Top 5 Linux Certifications in 2019

Best Linux Certifications are what you should aim for in 2019. Well, this is what the experts believe! But definitely, it might be a tough decision to make about choosing the right Linux certifications to boost up your career. Especially, the beginners, right? But, we here have simplified it for you. And, here is the list of those top 5 Linux certifications that you must go for in this year.

1. LINUX+ CompTIA

It has almost been two decades that employers have used this certification as their skills benchmark for employing any professional in the IT world. And, so attaining this has become the utter need for every individual who is looking forward to entering into this area of IT.

CompTIA Linux+ is one of the Linux certifications that tests the essential usage and managerial tasks that are common to all Linux distributors. Yes, UNIX flavors need it too! So, to attain this Linux+ certification, you are ought to get through these two tests, which are CompTIA Linux Certification (LX0-103) and CompTIA Linux Certification (LX0-104), which actually shares the similar content to LPIC-1 (LPI Level 1 – Linux Administrator certification. Of course, this has to be done through any Linux Professional Institute to list yourself among all those who are actually eligible to enter into the field of Linux.

Let’s know more about these two Linux certifications here:

CompTIA Linux Certification (LX0-103) – Explained

This test covers these few domains, which are:

◈ GNU and UNIX Commands
◈ System Architecture
◈ Linux Installation and Package Management
◈ Devices, Linux Filesystems, Filesystem Hierarchy Standard

CompTIA Linux Certification (LX0-104) – Explained

This test covers these few domains, which are:

◈ Security
◈ Shells, Scripting, and Data Management
◈ User Interfaces and Desktops
◈ Administrative Tasks
◈ Essential System Services
◈ Networking Fundamentals

Both these tests have 60 MCQs, which needs to be done within a time limit of 90 minutes. The passing score is 500 on the scale of 200-800 and all questions are weight based. Both the tests are to be passed to get the certification.

Why should you go for these Linux Certifications?

These Linux Certifications are important for every Linux oriented professional because of these following reasons:

a) Brand Recognition– CompTIA Linux+ will give you brand recognition, which most of the HR departments and IT managers are already aware of. All of them know, if any certification in Linux is ending with a + sign, then that’s surely going to be a good skill benchmark for any IT professional. So, yes, brand recognition is something you will achieve after becoming a CompTIA Linux+ professional.

b) Foundation of all Linux Jobs- For almost every job that involves the word ‘Linux’, you can consider this certification as a foundation. As this certification edifies you about all the general administration tasks, which most of the organizations would generally seek, your chances of getting hired almost doubles. Basically, it allows you to gain knowledge of all the administration concepts and tasks, which are generally expected in any organization.

So, get yourself educated about CompTIA Linux+ seems to quite helpful in getting all those important tasks done in the Linux department.

2. RHCE- RED HAT CERTIFIED ENGINEER

In the dominion of Linux world and Linux certifications, there is another important certification called RHCE- Red Hat Certified Engineer. Red Hat Certifications really stand out amongst all the Linux certifications and surely it has the power to make you too stand out from the bunch of professionals as well.

Among all the Red Hat Certifications, Red Hat’s more senior-level certifications are quite popular. So, go for the senior-level ones for getting hired in those top organizations. And, in case you hold this certification, there are different roles in the Linux world which you may try for. Some of these job roles are senior Linux administrator, senior systems engineer, IT analyst, senior UNIX administrator, and the like.

How tough is it to attain this certification?

Well, if we believe those sitting at the top positions in the IT world, this is one of the best Linux certifications, which any Linux professional must go for. And, that’s why it is not easy to obtain. So, for becoming a Red Hat Certified Engineer, you must first obtain the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) credential, which is then followed by passing a three and a half hour test, hands-on, and an exam that is performance-based including both demanding and intense questions.

In case, you have earned RHCE, you become eligible for RHCA (Red Hat Certified Architect) credentials including:

◈ RHCA: Application development
◈ RHCA: Datacenter
◈ RHCA: Cloud
◈ RHCA: DevOps
◈ RHCA: Application platform

So, in short, if you are looking for a better position and payout in any IT organization, we recommend you to go for this certification in 2019.

