Best Ansible Certifications in 2026 — Red Hat EX407 vs Alternatives

Ansible Certification Is Complicated

Ansible is the most widely used configuration management and automation tool in DevOps. It's agentless, uses YAML, and runs on everything. But when it comes to certifications, the landscape is messy.

Red Hat acquired Ansible in 2015 and folded it into their certification program. There's no standalone "Ansible Certified" exam anymore — Ansible skills are tested as part of the RHCE and through the EX407 (now EX374) specialist exam. Both cost $450 and require hands-on performance-based testing.

If you just want to prove you know Ansible, that's a lot of friction and money. Here's how the options break down.

The Ansible Certification Options

Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) — EX294

The RHCE has been redesigned around Ansible automation:

• $450, 3.5 hours
• Performance-based exam (entirely hands-on, no multiple choice)
• Requires active RHCSA ($450 prerequisite)
• Covers: Ansible playbooks, roles, modules, inventories, variables, templates, vault, troubleshooting
• Valid for 3 years
• Best for: system administrators in Red Hat environments who automate with Ansible daily

The catch: you need RHCSA first, making the total investment $900+ before you even touch Ansible certification. And both exams are hands-on with no partial credit.

Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation — EX374

• $450, 4 hours
• Performance-based exam
• No prerequisite (but RHCSA knowledge expected)
• Covers: Ansible Automation Platform, execution environments, automation controller, playbook development, roles, collections
• Focuses specifically on Ansible Automation Platform (the enterprise product)
• Best for: engineers working with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform specifically

The catch: this targets the enterprise Ansible Automation Platform, not vanilla open-source Ansible. If you use Ansible at the command line without the Automation Platform, much of the exam content won't match your daily work.

TrueCert Ansible Track

TrueCert offers a progressive Ansible certification path:

Covers open-source Ansible — playbooks, inventory management, modules, roles, variables, templates, vault, error handling, optimization, and advanced automation patterns. Timed, randomized from a large question bank, instant results.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Which Should You Choose?

Choose RHCE if:

• Your employer requires Red Hat certifications
• You work in a RHEL/CentOS environment and need to prove both Linux admin and Ansible skills
• You already have RHCSA
• Your company will reimburse the $900+

Choose EX374 if:

• You specifically work with Ansible Automation Platform (the enterprise product)
• You need a Red Hat credential but don't want to go through RHCSA first
• Your role involves automation controller, execution environments, and collections

Choose TrueCert if:

• You use open-source Ansible (not the enterprise platform)
• You want to verify your skills without spending $450–$900
• You want progressive levels from beginner to advanced
• You need instant results and verifiable credentials
• You're preparing for RHCE and want to benchmark your Ansible knowledge first

What's Actually Tested

Whether you choose Red Hat or TrueCert, the core Ansible skills overlap:

Fundamentals (tested everywhere):

• Playbook structure and YAML syntax
• Inventory management (static and dynamic)
• Modules — command, copy, file, template, service, package, user
• Variables — vars, facts, registered variables, precedence
• Handlers and notifications
• Conditionals and loops

Professional level:

• Roles — structure, dependencies, Galaxy
• Templates with Jinja2
• Ansible Vault for secrets
• Error handling — blocks, rescue, always
• Tags and limiting execution
• Performance optimization — forks, pipelining, async

Advanced level:

• Custom modules and plugins
• Dynamic inventory scripts
• Callback plugins
• Ansible in CI/CD pipelines
• Large-scale automation patterns
• Testing with Molecule

The Practical Approach

Step 1: Take the free Ansible Introduction — 10 questions, 10 minutes. See if you actually know the basics.

Step 2: If you pass, move to Ansible Fundamentals ($14.99). This covers the same core topics as the RHCE Ansible sections.

Step 3: Ansible Professional ($29.99) tests roles, vault, error handling, and optimization — the skills you need for production automation.

Step 4: If you want to prove advanced expertise, the Advanced Automation Engineer ($44.99) covers custom modules, testing, CI/CD integration, and large-scale patterns.

Step 5: If your employer specifically requires RHCE, go for it — you'll be well-prepared after validating your knowledge across TrueCert's levels. And you'll have saved yourself from discovering gaps during a $450 exam.

The Bottom Line

Red Hat's Ansible certifications are rigorous and respected — but at $450–$900 with hands-on exams and multi-day wait times for results, they're a serious investment.

Most engineers using Ansible day-to-day don't need the Red Hat brand. They need proof they can write playbooks, manage inventories, use roles, and automate at scale. TrueCert verifies exactly that — starting free, with instant results, across four progressive levels.

Start with the free Ansible Introduction and see where you stand. Or explore how Ansible fits into the bigger picture in our Best DevOps Certifications in 2026 guide.