Boost Your Career: Comparing the Latest Hands-On Labs in AWS and Azure Certification Training

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👋 Hello Cloud Learners!

Certifications aren’t just about memorizing concepts—they’re about proving you can apply them. That’s where hands-on labs come in. Labs put you inside real-world cloud environments, letting you experiment, build, and validate your skills in a way that multiple-choice practice exams alone can’t match.

Both AWS and Azure have recently expanded their lab offerings. From game-based recertification to role-based scenarios in secure sandboxes, these updates are designed to help you build career-ready skills while preparing for your next exam. Let’s dive into the details, compare AWS and Azure approaches, and see how you can use these labs to accelerate your certification journey.

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🚀 AWS Hands-On Labs

AWS Skill Builder: Expanding the Learning Ecosystem

In June and July 2025, AWS rolled out new features on Skill Builder, their central digital learning platform. This expansion included:

• AWS Builder Labs – These labs walk you through scenario-based tasks directly in the AWS Management Console. Instead of just watching a demo, you deploy, configure, and test real services in a controlled environment. For example, you might practice setting up an Amazon S3 bucket with lifecycle rules or build a simple serverless app using AWS Lambda.

• Cloud Quest – A gamified lab series where you complete cloud challenges in a game-like environment. The new AI-focused edition lets you practice building and deploying machine learning models, helping prepare for AI/ML specialty certifications. It’s an engaging way to learn core services without feeling like you’re “studying.”

• Jam Challenges – Scenario-based, competitive exercises often used in team settings. Imagine being given an “incident” like a failing EC2 instance and racing to troubleshoot and resolve it under time pressure. These challenges develop problem-solving speed that’s directly applicable in real-world roles.

👉 Why it matters: AWS is leaning hard into gamification and variety. Whether you’re a solo learner or part of a team, these labs simulate what it’s actually like to work in the cloud, helping you develop both technical and problem-solving skills.

Challenge Labs: Learning by Doing

AWS Challenge Labs run in secure sandbox environments, meaning you can experiment freely without risking your production environment (or your credit card). These labs cover everything from guided beginner tasks to complex, multi-step enterprise scenarios.

Popular new topics include:

• AI/ML with Amazon Nova – Hands-on practice building, training, and deploying models.

• Database optimization with RDS and Aurora – Learn how to fine-tune query performance, manage replicas, and secure data.

• Security-focused labs – Explore AWS Config rules, IAM policies, and GuardDuty alerts, testing your ability to enforce compliance.

Each lab ends with automatic validation, giving you feedback on what worked, what didn’t, and awarding digital badges you can share on LinkedIn or your resume.

Game-Based Recertification: A First in the Industry

For those with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner credential, AWS has launched a no-cost, game-based recertification option. Instead of sitting for another exam, learners can complete a set of interactive labs designed to refresh knowledge and demonstrate ongoing proficiency.

👉 Why it matters: This approach removes friction from staying certified and keeps skills current in a way that’s both practical and engaging. It’s also likely a sign of what’s coming for higher-level AWS certifications.

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☁️ Azure Hands-On Labs

Secure Sandbox Environments: Hands-On in the Azure Portal

Azure takes a slightly different approach but with the same goal: practical, job-ready skills. Their labs run in preconfigured secure sandboxes, where you sign directly into the Azure Portal and complete exercises. These are not watered-down simulations—you’re working with the real Azure environment.

Scenarios range from:

• Deploying and securing a virtual machine with NSGs and managed identities

• Configuring Azure Firewall and testing rules

• Setting up Azure Monitor alerts and log queries

• Implementing AI workloads like image recognition with Cognitive Services

👉 Why it matters: This is as close as you can get to “real work” without needing your own subscription or enterprise account.

Lab Catalog: Mapping Directly to Certifications

Azure maintains a large catalog of labs that align directly with certification exams. For example:

• AZ-900 (Fundamentals): Basics of cloud concepts, cost management, and Azure services. Labs here are short, guided, and approachable for complete beginners.

• AZ-104 (Administrator): Managing Azure subscriptions, configuring virtual networking, and deploying Azure AD. These labs mirror real admin tasks.

• AZ-305 (Solutions Architect): Multi-tier architecture, scaling strategies, and hybrid identity solutions. These are scenario-heavy and test your ability to design secure, resilient solutions.

• AZ-500 (Security Engineer): Security posture assessments, Defender for SQL, RBAC, and encryption. Labs here are particularly useful given the hands-on nature of security roles.

Each lab emphasizes real-world tasks while reinforcing exam objectives—making them a strong study resource.

Digital Badges & Progress Tracking

Azure’s system rewards learners with digital badges, allowing you to showcase verified accomplishments. You can filter labs by certification path, job role, or difficulty level, creating a personalized learning plan. Over time, this lets you visually track your skill growth and see how close you are to being exam-ready.

👉 Why it matters: If you’re career-focused, Azure’s progress tracking makes it simple to show employers (and yourself) how your skills are advancing along a structured learning path.

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🔑 Key Trends & Takeaways

1. Automatic Validation & Scoring

   Both AWS and Azure now build automatic checks directly into their labs. Instead of wondering if you configured something correctly, the lab environment validates your work in real time. This makes the learning process more efficient and helps prevent bad habits.

2. Scenario-Based & Role-Oriented

   Labs increasingly focus on practical job scenarios. Examples include:

   1. Securing a multi-tenant database

   2. Setting up a resilient multi-region architecture

   3. Deploying an AI chatbot for customer service

   These aren’t just “click here, configure this”—they’re role-based situations that reflect the work you’ll do as a cloud engineer, architect, or security specialist.

3. Gamification & Interactivity

   AWS leads the way with gamification (Cloud Quest, Jam Challenges, and game-based recertification). Azure emphasizes structure with progress badges and curated learning paths. Both keep you engaged, which increases retention.

4. Flexible Subscription Models

   Both AWS Skill Builder and Azure labs operate on subscription models. Individuals can pay annually, while enterprises can purchase team access. This makes it easier to convince your employer to cover the cost as part of professional development.

👉 Bottom line: Hands-on labs aren’t optional anymore—they’re essential. They provide the bridge between studying concepts and proving you can actually use them in real-world situations. If you want to move your career forward, these labs are where the rubber meets the road.

✅ Take the Next Step

Hands-on labs are powerful for practice. But pairing them with full exam simulations is the best way to ensure you’re fully prepared on test day.

📲 Download the apps today:

• Learn AWS

• Learn Azure

They’ll give you hundreds of practice questions, guided explanations, and reports to track your progress alongside what you’re doing in AWS and Azure labs.

Keep learning and building!

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