change sets, drift detection, rollback, nested stacks, helper scripts
Application deployments, environment types, deployment strategies, configuration management
Version control, modular templates, environment separation, parameterization, testing and validation
Users, groups, roles, policies, permission boundaries, MFA, access keys rotation, cross-account access
Encryption at rest and in transit, KMS, Secrets Manager, S3 security, CloudHSM
Security groups, NACLs, VPC Flow Logs, GuardDuty, Security Hub, Inspector, Macie
Subnets, route tables, Internet Gateway, NAT Gateway, VPC peering, Transit Gateway, VPN, Direct Connect
CDN configuration, edge locations, caching, DNS routing policies, health checks, failover
Cost Explorer, Budgets, right-sizing, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, Spot Instances, Trusted Advisor
Right instance types, enhanced networking, placement groups, storage optimization, database tuning
Practice CloudWatch alarms, Systems Manager Run Command, VPC configuration, Auto Scaling setup, S3 lifecycle policies, IAM policies - all in AWS Console
SOA-C02: AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
This certification validates your ability to deploy, manage, and operate scalable, highly available systems on AWS. Unique to SOA-C02 is the 20-minute hands-on lab exam where you perform real operational tasks in the AWS Console. Exam: 130 minutes + 20 min lab, 65 questions + lab tasks, $150 USD, passing score 720/1000.
Practice SOA-C02 QuestionsSet up comprehensive CloudWatch monitoring, create custom metrics and alarms, analyze logs with Log Insights
Use Systems Manager for patching, state management, and automation at scale across EC2 fleets
Design and implement Multi-AZ architectures with Auto Scaling and load balancing
Analyze spending, implement cost optimization strategies, right-size resources for efficiency
Implement encryption, manage IAM policies, configure network security, ensure compliance
Validate operational expertise with both multiple-choice questions and hands-on lab tasks