If you are preparing for the AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) exam, you may be wondering what the new DVA-C03 exam means for you. AWS is updating this certification to match the skills developers use today—such as building apps on AWS, using AI tools to help write and review code, and keeping applications secure.

The good news: you still have time to choose the exam that fits your schedule. DVA-C02 is available until November 30, 2026. Registration for DVA-C03 opens on October 27, 2026, and the new exam is available starting December 1, 2026.

In this article, we’ll cover the transition dates, what is changing in DVA-C03, who the certification is for, and how to decide which exam to take.

What Is the AWS Certified Developer – Associate?

The AWS Certified Developer – Associate certification shows that you can build, test, deploy, and troubleshoot applications using AWS services. It is for developers who create and maintain cloud applications using services, APIs, containers, and automated deployment pipelines.

Today, developers do more than write code. They also need to keep applications secure, automate testing and releases, fix issues, improve performance, and use AI tools responsibly.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate Is Being Updated

AWS Certification is updating the exam from DVA-C02 to DVA-C03 to better match what developers do in real projects.

AI-assisted development is now part of everyday development work. Developers use AI tools to help write, review, test, troubleshoot, and improve code. They may also add AI services to applications and need to make sure those AI interactions are secure.

DVA-C03 still covers the AWS development fundamentals from DVA-C02. It also checks your understanding of modern tools and AI-assisted development workflows.

Important DVA-C03 Dates

• October 27, 2026 – Registration for DVA-C03 opens in all currently supported languages.

• November 30, 2026 – Last day to take the current DVA-C02 exam.

• December 1, 2026 – DVA-C03 becomes generally available.

DVA-C03 will be available in all languages currently supported by DVA-C02 at launch.

Who Is This Certification For?

DVA-C03 is designed for developers who build, test, deploy, and debug applications using AWS services. It is well suited for:

• Software Developers building cloud-native applications



• Backend Engineers integrating AWS services and AI capabilities into applications

• DevOps practitioners managing CI/CD pipelines and deployments

• Full-stack Developers working across application layers

AWS recommends at least one year of hands-on experience building and maintaining applications with AWS. You should be comfortable with at least one programming language and have a basic understanding of the application lifecycle, CI/CD pipelines, and AI-assisted development tools.

For employers and AWS Partners, the certification provides confidence that developers have validated skills in both traditional cloud development and AI-assisted workflows—helping teams ship secure, high-quality applications with modern tooling.

What’s New in DVA-C03?

The updated exam keeps the main DVA-C02 topics, but adds and simplifies skills to better reflect how developers work today.

• AI Security

  • A new Task 2.3 focuses on protecting AI services and AI agents. This includes controlling access, keeping data private, filtering unsafe content, protecting against prompt injection, managing what tools an agent can use, and keeping sensitive data out of logs.

• AI-Assisted Development Across All Domains

  • AI tools can help at different stages of development: writing and reviewing code, automating tests, supporting CI/CD approvals, investigating errors, and suggesting performance improvements.

• Container Management

  • You may see questions about creating container images with Amazon ECR and running containerized applications using Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, and AWS Fargate.

• New In-Scope Services

  • Candidates can expect coverage of Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, Amazon Q, Kiro, Amazon Data Firehose, and AWS PrivateLink.

• Streamlined Skills

  • Several topics have been consolidated to reflect end-to-end developer workflows. This includes DynamoDB, encryption and sensitive-data security, testing, observability, and optimization.

Key Consolidations

• DynamoDB: Four separate skills are consolidated into one comprehensive skill.

• Security: Thirteen skills across two tasks for encryption and sensitive data are consolidated into seven skills in one task.

• Testing: Eleven skills across two tasks are consolidated into five skills in one task.

• Observability: Eight skills are consolidated into five skills.

• Optimization: Nine skills are consolidated into six skills.

What Is Out of Scope?

DVA-C03 does not cover prompt engineering, RAG design, AI model selection, Amazon SageMaker AI, or AI governance framework design. The focus remains on practical application development and secure use of AWS services and AI-assisted workflows.

DVA-C03 Exam Domains

The four exam domains remain unchanged:

1. Development with AWS Services (30%)

2. Security (26%)

3. Testing and Deployment (22%)

4. Troubleshooting and Optimization (22%)

The full exam guide, including detailed task statements, will be available when registration opens on October 27, 2026.

Should You Take DVA-C02 or DVA-C03?

The best choice depends on how far along you are with your preparation.

Take DVA-C02 by November 30, 2026 if you are already prepared and want to earn the certification sooner. Certifications earned through DVA-C02 remain active through their original expiration date.

Wait for DVA-C03 if you want an exam that validates AI-assisted development skills, modern security practices for AI services, container management, and current AWS development workflows. Registration opens on October 27, 2026, and delivery begins December 1, 2026.

Still Preparing for DVA-C02?

If you have already started studying for DVA-C02, you do not need to restart. You can continue your current plan and take the exam until November 30, 2026.

DVA-C02 still validates the key skills needed to build, secure, deploy, and troubleshoot AWS applications. Focus on the official exam guide, hands-on practice, and scenario-based questions.