You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
LINUX FOUNDATIONCertified Backstage Associate (CBA)
The Certified Backstage Associate (CBA) certification validates your ability to build and manage standardized developer platforms with Backstage, the open-source internal developer portal. It is designed for developers, DevOps engineers, and platform engineers who want to accelerate onboarding, improve collaboration, and drive product innovation. Earning the CBA demonstrates the skills and mindset to advance your career, your team, and your organization.
Exam formatMultiple-choice
Duration90 minutes
DeliveryLinux Foundation
Free questions482
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What Certified Backstage Associate (CBA) proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
4domains
19objectives
134concepts
$250exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The Certified Backstage Associate (CBA) certification proves you have the skills and mindset to work with Backstage, the open-source platform for building internal developer portals. Internal development platforms are essential to fast developer and engineering onboarding, cross-team collaboration, and product innovation. By earning the CBA, you demonstrate that you can leverage and build standardized developer platforms that increase productivity and collaboration across your organization.
This certification is ideal for developers, DevOps engineers, and platform engineers who want to validate their Backstage expertise and prepare for new job and career opportunities. The exam covers key areas including Backstage development workflows, infrastructure, catalog management, and customization. Passing the exam earns you a digital badge that you can share on LinkedIn, GitHub, and other professional profiles to distinguish yourself as a certified Backstage professional.
Who it’s for
The Certified Backstage Associate (CBA) is designed for developers, DevOps engineers, and platform engineers who work with Backstage or want to build internal developer platforms. It is also suitable for IT professionals who want to demonstrate their ability to standardize developer workflows and improve collaboration across teams. Candidates should have a solid foundation in IT infrastructure, cloud computing, DevOps, and security, as these are essential for success as a developer or engineer. The certification is beginner-level, making it accessible to those who are new to Backstage but have some technical background.
Recommended experience
A solid foundation in IT infrastructure, cloud computing, DevOps, and security is recommended for success. Basic understanding of cloud computing and DevOps practices; Familiarity with IT infrastructure concepts; Some experience with security fundamentals; Interest in building internal developer platforms
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective Linux Foundation measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official Linux Foundation exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Backstage Development Workflow
- Build and run Backstage projects locally
- Understand local development workflows
- Compile a Backstage project with TypeScript
- Download and install dependencies for a Backstage project with NPM/Yarn
- Use Docker to build a container image of a Backstage project
Backstage Infrastructure
- Understand the Backstage framework
- Configure Backstage
- Deploy Backstage to production
- Understand Backstage client-server architecture
Backstage Catalog
- Understand how/why to use Backstage Catalog
- Populate Backstage Catalog
- Using annotations
- Working with manually registered entity locations
- Troubleshooting entity ingestion
- Working with automated ingestion
Customizing Backstage
- Understand frontend versus backend plugins
- Customizing Backstage plugins
- Make changes to React code in Backstage App
- Using Material UI components
On the day
The exam itself
Everything Linux Foundation publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationCertified Backstage Associate (CBA)
Exam formatMultiple-choice
Duration90 minutes
DeliveryLinux Foundation
LanguagesEnglish
Pricing$250
Certification levelAssociate
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path Linux Foundation lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Certified Backstage Associate (CBA)
Credential earnedCertified Backstage Associate (CBA) Associate level certification Renewal and maintenance
The CBA certification is valid for 2 years. Linux Foundation certifications must be renewed to stay current. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. Linux Foundation maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by Linux Foundation
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Linux Foundation, Linux Foundation’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official Linux Foundation certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the CBA exam relate to other Linux Foundation certifications?
The CBA is a standalone certification. Linux Foundation recommends having a solid foundation in IT infrastructure, cloud computing, DevOps, and security, but there is no required prerequisite certification.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in the CBA exam?
No. The CBA exam is an online, proctored, multiple-choice exam. There is no hands-on or lab component.
What is the retake policy for the CBA exam?
The CBA exam includes two exam attempts. If you fail the first attempt, you can retake the exam once. The exam must be scheduled and taken within 12 months of purchase.
Can I get a discount or bundle the CBA exam with other products?
Yes. You can bundle the CBA exam with a THRIVE-ONE Annual Subscription for $495, which includes access to more than 100 educational products and SkillCreds. This bundle saves 40% compared to purchasing separately.
What job roles does the CBA certification map to?
The CBA certification is relevant for developers, DevOps engineers, and platform engineers who work with Backstage or internal developer platforms. It validates skills that support developer onboarding, collaboration, and product innovation.
How soon will I receive my results after taking the CBA exam?
The official exam page does not specify the exact timing for score reports. Typically, online proctored exams provide results shortly after completion, but you should refer to the Candidate Handbook for detailed information.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking the CBA exam?
The CBA exam is available online, so it can be taken from most locations. However, you should check the Linux Foundation website for any regional availability or delivery restrictions.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 482 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept Linux Foundation measures — each one written out.
4domains
19objectives
134concepts
105free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official Linux Foundation exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Backstage Development Workflow113 questions
Build and run Backstage projects locally9 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Understand local development workflows6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Compile a Backstage project with TypeScript4 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Download and install dependencies for a Backstage project with NPM/Yarn8 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Use Docker to build a container image of a Backstage project7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
2Backstage Infrastructure127 questions
3Backstage Catalog151 questions
Understand how/why to use Backstage Catalog7 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Populate Backstage Catalog8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Using annotations6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Working with manually registered entity locations8 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Troubleshooting entity ingestion8 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Working with automated ingestion6 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Build and run Backstage projects locally6 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
27 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
482 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
482questions
105pages
19objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Backstage Development Workflow113 questions
2Backstage Infrastructure127 questions
3Backstage Catalog151 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
134concepts
482free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from Linux Foundation
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
4official links
134concepts mapped
The source
Linux Foundation’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official Linux Foundation outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 19 objectives, 134 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When Linux Foundation changes the outline, this page changes with it.
19objectives on the outline→134concepts written→482free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.