Continuous Integration Certifications
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Prepare for the Exam
Get Certified | Harness Expert
Continuous Integration - Developer
Product version: Harness CI Free/Team PlansReview Study Guide
Assesses the fundamental skills to deploy CI projects.
| Objective | Material |
|---|---|
| 1. Understanding of CI/CD Concepts and Best Practices | |
| Distinguish between Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, and Continuous Deployment | Harness Continuous Integration (CI) overview |
| Identify key concepts related to CI/CD pipelines and their steps | Key concepts |
| Recognize best practices for implementing CI/CD in software development workflows | Optimize and enhance CI pipelines |
| 2. Harness CI Pipeline Creation and Optimization | |
| Construct a Harness CI pipeline and establish its stages and steps | CI onboarding guide |
| Diagnose and resolve common errors and issues within the CI pipeline | Optimize and enhance CI pipelines |
| Implement strategies to optimize pipeline execution and minimize build times | Optimize and enhance CI pipelines |
| 3. Utilization and Management of Harness Connectors and Integrations | |
| Configure and manage various Harness Connectors (e.g., Docker, Git) | Create and configure a codebase |
| Understand and implement integration with different platforms and OS | Continuous Integration (CI) |
| 4. Implementing and Managing Docker and Containerization in Harness CI | |
| Establish Docker connectivity and manage Docker connectors | Build and Push to Docker |
| Develop and optimize Dockerfile configurations and image handling | Harness CI images |
| Diagnose and mitigate common Docker-related issues and errors | Troubleshoot CI |
| 5. Harness CI Configuration and Codebase Management | |
| Understand and implement the configuration of Harness CI Codebase | Create and configure a codebase |
| Optimize and manage code repository, connectors, and trigger settings | Optimize and enhance CI pipelines |
| 6. Authentication and Security Management in Harness CI | |
| Configure and manage authentication methods for various connectors (e.g., Git, Docker) | Using Git Credentials from Codebase Connector in CI Pipeline's Run Step |
| Implement and utilize Secrets Management tools with Harness CI | Use secrets managers |
| Understand and implement access control using Harness RBAC configurations | Role-based access control (RBAC) in Harness |
| 7. Implementing and Utilizing Test Intelligence in Harness CI | |
| Configure and synchronize Harness Test Intelligence with main/master branches | Test Intelligence overview |
| Implement strategies to improve and optimize test execution times | Split tests (parallelism) |
| 8. Advanced CI Features and Troubleshooting in Harness | |
| Implement and utilize advanced features like caching and conditional executions in CI | Stage and step conditional execution settings |
| Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve common issues and errors in CI stages | Troubleshoot CI |
| 9. Implementation of Plugins and Extensions in Harness CI | |
| Understand, install, and manage plugins in the Harness CI environment | Plugin step settings |
| Implement use-cases using various Harness CI and third-party plugins | Explore plugins |
Exam Details
The Continuous Integration Developer exam tests your knowledge and skills of the Harness Integration Delivery module.
