ca-fdops study plan

Map the CI pipeline stages (source, build, test, package, publish) and write a one-page diagram of a reference pipeline you could implement with a real tool

Set up a local repository with a build script that compiles or lints code and fails the build on error, then run it successfully three times

Configure a commit-triggered automated test run and record the average feedback time from push to result

List five build-automation anti-patterns (for example, builds that depend on a developer machine state) and describe the fix for each

Extend the demo pipeline with a packaging step that produces a versioned artifact and store it in a local registry or artifact folder

Write a declarative infrastructure file that provisions a local container or VM with a documented configuration, then apply it twice to prove idempotency

Explain in writing the difference between imperative scripts and declarative configuration, using your own file as the example

Add a pipeline stage that validates the infrastructure file syntax or plan before any apply runs

Refactor the infrastructure definition into reusable modules or parameterized blocks with at least two environments (dev and staging)

Introduce remote or shared state handling and describe how concurrent changes would be prevented

Write a rollback or destroy procedure and execute it against the staging environment

Document drift detection: change a resource manually, detect the difference, and reconcile it with the code

Design a branching and review workflow (feature branches, pull requests, required checks) and apply it to a change in the demo repository

Add a delivery stage that promotes the artifact from staging to a release candidate with an approval gate

Implement semantic version tagging and generate a changelog from commit history

Practice a trunk-based flow for one week and record merge conflicts and their resolutions

Write a blameless post-incident template and complete one retrospective on a simulated failure in your demo pipeline

Define three service-level indicators and one service-level objective for the demo service, and instrument at least one metric

Configure a dashboard or log query that surfaces build failures and application errors, then trigger a real failure to confirm it appears

Draft an incident response runbook with roles, escalation steps, and communication checkpoints

Containerize the demo application with a minimal base image and a multi-stage build, and compare image size before and after

Deploy the container to a local orchestrator with a health check, resource limits, and a rolling update configuration

Provision a small cloud or sandbox environment using the infrastructure code from week 3 and document the cost and access controls

Describe the shared responsibility model for one managed cloud service in your own words

Add secret scanning and dependency vulnerability scanning to the pipeline and fix at least one finding

Integrate static analysis into the build and configure the pipeline to fail on high-severity issues

Apply least-privilege credentials to the pipeline and document every permission granted and why

Generate a software bill of materials for the built artifact

Assemble an end-to-end pipeline that builds, tests, scans, packages, provisions, and deploys with an approval gate

Run two full practice exams under timed conditions and log every missed question by domain

Re-study the two weakest domains using the error log and rewrite your notes into a one-page cheat sheet

Rehearse explaining the full workflow aloud in under ten minutes as if in an interview