Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA)
The Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA) is an entry-level certification offered by the Linux Foundation. It targets beginners or professionals in the IT field seeking to upskill and get a better understanding of various open-source concepts.
Given the increased demand for Linux skills over the past few years, an LFCA certification gives you a competitive edge over the rest of the professionals in the market. The LFCA certification is particularly ideal for users trying to advance to a professional level and acquire skills in lucrative areas such as DevOps and Cloud computing. It gives you a solid grounding as you embark on your journey to becoming a competent Linux system administrator or engineer.
LFCA tests the candidates’ proficiency in fundamental Linux administration skills such as running basic commands on the terminal, package management, basic networking skills, best security practices, basic programming skills, and DevOps skills to ensure their preparedness for an entry-level position in a highly competitive job market.
LFCA Domains and Competencies
Key domains and competencies that are evaluated include:
- Linux Fundamentals – 20%
- System Administration Fundamentals – 20%
- Cloud Computing Fundamentals – 20%
- Security Fundamentals – 16%
- DevOps Fundamentals – 16%
- Supporting Applications and Developers – 8%
The LFCA certification is intended to integrate with other IT certifications and provide a ladder to other advanced IT fields that require a solid understanding of Linux systems administration skills.
The exam is purely online and goes for $200. Questions are administered in a multiple-choice format and unlike other certifications, you get a free retake if things don’t go well as planned. The certification is valid for a period of 3 years.
If you are seeking to upskill and advance your career in IT, more importantly as a systems administrator, LFCA will impart the necessary skills required to make you realize that dream.
Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA)+ Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) Exam Bundle
The LFCA is a pre-professional certification intended for those new to the industry or considering starting an IT career as an administrator or engineer. This certification is ideal for users interested in advancing to the professional level through a demonstrated understanding of critical concepts for modern IT systems including cloud computing. The KCNA is a pre-professional certification designed for candidates interested in advancing to the professional level through a demonstrated understanding of kubernetes foundational knowledge and skills. This certification is ideal for students learning about or candidates interested in working with cloud native technologies.
A Certified IT Associate (LFCA) will confirm early proficiency and aptitude in the IT field. The exam is intended to integrate with other qualifications and provides a stepping stone to more advanced credentials. The KCNA is a pre-professional certification designed for candidates interested in advancing to the professional level through a demonstrated understanding of kubernetes foundational knowledge and skills. This certification is ideal for students learning about or candidates interested in working with cloud native technologies.
LFCA will test candidates’ knowledge of fundamental IT concepts including operating systems, software application installation and management, hardware installation, use of the command line and basic programming, basic networking functions, security best practices, and other related topics to validate their capability and preparedness for an entry-level IT position. KCNA will demonstrate a candidate’s basic knowledge of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies, including how to deploy an application using basic kubectl commands, the architecture of Kubernetes (containers, pods, nodes, clusters), understanding the cloud-native landscape and projects (storage, networking, GitOps, service mesh), and understanding the principles of cloud-native security.
Linux Fundamentals 20% Linux Operating System
File Management Commands
System Commands
General Networking Commands System Administration Fundamentals 20% System Administration Tasks
Networking
Troubleshooting Cloud Computing Fundamentals 20% Cloud Computing Fundamentals
Performance / Availability
Serverless
Cloud Costs and Budgeting
Security Fundamentals 16% Security Basics
Data Security
Network Security
System Security: DevOps Fundamentals 16% DevOps Basics
Containers
Deployment Environments
Git Concepts Supporting Applications and Developers 8% Software Project Management
Software Application Architecture
Functional Analysis
Open-source Software and Licensing 
Kubernetes Fundamentals 46% Kubernetes Resources
Kubernetes Architecture
Kubernetes API
Containers
Scheduling Container Orchestration 22% Container Orchestration Fundamentals
Runtime
Security
Networking
Service Mesh
Storage Cloud Native Architecture 16% Autoscaling
Serverless
Community and Governance
Personas
Open Standards Cloud Native Observability 8% Telemetry & Observability
Prometheus
Cost Management Cloud Native Application Delivery 8% Application Delivery Fundamentals
GitOps
CI/CD