Prerequisites
- Basic terminal skills
- Basic understanding of on-premise or cloud architecture
Exam Details
Exam Duration: 90 minutes
Question Type: Multiple choice
| Covered Domain | % of Coverage |
|---|---|
| 1. Understanding of CI/CD Concepts and Best Practices | 12% |
| 2. Harness CI Pipeline Creation and Optimization | 11% |
| 3. Utilization and Management of Harness Connectors and Integrations | 11% |
| 4. Implementing and Managing Docker and Containerization in Harness CI | 11% |
| 5. Harness CI Configuration and Codebase Management | 11% |
| 6. Authentication and Security Management in Harness CI | 11% |
| 7. Implementing and Utilizing Test Intelligence in Harness CI | 11% |
| 8. Advanced CI Features and Troubleshooting in Harness | 11% |
| 9. Implementation of Plugins and Extensions in Harness CI | 11% |
Exam Objectives
List of Objectives
The following is a detailed list of exam objectives:
| # | Objective |
|---|---|
| 1 | Understanding of CI/CD Concepts and Best Practices |
| 1.1 | Distinguish between Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, and Continuous Deployment |
| 1.2 | Identify key concepts related to CI/CD pipelines and their steps |
| 1.3 | Recognize best practices for implementing CI/CD in software development workflows |
| 2 | Harness CI Pipeline Creation and Optimization |
| 2.1 | Construct a Harness CI pipeline and establish its stages and steps |
| 2.2 | Diagnose and resolve common errors and issues within the CI pipeline |
| 2.3 | Implement strategies to optimize pipeline execution and minimize build times |
| 3 | Utilization and Management of Harness Connectors and Integrations |
| 3.1 | Configure and manage various Harness Connectors (e.g., Docker, Git) |
| 3.2 | Understand and implement integration with different platforms and OS |
| 4 | Implementing and Managing Docker and Containerization in Harness CI |
| 4.1 | Establish Docker connectivity and manage Docker connectors |
| 4.2 | Develop and optimize Dockerfile configurations and image handling |
| 4.3 | Diagnose and mitigate common Docker-related issues and errors |
| 5 | Harness CI Configuration and Codebase Management |
| 5.1 | Understand and implement the configuration of Harness CI Codebase |
| 5.2 | Optimize and manage code repository, connectors, and trigger settings |
| 6 | Authentication and Security Management in Harness CI |
| 6.1 | Configure and manage authentication methods for various connectors (e.g., Git, Docker) |
| 6.2 | Implement and utilize Secrets Management tools with Harness CI |
| 6.3 | Understand and implement access control using Harness RBAC configurations |
| 7 | Implementing and Utilizing Test Intelligence in Harness CI |
| 7.1 | Configure and synchronize Harness Test Intelligence with main/master branches |
| 7.2 | Implement strategies to improve and optimize test execution times |
| 8 | Advanced CI Features and Troubleshooting in Harness |
| 8.1 | Implement and utilize advanced features like caching and conditional executions in CI |
| 8.2 | Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve common issues and errors in CI stages |
| 9 | Implementation of Plugins and Extensions in Harness CI |
| 9.1 | Understand, install, and manage plugins in the Harness CI environment |
| 9.2 | Implement use-cases using various Harness CI and third-party plugins |
Next Steps
The Continuous Integration Developer exam can start immediately after registering. Please allow up to 90 mins for the exam.
- Create an account in Harness University
- Register for an exam
- Take the exam
Prepare for the Exam
Get Certified | Harness Expert
Continuous Integration - Administrator
Product version: Harness CI Enterprise PlanReview Study Guide
Assesses the fundamental skills to deploy and maintain CI projects and the overall Harness Platform. This exam builds upon the CI Developer Certification.
| Topic | Material |
|---|---|
| 1. Introduction to Harness and Key Concepts | |
| Understand continuous integration fundamentals, including critical stages or steps | Harness CI |
| Grasp the core concepts: "Pipeline, Stages, Step Groups, Steps" and Harness hierarchy "Account, Organizations, Projects" | Key Concepts |
| Familiarize with Harness Manager and the role of Harness Delegate for CI capability | CI key concepts |
| 2. Harness Build Infrastructure and Configuration | |
| Explore Harness Cloud supported platforms, OS, and build infrastructures | Use Harness Cloud build infrastructure |
| Dive into CI Build Infrastructures and their diverse options | Harness CI |
| Understand Ephemeral Environments and the specific requirements for a K8s Build environment | Which build infrastructure is right for me |
| 3. Artifact Management and Connectivity | |
| Grasp Artifacts and Packages spanning from jar to container image, helm, and more | Artifacts Tab |
