Certification prep: what DarDevLab credentials validate

DarDevLab certification is not a weekend badge for watching videos. It validates that a student or junior engineer can containerize an app, wire GitLab CI, deploy to a cluster or VPS, write a rollback runbook, and explain what broke when something fails—skills Tunis employers actually need.

This guide documents what each track tests, how projects are graded, and what hiring partners should expect from someone listing DarDevLab on a CV.

Tracks overview

• Container Foundations — Docker, Compose, image hygiene, basic debugging
• CI/CD Practitioner — GitLab pipelines, staging deploy, artifact caching
• Kubernetes Operator — manifests, probes, ingress, resource limits on kind/k3s
• GitOps Module — Flux reconcile, git revert rollback, drift awareness
• Platform Capstone — end-to-end deploy matching DarDev Services checklist

What credentials do not mean

DarDevLab is not CKA, AWS Solutions Architect, or a government diploma. We do not proctor closed-book exams in testing centers. Graduates may pursue external certs afterward—our credential means they shipped projects under mentor review.

Grading rubric (shared with students)

1. Reproducibility

   Another student clones repo and deploys from README only—no secret DMs for missing steps.

2. Security basics

   Non-root containers, no secrets in git,.env.example present.

3. Observability

   Health endpoint, logs accessible, one Grafana or equivalent metric shown.

4. Documentation

   Runbook section: deploy, rollback, known failure modes.

5. Oral defense

   Explain one incident they induced and fixed in lab—memorization fails here.

Container Foundations outcomes

Students exit able to docker build a multi-stage image under 300 MB, explain layer caching, run Compose with Postgres volume, and fix port mapping errors without mentor intervention. See container-basics-tn-students for faculty outline we align to.

CI/CD Practitioner outcomes

Pipeline stages: lint, test, build image, push registry, deploy staging on main merge. Students configure cache for node_modules or Maven sensibly. Failed pipeline must block prod—not optional red badge.

Kubernetes and GitOps modules

Kubernetes track requires working Deployment with liveness/readiness, Service, and Ingress or NodePort documented. GitOps adds Flux GitRepository syncing Kustomize overlay—rollback demonstrated by git revert, not kubectl delete frenzy.

Labs run on student laptops with kind or university-provided k3s—production scale not required; correctness is.

Platform capstone

Capstone combines prior modules: app + DB + CI + deploy + monitoring + runbook. Mentors score against anonymized DarDev client checklist—backup mentioned, TLS considered, secrets not in compose file committed to GitHub.

For employers evaluating candidates

Ask for capstone repo and runbook excerpt in interview. Request walkthrough of failed deploy they fixed. DarDevLab graduate without public project link may have privacy restrictions—ask for mentor reference.

Compare to bootcamps that issue certificates before first production deploy—our bar is deliberately lower on brand polish, higher on git history.

cloud-native-learning-90-days path maps self-study between cohort modules for students who cannot join full-time batch.

Enrollment and cohort dates publish on dardev.net when DarDevLab opens next intake—certificates issue only after mentor sign-off, not attendance alone.

Time commitment per track

Container Foundations: roughly forty hours over four weeks including lab homework. CI/CD Practitioner: thirty hours assuming Git basics present. Kubernetes and GitOps modules: fifty hours each with capstone overlap—students employed full-time should plan evenings explicitly.

Mentor office hours are async-first on GitLab issues—students learn professional ticket communication, not only Slack pings.

Academic partnership model

Universities can embed Foundations as optional module—faculty retain grading sovereignty; DarDev supplies rubric and guest review session. Credit transfer is institution-specific.

Students building portfolio for EU remote jobs benefit from English README and semantic commit messages enforced in CI track.

Failed capstone allows one revision cycle with documented gaps—credential withheld until reproducibility passes.

Sample interview questions for graduates

Walk me through your pipeline from git push to running pod. What happens if Postgres volume disappears? Show runbook rollback section. Where are secrets stored and how rotated? These questions separate certificate holders from engineers who shipped.

DarDevLab mentors update rubric when client stack evolves—Flux added after we adopted it internally, not from trend watching.

Community alumni Discord shares job postings—credential alone never replaces networking in Tunis tech scene.

Faculty requesting syllabus alignment should email DarDevLab via dardev.net with academic calendar dates.

Self-taught applicants may submit equivalent public repos for partial credit review—case by case.

Tracks refresh annually—Kubernetes 1.29 today, updated lab images next cohort; alumni receive diff notes not automatic re-cert.

Integrity policy: plagiarized runbooks fail capstone—git history must show student commits.

Certificate PDF lists modules passed and capstone repo link QR—employers scan to verify mentor signature date.

Re-certification not required today—alumni stay listed in graduate roster with cohort year for partner queries.

Questions about track fit: start with container-basics-tn-students self-assessment quiz linked from DarDevLab onboarding email.

DarDevLab exists to produce deploy-capable juniors—not certificate collectors.

Apply at dardev.net when cohort opens; bring git profile and curiosity about broken deploys.