Chef Certified study plan
Chef Certified · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Chef Automation and Infrastructure Management
Explain how Chef Infra Client runs a converge and identify the roles of the node, workstation, and Chef Infra Server
Install Chef Workstation and Chef Infra Client in a local lab, then verify connectivity with knife
Write a minimal cookbook with a default recipe that installs a package and manages a config file
Run chef-client in local mode and read the resource report to confirm convergence
Your checkpoint
A working local cookbook that converges a package and file, plus a one-page lab diagram of the Chef architecture
Chef Automation and Infrastructure Management
Author recipes using core resources such as package, service, template, and file with correct notification syntax
Apply idempotence and guard properties (not_if, only_if) to prevent repeated actions
Use attributes and attribute precedence to parameterize a cookbook across two environments
Upload a cookbook to a hosted or local Chef Infra Server and assign it via a run_list
Your checkpoint
A parameterized cookbook that converges identically on two nodes with different attribute values, with a diff of the node attributes
Chef Automation and Infrastructure Management & Infrastructure Management
Create a custom resource and a library helper to encapsulate reusable logic
Write ChefSpec unit tests and InSpec controls that verify cookbook behavior
Bootstrap a second node with knife and apply a role that includes your cookbook
Diagnose a failed converge by reading the Chef Infra Client log and stack trace
Your checkpoint
A tested cookbook with passing ChefSpec and InSpec runs, plus a short incident write-up of one intentionally broken converge
Infrastructure Management
Explain how Ohai collects node data and use it to drive platform-specific recipe logic
Model environments, roles, and policyfiles and choose the right abstraction for a given scenario
Manage secrets with encrypted data bags and Chef Vault concepts
Describe how Chef Infra Server stores cookbooks, nodes, and search indexes
Your checkpoint
A policyfile-based deployment that pins cookbook versions and uses an encrypted data bag, with a written comparison of roles versus policyfiles
Infrastructure Management & Compliance Management
Write InSpec profiles that test OS hardening settings for SSH, file permissions, and package presence
Run an InSpec profile against a node and interpret the compliance report
Map InSpec controls to a control baseline and explain waivers and exceptions
Integrate a compliance scan into the cookbook converge using the audit cookbook pattern
Your checkpoint
An InSpec profile with at least ten controls that passes on a hardened node and fails on a deliberately misconfigured node
Compliance Management
Configure Chef Infra Server to fetch and run compliance profiles from a profile store
Use attributes and data bags to customize control thresholds per environment
Generate and interpret a compliance report showing pass, fail, and skipped controls
Explain how to remediate a failed control through a cookbook change and re-scan
Your checkpoint
A compliance pipeline that runs a profile on converge and produces a report with a documented remediation for one failing control
Job Orchestration
Describe Chef Automate workflow: verify, build, and deploy stages for a cookbook
Set up a pipeline that runs lint, unit tests, and integration tests before promoting a cookbook
Use Test Kitchen to converge and verify a cookbook across two platforms
Explain how job orchestration coordinates remote execution across nodes
Your checkpoint
A cookbook pipeline that blocks a failing build and promotes a passing build, with logs from each stage
Chef Automation and Infrastructure Management & Infrastructure Management & Compliance Management & Job Orchestration
Run a full timed practice exam and score each domain separately
Review every missed item and write a one-line correction for each
Re-run the weakest domain's hands-on deliverable from an earlier week without notes
Summarize the end-to-end flow from cookbook authoring to compliance reporting in your own words
Your checkpoint
A scored practice exam with a remediation list and a one-page end-to-end architecture summary
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain resource idempotence and demonstrate a cookbook converging twice with no changes on the second run
Week 4: Can bootstrap a node, assign a policyfile, and show a successful converge with pinned cookbook versions
Week 6: Can produce an InSpec compliance report with pass and fail controls and explain how to waive a control
Week 8: Scores at least 80 percent overall on a timed practice exam with no domain below 70 percent