| Describe and configure Artifact Repositories like cont registry, object store, jfrog, nexus, etc | Connect to an Artifact repository |
| Delve into Harness Connectors: configuration of Git, DockerHub, and more | Connectors |
| 4. Harness CI Pipelines and Advanced Features | |
| Master Codebase configuration, shared paths, and step library, including plugin configurations | Create and configure a codebase |
| Understand and set up advanced features like caching intelligence, test intelligence, and flow control | Cache Intelligence |
| Configure pipeline features, including triggers, input sets, failure strategies, looping, and notifications | Input sets and overlays |
| 5. Pipeline Execution Strategies | |
| Get to grips with execution environments: running steps on host vs. containers | Stage and step conditional execution settings |
| Manage outputs, PR status updates, and understand chained pipelines | Output variables with chained pipeline |
| Delve into advanced options like timeouts, selective stage executions, and stage context sharing | Continuous Integration (CI) FAQs |
| 6. Security and Access Control | |
| Understand RBAC with user groups, roles, role bindings, and service account considerations | RBAC in Harness |
| Configure access and permissions, including tags and resource groups | Permissions Reference |
| Grasp the implications of anonymous Docker image pulls and other security considerations | Docker Connector Settings Reference |
| 7. Authentication and User Management | |
| Deep dive into OAuth, SAML, and SCIM integrations | Authentication |
| Set up and manage credentials, user and group permissions, and more | Manage user groups |
| Delve into debugging and troubleshooting techniques, including running pipeline steps locally | Troubleshoot CI |
| 8. Policy-Based Governance and Compliance | |
| Explore and configure policy as code with OPA and Rego | Harness Policy As Code quickstart |
| Enforce governance within pipelines and understand templates for Harness CI | Manage access control for asset governance rules |
| Familiarize with account audit trails and their respective use cases | View audit trail |
| 9. Enterprise Features and Dashboards | |
| Delve into Enterprise dashboards, including custom options like Looker | Best practices for building dashboards |
| Explore Pipeline Studio's execution history and other related features | Input sets and overlays |
| Get a handle on pipeline templatization for scalable CI solutions | Best practices and guidelines for templates |
Exam Details
The Continuous Integration Administrator exam tests your knowledge and skills of the Harness Continuous Integration module.
Prerequisites
- Intermediate terminal skills
- Basic understanding of on-premise or cloud architecture
- This exam builds upon the CI Developer Exam
Exam Details
| Exam Type | Duration |
|---|---|
| Knowledge Exam | 90 minutes |
| Hands On Exam | 120 minutes |
| Covered Domain | % of Coverage |
|---|---|
| 1. Understanding and Managing Pipelines in Harness CI | 12% |
| 2. Configuring Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Harness | 12% |
| 3. Implementing and Managing Authentication and Security | 12% |
| 4. Working with Harness CI/CD Integration and Infrastructure | 12% |
| 5. Utilizing and Managing Harness Connectors | 12% |
| 6. Implementing and Leveraging Harness Variables and Expressions | 12% |
| 7. Leveraging Harness Secret Management and Secret Usage | 12% |
| 8. Managing Harness CI/CD Artifacts and File Store | 12% |
| 9. Harness Delegate Configuration and Management | 16% |
Exam Objectives
List of Objectives
The following is a detailed list of exam objectives:
| # | Objective |
|---|---|
| 1 | Understanding and Managing Pipelines in Harness CI |
| 1.1 | Define and work with Background Steps and Pipeline Chains |
| 1.2 | Explore Child Pipelines and their transitions in Chaining |
| 1.3 | Identify best practices for CI Pipeline Templates and breaking changes management |
| 2 | Configuring Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Harness |
| 2.1 | Setup RBAC configurations for executing Chained Pipelines |
| 2.2 | Understand the hierarchy level and scope where Roles can be created |
| 2.3 | Explain how permissions are granted to a Service Account within the RBAC model |
| 3 | Implementing and Managing Authentication and Security |
| 3.1 | Implement various methods to increase Authentication security level |
| 3.2 | Understand and work with different supported SSO methods |
| 3.3 | Apply Harness Policy as Code to enforce governance and security practices |
| 4 | Working with Harness CI/CD Integration and Infrastructure |
| 4.1 | Comprehend how Harness CI integrates with GitHub Actions and other Git providers |
| 4.2 | Discern how Harness Cloud deals with build infrastructures and related maintenance |
| 4.3 | Know how to choose and configure build infrastructure options, including the use of Kubernetes |
