JFrog Artifactory Certified DevOps Engineer study plan

Install a single-node JFrog Platform (Artifactory plus Xray) from the official system YAML on a VM or in containers, backed by an external PostgreSQL database, and reach a green health state.

Draw the request path from client through reverse proxy to router to Artifactory/Xray, and annotate each service with its role, default port, and health endpoint in your own notes.

Terminate TLS at Nginx in front of the router and confirm that both the UI and a REST API call succeed only over HTTPS.

Change three system-level settings (filestore layout or storage backend, DB connection pool size, log retention) and record the before/after values and the observable effect.

Create local, remote, and virtual repositories for Maven, npm, and Docker, then resolve the same artifact through each repository type and note the differences.

Configure one remote repository with upstream credentials and cache retention, then prove offline resolution by blocking the upstream and pulling a previously cached artifact.

Build a lookup table mapping package type to physical storage path for at least 4 formats, and verify each path against the actual filestore layout.

Apply include/exclude patterns on a remote repository and confirm that a blocked path returns a denial while an allowed path still resolves.

Explain in writing when a virtual repository is preferable to pointing consumers directly at local and remote repositories, using your own topology as the example.

Design a repository topology for a mixed stack (Maven, npm, PyPI, Docker, Helm) with a naming convention, and justify each local/remote/virtual split.

Implement a virtual repository that aggregates two locals and one remote, then force an artifact shadowing case and verify the resolution order behaves as documented.

Configure Docker repository path prefixes behind a hostname-based reverse proxy and pull an image through the virtual Docker repository.

Define a retention and cleanup policy for snapshot builds and untagged images, run it, and confirm filestore space is reclaimed.

Draft a least-privilege matrix for dev, QA, prod, and read-only CI identities across 4 repositories, then implement it with users, groups, and permission targets.

Integrate an external identity provider (LDAP or SAML/OIDC) against a test directory and verify that group membership drives effective permissions at login.

Issue scoped, expiring access tokens for CI and prove a token cannot read a repository outside its scope.

Configure anonymous access so that exactly one intended repository allows unauthenticated pulls and all others deny.

Create a Project scope that isolates repositories and assigns project roles, then confirm that non-members cannot list or read the project's artifacts.

Configure an Xray watch and policy that blocks download of an artifact with a high-severity vulnerability, and demonstrate both the block and the override path.

Query audit and request logs through the REST API for permission changes and denied requests over the past 24 hours.

Harden the instance by setting a password policy, login lockout, and a review of the default admin and anonymous principals.

Publish build-info for a Maven build and an npm build with JFrog CLI, including Git commit, build environment, and dependencies, and retrieve it back through the REST API.

Attach custom properties to artifacts at deploy time and write AQL queries that select artifacts by property and by build name/number.

Promote a build from a staging repository to a production repository and configure a build retention rule that keeps the last 10 builds plus all released ones.

Wire an Xray scan into the CI pipeline and fail the job on a policy violation using a deliberately vulnerable dependency.

Configure push replication between two instances on a cron schedule and verify source and target artifact checksums match after a run.

Configure pull replication on a remote repository and multi-push replication to two targets, then document the failure behavior when one target is offline.

Create, sign, and distribute a release bundle to a target edge instance, and confirm signature verification and version promotion.

Script an end-to-end flow with JFrog CLI: create repository, upload artifact, set properties, trigger replication, and check status.

Automate 5 operational reports with AQL and REST: stale artifacts, largest repositories, artifacts missing properties, failed replications, and repositories with anonymous access.

Configure a webhook or event-based trigger that notifies on a replication or distribution failure, and prove it fires.

Re-run the week 1 install from scratch in under 60 minutes using only your own notes, fixing any gaps you find.

Take a timed 60-question practice set across all five domains and remediate the two weakest areas with targeted labs.