SAA-C03 and DVA-C02 are both AWS associate certifications, but they target different roles. SAA-C03 (Solutions Architect Associate) is about designing well-architected solutions and choosing the right services. DVA-C02 (Developer Associate) is about building, deploying, and debugging applications on AWS using the SDKs, Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, and CI/CD tooling. Pick the one that matches your day job.
AWS SAA-C03 vs AWS DVA-C02 at a glance
| AWS SAA-C03 | AWS DVA-C02 | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Associate | Associate |
| Best for | Those designing AWS architectures | Developers building and deploying apps on AWS |
| Main focus | Architecture across compute, storage, networking, security, and cost | Developing, deploying, and debugging cloud apps with AWS SDKs and services |
| Prerequisites | None; AWS experience helpful | None; development experience with an AWS SDK helpful |
| Difficulty | Intermediate - architecture scenarios | Intermediate - code and service-behavior focus |
| Exam length | 130 min | 130 min |
| Passing score | 72% | 72% |
Key differences
- Design vs build. SAA-C03 focuses on architecture decisions and trade-offs. DVA-C02 focuses on writing and deploying application code that uses AWS services correctly.
- Services emphasized. SAA-C03 spans a broad range of services at a design level. DVA-C02 goes deeper on developer services - Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, SQS and SNS, CodePipeline, and the SDKs.
- Who it suits. SAA-C03 suits solutions architects and cloud engineers. DVA-C02 suits software developers who build on AWS.
Which should you take?
Take SAA-C03 if your work is designing and choosing AWS architectures, or if you want the most widely recognized AWS associate credential. Take DVA-C02 if you write application code on AWS and want to prove you can build and deploy on the platform. They overlap enough that many people eventually earn both; start with the one closest to your role.
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, SAA-C03 or DVA-C02?
SAA-C03 is the most popular AWS certification overall and is recognized broadly. DVA-C02 is popular specifically among developers who build on AWS.
Is DVA-C02 easier than SAA-C03?
They are the same associate level and comparable in difficulty. DVA-C02 leans toward developer services and service behavior; SAA-C03 leans toward architecture design. The harder one depends on your background.
Can I use SAA-C03 knowledge for DVA-C02?
Yes. The two share a lot of core AWS foundation, so studying one makes the other easier. The main gap is the developer-service depth and coding focus that DVA-C02 adds.