| 5 | Utilizing and Managing Harness Connectors |
| 5.1 | Manage connectors for various platforms like GitHub, Docker Hub, and Artifact Repositories |
| 5.2 | Determine settings for returning codebase variables to Harness via code repo connectors |
| 5.3 | Develop strategies to avoid rate/throttling limiting issues when interacting with external repositories and platforms |
| 6 | Implementing and Leveraging Harness Variables and Expressions |
| 6.1 | Utilize JEXL expressions within pipeline variables for dynamic functionality |
| 6.2 | Establish and reference variables across different hierarchy levels within Harness |
| 6.3 | Recognize suitable scenarios for the utilization of built-in/custom variables in CI processes |
| 7 | Leveraging Harness Secret Management and Secret Usage |
| 7.1 | Recognize benefits and applications of secrets management within Harness CI |
| 7.2 | Identify and rectify incidents involving the unintended exposure of Secrets |
| 7.3 | Integrate external Secrets Management technologies into the Harness platform |
| 8 | Managing Harness CI/CD Artifacts and File Store |
| 8.1 | Understand and apply best practices for tagging and managing CI artifacts |
| 8.2 | Identify and utilize the primary functionalities of the Harness File Store |
| 8.3 | Determine appropriate methods for handling and storing different CI artifacts and dependencies |
| 9 | Harness Delegate Configuration and Management |
| 9.1 | Understand and explain the main role and function of the Harness Delegate |
| 9.2 | Identify available options and best practices for installing and configuring the Harness Delegate |
| 9.3 | Manage Delegate tags and utilize them effectively within CI processes and selectors |
Next Steps
The Continuous Integration Administrator exam can start immediately after registering. Please allow 90 mins for the knowledge exam and approximately 90 minutes for the hands on exam.
- Create an account in Harness University
- Register for an exam. There is a $50 fee for the exam
- Review the instructions for the Hands On Exam
- Take the exams
- There will be a knowledge and hands on portion.
Prepare for the Exam
Get Certified | Harness Expert
Continuous Integration - Architect
Product version: Harness CI Enterprise PlanReview Study Guide
Assess key technical job functions and advanced skills in design, implementation and management of CI. This exam builds upon the CI Admin Certification
| Objective | Material |
|---|---|
| 1. Understanding and Troubleshooting Harness Delegates | |
| Manage and troubleshoot Kubernetes Delegates | Install Harness Delegate on Kubernetes or Docker |
| Implement and troubleshoot networking and connectivity issues | Troubleshoot CI |
| 2. Managing Build Environments and Dependencies | |
| Navigate and solve issues in Docker-in-Docker build environments | Run Docker-in-Docker in a Build stage |
| Implement and troubleshoot dependency caching mechanisms | Cache Intelligence |
| 3. Implementing and Managing CI Pipelines | |
| Develop and troubleshoot pipeline triggers | Troubleshoot failed triggers |
| Optimize CI pipeline efficiency and speed | Optimize and enhance CI pipelines |
| 4. Ensuring Security and Compliance in CI Pipelines | |
| Implement secrets management and ensure secure build processes | Use secrets managers |
| Adhere to the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) in CI/CD | Roles and resource groups work together |
| 5. Utilizing Test Intelligence in CI | |
| Implement and manage Test Intelligence for optimizing testing | Test Intelligence overview |
| Understand and troubleshoot test visualization and metrics | View test reports and test selection |
| 6. Managing and Troubleshooting Custom Build Tools and Binaries | |
| Navigate issues with custom binary installations on Delegates | Install a delegate with third-party tool custom binaries |
| Manage custom build tools and dependencies | Dependency management strategies |
| 7. Implementing Pipeline Optimizations and Strategies | |
| Implement multilayer caching for pipeline optimizations | Multilayer caching |
| Utilize matrix and looping strategies for test execution | Use looping strategies |
| 8. Managing Connectivity and Networking in CI Pipelines | |
| Ensure effective communication between Delegates, Harness Manager, and external services | Communication with Harness Manager |
| Troubleshoot connectivity issues in webhook triggers and pipeline steps | Troubleshoot CI |
| 9. Implementing and Managing CI in Diverse Infrastructures | |
| Manage and troubleshoot CI in Kubernetes build infrastructures | Set up a Kubernetes cluster build infrastructure |
| Implement and manage CI pipelines for MacOS and Windows build environments | Set up a local runner build infrastructure |
Exam Details
The Continuous Integration Architect exam tests your knowledge and skills of the Harness Continuous Integration module.
