CBA: CNCF CBA (Certified Backstage Associate)

About the CBA Exam

Prove you can build and run an internal developer portal on Backstage

Master Backstage end to end — the local development workflow (creating and running an app with @backstage/create-app and yarn dev, the packages/app + packages/backend monorepo, TypeScript, and building a container image), the framework and its React frontend / Node.js backend client-server architecture, configuration with app-config.yaml and deploying to production, the Software Catalog (entity kinds, catalog-info.yaml, annotations, locations, discovery, and troubleshooting ingestion), and customizing Backstage (frontend versus backend plugins, the backend system, wiring plugins, editing React code in the App, and Material UI theming). Original practice questions covering all 4 official CBA domains. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sourced from CNCF or Linux Foundation certification exams.

Who Should Take This Exam?

The CBA is designed for platform engineers, developers, DevOps engineers, and SREs who are setting up, running, or customizing a Backstage internal developer portal (IDP). There are no formal prerequisites; a working familiarity with JavaScript/TypeScript, React, YAML, and containers is helpful but not required. The exam is multiple-choice and focuses on how Backstage works — its development workflow, architecture, the software catalog, and plugin-based customization.

Typical study time: 2-4 weeks of focused study

Exam Quick Facts

Exam Domains & Weights

The CBA exam covers 4 domains. Focus your study time based on the weights below — higher-weighted domains have more exam questions.

💡 Study tip: Customizing Backstage (32%) is the single heaviest domain — know the difference between frontend and backend plugins, how a plugin is wired into packages/app (routes, the EntityPage) and packages/backend (createBackend + backend.add), and how the UI is themed with Material UI and createUnifiedTheme. The Software Catalog (22%) is the next priority: know the entity kinds (Component, API, System, Domain, Resource, Group, User, Location) and how catalog-info.yaml, annotations, and discovery work together.

Practice Exam — 250 Questions

Prepare for the CBA with our 250-question practice exam covering all 4 exam domains. Every question includes detailed explanations and maps to official exam objectives.

What you get:

• ✅ Exam simulation mode with timer
• ✅ Spaced repetition for weak areas
• ✅ Detailed explanations for every question
• ✅ Progress tracking across domains
• ✅ 20 free questions — no account needed

CNCF Certification Path

Start with KCNA (Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate) for cloud native fundamentals. The CBA (Backstage) certifies your ability to build an internal developer portal and pairs naturally with CGOA (the GitOps operating model), CAPA (the Argo Project for GitOps CD), the Kubernetes track — CKA (administrator), CKAD (developer), and KCSA/CKS (security) — and PCA (Prometheus) for observability.

Related CNCF Certifications

If you’re studying for the CBA, you might also be interested in these CNCF certifications:

• CGOA: CNCF Certified GitOps Associate — 250 practice questions
• KCNA: CNCF Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate — 250 practice questions
• CKAD: CNCF CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer) — 250 practice questions
• CAPA: CNCF Certified Argo Project Associate — 250 practice questions

Study Tips

1. Master plugins — Customizing Backstage is 32% of the exam; know frontend vs backend plugins, wiring a plugin into the app and backend, and theming with Material UI
2. Use our practice exam — try the 20 free questions first to gauge your readiness
3. Review explanations — don’t just check if you got it right; read why each answer is correct
4. Simulate exam conditions — use the timed exam mode to practice under pressure