How can I learn DevOps and cloud platforms without a credit card?

Start with Linux, networking, Git, Docker, and basic scripting before focusing heavily on AWS or Google Cloud. Once those foundations are solid, cloud-specific services become much easier to understand. Training labs and free educational platforms can also provide guided cloud exercises without requiring you to maintain your own provider account.

If you want to work with real cloud services, a debit card or prepaid card may be accepted by some providers, but check the current terms first. Free tiers can still generate charges if something is misconfigured, so set billing alerts, spending limits, and automatic cleanup immediately. If using a card isn’t possible, a low-cost VPS can provide a practical environment for Linux, containers, networking, deployments, and CI/CD, while keeping the monthly cost predictable.

You can learn most of the important DevOps skills locally. Run Kubernetes with kind or K3s, use Docker for containers, set up a local registry, and use GitHub Actions or another CI tool for pipelines. You can also practice Terraform with local virtualization platforms instead of a cloud provider. DevOps is more about automation, infrastructure, and repeatable processes than about one particular cloud vendor.

LocalStack is a good option for simulating many AWS services without creating a paid cloud account. It can emulate services such as S3, Lambda, and some database features, although it uses a fair amount of system resources. For broader practice, you can run MinIO for object storage, PostgreSQL or MySQL for databases, Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring, and K3s for Kubernetes. A small local lab can teach you a lot before you ever deploy to AWS or Google Cloud.