Prerequisites
- Basic terminal skills
- Advanced understanding of on-premise or cloud architecture
- This exam builds upon the Continuous Integration Admin
Exam Details
| Exam Type | Duration |
|---|---|
| Knowledge Exam | 90 minutes |
| Hands On Exam | 120 minutes |
| Covered Domain | % of Coverage |
|---|---|
| 1. Understanding and Troubleshooting Harness Delegates | 12% |
| 2. Managing Build Environments and Dependencies | 12% |
| 3. Implementing and Managing CI Pipelines | 12% |
| 4. Ensuring Security and Compliance in CI Pipelines | 12% |
| 5. Utilizing Test Intelligence in CI | 12% |
| 6. Managing and Troubleshooting Custom Build Tools and Binaries | 12% |
| 7. Implementing Pipeline Optimizations and Strategies | 12% |
| 8. Managing Connectivity and Networking in CI Pipelines | 8% |
| 9. Implementing and Managing CI in Diverse Infrastructures | 8% |
Exam Objectives
List of Objectives
The following is a detailed list of exam objectives:
| # | Objective |
|---|---|
| 1 | Understanding and Troubleshooting Harness Delegates |
| 1.1 | Manage and troubleshoot Kubernetes Delegates |
| 1.2 | Implement and troubleshoot networking and connectivity issues |
| 2 | Managing Build Environments and Dependencies |
| 2.1 | Navigate and solve issues in Docker-in-Docker build environments |
| 2.2 | Implement and troubleshoot dependency caching mechanisms |
| 3 | Implementing and Managing CI Pipelines |
| 3.1 | Develop and troubleshoot pipeline triggers |
| 3.2 | Optimize CI pipeline efficiency and speed |
| 4 | Ensuring Security and Compliance in CI Pipelines |
| 4.1 | Implement secrets management and ensure secure build processes |
| 4.2 | Adhere to the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) in CI/CD |
| 5 | Utilizing Test Intelligence in CI |
| 5.1 | Implement and manage Test Intelligence for optimizing testing |
| 5.2 | Understand and troubleshoot test visualization and metrics |
| 6 | Managing and Troubleshooting Custom Build Tools and Binaries |
| 6.1 | Navigate issues with custom binary installations on Delegates |
| 6.2 | Manage custom build tools and dependencies |
| 7 | Implementing Pipeline Optimizations and Strategies |
| 7.1 | Implement multilayer caching for pipeline optimizations |
| 7.2 | Utilize matrix and looping strategies for test execution |
| 8 | Managing Connectivity and Networking in CI Pipelines |
| 8.1 | Ensure effective communication between Delegates, Harness Manager, and external services |
| 8.2 | Troubleshoot connectivity issues in webhook triggers and pipeline steps |
| 9 | Implementing and Managing CI in Diverse Infrastructures |
| 9.1 | Manage and troubleshoot CI in Kubernetes build infrastructures |
| 9.2 | Implement and manage CI pipelines for MacOS and Windows build environments |
Next Steps
The Continuous Integration Architect exam can start immediately after registering. Please allow up to 90 mins for the knowledge exam and up to 2 hours for the hands-on exam.
- Create an account in Harness University
- Register for an exam. There is a $50 fee for the exam
- Review the instructions for the Hands-On Exam
- Take the exams
- There will be a knowledge and hands-on portion.