3. GCUX: GIAC CERTIFIED UNIX SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR

GIAC Certified UNIX System Administrators secures and audit Linux and UNIX systems. It is one of the Linux certifications that is done to attain the skills and abilities to do so. The main motive of this certification is to train individuals in installing, configuring, and monitoring both these systems. So, like any other Linux certification test, this one too has a few requirements, which are as follows:

◈ 75 questions
◈ 1 proctored exam
◈ Time Limit- 2 hours
◈ Minimum passing score of 68%

Basically, the candidate understands the physical security issues and password security with respect to both the UNIX and Linux systems. This exam even tests the capability of the candidate to understand Chroot- how to configure its services, its environment, how to configure scponly with chroot, and everything else about Chroot. Apart from this, some others areas of the UNIX and Linux are also touched including OS Install and Patching, Physical, User Account, and Password Access Control, Boot Services, Post-Exploitation and AIDE, SUDO, and many other important sections, without which UNIX and Linux, both are incomplete.

Being a part of SANS, this Linux certification is highly recommended to every Linux professional in 2019.  It encompasses more than 35 security certifications across different categories, which we mentioned above. Such an administrator falls under the Cyber Defense category. Also, their certifications need renewal after every four hours by earning 36 continuing professional experience which is also known as CPE.

4. ORACLE LINUX OCA & OCP

This Linux certification is all about attaining skills and abilities related to Oracle products and technologies. For passing the test to get the certification, the professional needs to pass the combination of passing exams and training and performance-based assignments, which depend on the level of certification.

With 6 levels of Oracle Certification Credentials- Oracle Certified Junior Associate (OJA), Oracle Certified Associate (OCA), Oracle Certified Professional (OCP), Oracle Certified Master (OCM), Oracle Certified Expert (OCE) and Oracle Certified Specialist (OCS), a candidate needs to master all such stages to be hired by a reputed IT company.

Certifications comprise of two exams, which are:

◈ OCA- 1Z0-100 Oracle Linux 5 and 6 System Administration, needs 61% to pass, and 80 questions to attempt
◈ OCP- 1Z0-105 Oracle Linux 6 Advanced System Administrator, requires 61% to pass, and has a total of 97 questions.

5. LPI (LINUX PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTE) Certifications

Started back in 1999 by Linus Torvalds, these Linux certifications today has become important for any Linux professional. This program is available in three distinct levels, which are:

LPIC- 1: Linux Administrator

It is a junior-level Linux certification with no perquisites. The candidate needs to pass 2 exams, which covers all basic Linux skills that even include installing and configuring Linux on a workstation, performing maintenance tasks, making LAN or internet connections, and more. Obtain CompTIA Linux+ powered by LPI credential first; which will make you qualified both for Linux+ and LPIC-1 credentials.

LPIC- 2: Linux Engineer

This is an advanced level Linux Certification, which requires an active LPIC-1 certification. It has two exams- First covers the file system and devices, kernel, system startup, network configuration, system maintenance, storage administration, and even capacity planning and the second exam covers email services, network client management, domain name servers, system security and troubleshooting, and the like tasks.

LPIC- 3: Linux Enterprise Professional Certification

It is a senior-level Linux certification, which needs an active LPIC-2 besides passing any single exam in the 300 series. This certification includes exam IDs, which are:

◈ 300: Mixed Environment
◈ 303: Security
◈ 304: Virtualization and High Availability

300: Mixed Environment covers Samba, work with Linux & windows client, and even plus OpenLDAP.

303: Security covers operations, application security, and the network are covered under the security exam besides cryptography and access controls.

304: Virtualization and High Availability covers virtualization and high availability cluster storage and engagement.

Latest Certification in LPIC

LPI’s latest certification is the LPIC-OT DevOps Tools Engineer, which allows the Linux professionals to utilize the tools for collaboration during software and system development. The exam has 60 questions and it lasts for about 90 minutes.