AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Issued by Amazon Web Services. Below is what it costs, how long it lasts, and what it actually signals — with the date we checked.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Amazon Web Services · SAA-C03
Free to learn · paid certificate Recognized
| Cost | Not published AWS does not print the exam fee on this page, and it is still absent when the page is fully rendered in a browser — so this is a genuine omission, not a JavaScript artefact. Check the AWS certification portal before booking. |
|---|---|
| Validity | 3 years — stated verbatim on the official page. |
| Renewal | Recertify before expiry by passing the latest version of the exam. |
| Assessment | Proctored exam |
| Proctored | Yes |
| Verify via | Credly |
| Cost per active year | Unknowncannot be computed — AWS does not print the exam fee on this page |
The most widely requested AWS credential in cloud engineering postings, a clear step above the entry-level Cloud Practitioner.
This is the step up from Cloud Practitioner, not a parallel option. Earning both at entry level signals little that the Associate alone does not.
Verified 2026-07-28 · Official page
How we know
Validity and recertification path read verbatim from AWS's official certification page 2026-07-26: "This certification is valid for 3 years", recertify by passing the latest version. Re-checked with a headless browser on 2026-07-28: the fee is still not published on the issuer's own page, so it stays recorded as unknown.
Last verified 2026-07-28 · https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-associate/
Free preparation
Free resources first. Everything below is free to use; the exam itself is the paid part.
AWS Skill Builder free tier
Free to learn · no certificate
Official free training tier. Paid tiers exist alongside it; only the free tier is counted here.
Verified 2026-07-25
Microsoft Learn: Azure Administrator (AZ-104) learning path
Free to learn · no certificate
Free interactive path plus official practice assessments, straight from the credential's own page.
Verified 2026-07-26
AWS Well-Architected Framework
Free to learn · no certificate
The security pillar here is the clearest free statement of what good looks like on AWS. Free to read; the certifications that test it are separately paid.
Verified 2026-07-28
Google Cloud Well-Architected Framework
Free to learn · no certificate
The same discipline on another platform. Reading both is how you learn which principles are real and which are one vendor's habit.
Verified 2026-07-28
OWASP Cheat Sheet Series
Free to learn · no certificate
Cloud security still fails at the application layer. Free.
Verified 2026-07-28
AWS Well-Architected Framework
Free to learn · no certificate
The vocabulary this job is conducted in — reliability, cost, operational excellence, security, performance. Free to read.
Verified 2026-07-28
Google Cloud Well-Architected Framework
Free to learn · no certificate
Read a second vendor's version. The overlap is the actual discipline; the difference is marketing.
Verified 2026-07-28
Kubernetes — concepts
Free to learn · no certificate
You will be asked whether to use it. Being able to answer honestly, including 'no', requires understanding it.
Verified 2026-07-28
Used by these roles
- Cloud Engineer — You design and run the infrastructure that applications live on, in code rather than by hand.
- Cloud Security Engineer — You make sure the cloud account nobody is watching is not the way in.
- Solutions Architect — You decide how the pieces fit together, and you have to defend the decision to people paying for it.