Cloud+ study guide · 2026

The 6 Cloud+ domains, explained

6 domains and 19 official domains. Cloud Architecture carries the most weight at 23%. Each guide explains what the domain covers, how its questions are framed and where candidates lose marks.

Start with Domain 1 See all domains
Questions
Max 90
Time
90 minutes
Passing score
750 / 900
Outline
CV0-004 (V4), launched 24 September 2024 (current)

Exam blueprint

Bar widths follow the official weights. Weight ranges are drawn at their midpoint.

  1. 1 23%
  2. 2 19%
  3. 3 17%
  4. 4 19%
  5. 5 10%
  6. 6 12%
  1. 1 Cloud Architecture
  2. 2 Deployment
  3. 3 Operations
  4. 4 Security
  5. 5 DevOps Fundamentals
  6. 6 Troubleshooting

All 6 domains

19 official domains 95–130 hrs suggested study

  1. Domain 01 23%

    Cloud Architecture

    This is the largest Cloud+ domain. It covers vendor-neutral cloud architecture: the deployment and service models, cloud networking and storage concepts, and analyzing requirements to design a scalable, resilient and highly available cloud solution across any provider.

    Inside this domain

    • Compare and contrast cloud models and design principles
    • Explain cloud networking concepts
    • Explain cloud storage concepts
    • Analyze requirements to design a scalable and highly available cloud solution

    Watch for Model confusion

    Domains
    4
    Questions est.
    ~21
    Study time est.
    20–30 hrs
  2. Domain 02 19%

    Deployment

    This domain covers provisioning and configuring cloud resources and moving workloads to the cloud: deploying compute, storage and networking, and performing migrations and workload integration across providers.

    Inside this domain

    • Provision and configure cloud compute resources
    • Provision and configure cloud storage and networking
    • Perform cloud migrations and workload integration

    Watch for Refactor under deadline

    Domains
    3
    Questions est.
    ~17
    Study time est.
    20–25 hrs
  3. Domain 03 17%

    Operations

    This domain covers running cloud environments day to day: managing and optimizing resources and capacity, performing backup, restore and business continuity, and monitoring resources with logging and alerting.

    Inside this domain

    • Manage and optimize cloud resources and capacity
    • Perform backup, restore, and business continuity operations
    • Monitor cloud resources and manage logging and alerting

    Watch for Backup for fast recovery

    Domains
    3
    Questions est.
    ~15
    Study time est.
    15–20 hrs
  4. Domain 04 19%

    Security

    This domain covers securing cloud environments: identity and access management, securing networks and data, applying compliance, governance and vulnerability management, and deploying cloud security controls.

    Inside this domain

    • Implement identity and access management in the cloud
    • Secure cloud networks and data
    • Apply compliance, governance, and vulnerability management
    • Deploy and manage cloud security controls

    Watch for Stronger password vs. MFA

    Domains
    4
    Questions est.
    ~17
    Study time est.
    20–25 hrs
  5. Domain 05 10%

    DevOps Fundamentals

    This is the newest Cloud+ domain. It covers DevOps practices for the cloud: source control, continuous integration and delivery pipelines and automation, and using infrastructure as code and configuration management.

    Inside this domain

    • Apply source control, CI/CD pipelines, and automation
    • Use infrastructure as code and configuration management

    Watch for CD for early testing

    Domains
    2
    Questions est.
    ~9
    Study time est.
    10–15 hrs
  6. Domain 06 12%

    Troubleshooting

    This domain covers systematically diagnosing and resolving cloud problems: connectivity and networking issues, performance and capacity issues, and security, deployment and automation failures.

    Inside this domain

    • Troubleshoot connectivity and networking issues
    • Troubleshoot performance and capacity issues
    • Troubleshoot security, deployment, and automation issues

    Watch for Restart before diagnosing

    Domains
    3
    Questions est.
    ~11
    Study time est.
    10–15 hrs

Study the heaviest domains first

Marks follow weight. This order puts the most marks behind you first, across about 95–130 hrs of study.

  1. 1 Cloud Architecture 23% · 20–30 hrs
  2. 2 Deployment 19% · 20–25 hrs
  3. 4 Security 19% · 20–25 hrs
  4. 3 Operations 17% · 15–20 hrs
  5. 6 Troubleshooting 12% · 10–15 hrs
  6. 5 DevOps Fundamentals 10% · 10–15 hrs

Try one

Practice questionDomain 1: Cloud Architecture

An application must remain available even if an entire data center within a region fails, and must automatically add capacity during traffic spikes and remove it when demand drops. Which combination of design approaches BEST meets these requirements?

One trap from every domain

The answer that looks right, and the clue that gives it away.

  • Domain 1

    Model confusion

    Clue The scenario is about location and ownership versus management responsibility.

  • Domain 2

    Refactor under deadline

    Clue The constraint is a tight migration timeline.

  • Domain 3

    Backup for fast recovery

    Clue The recovery must be fast with almost no data loss.

  • Domain 4

    Stronger password vs. MFA

    Clue The risk is a stolen or phished credential.

  • Domain 5

    CD for early testing

    Clue The goal is to catch integration issues early on each change.

  • Domain 6

    Restart before diagnosing

    Clue The problem is instances not communicating on the network.

Other Cloud Computing certifications

Study guides for exams that overlap with Cloud+.

Practise what you read

Cloud+ domains: common questions

How many domains are in the Cloud+ exam?

Cloud+ has 6 domains with 19 official domains between them: Cloud Architecture, Deployment, Operations, Security, DevOps Fundamentals and Troubleshooting.

Which Cloud+ domain carries the most weight?

Cloud Architecture is the heaviest at 23%, followed by Deployment (19%). The lightest is DevOps Fundamentals (10%). Weights come from CompTIA's official outline.

What is the Cloud+ exam format?

Questions: Max 90. Time allowed: 90 minutes. Passing score: 750 / 900.

How long should I study for Cloud+?

Our planning estimate is 95–130 hrs across all domains, split by weight. It is an editorial estimate, not an official figure, so adjust it to your experience and to how you score on practice questions.

Where should I start?

Start with Cloud Architecture, because it carries the most marks, then work down by weight. Use the checklist on each domain page to confirm you can do what the domain asks before moving on.

Which outline is this guide based on?

This guide follows CV0-004 (V4), launched 24 September 2024 (current), published by CompTIA. It was last reviewed in October 2026.

Domain names, weights and domains come from CompTIA's official outline (CV0-004 (V4), launched 24 September 2024 (current)). Question counts and study hours are editorial planning estimates, not official figures. Last reviewed October 2026.