What is the Difference Between CCDA and CCDP and CCDE?

CCDA, CCDP, and CCDE are certifications from Cisco, a leading company in networking products, designed to validate an individual's knowledge and skills in network design. The main differences between these certifications are their levels of complexity and scope:

1. CCDA (Cisco-Certified Design Associate): This certification focuses on the basic level of comprehension for Cisco devices. A person holding the CCDA certificate is expected to be able to design switched and routed networks, WANs, and broadband services. The CCDA curriculum includes designing basic campus, data center, security, voice, and wireless networks.
2. CCDP (Cisco-Certified Design Professional): This certification validates advanced knowledge of network design concepts and principles. A professional with a CCDP certification can discuss, design, and create advanced addressing and routing, security, network management, and data center solutions. The curriculum of CCDP includes building multilayer switched networks and scalable internetworks.
3. CCDE (Cisco-Certified Design Expert): This certification is the most advanced of the three and validates an individual's ability to design, integrate, and optimize operations, security, and ongoing support focused at the infrastructure level for networks of corporations. The CCDE certification has no prerequisites and includes written exams as well as practical exams.

In summary, the main differences between CCDA, CCDP, and CCDE certifications are their levels of complexity and scope, with CCDA being the most basic and CCDE being the most advanced. CCDA and CCDE do not have prerequisites, while CCDP does. Additionally, CCDA and CCDP have written exams, while CCDE has both written and practical exams.

Comparative Table: CCDA vs CCDP vs CCDE

Here is a table comparing the CCDA, CCDP, and CCDE certifications:

Please note that the CCDA and CCDP certifications have been retired and replaced by the ICND1 and ICND2 exams, respectively. The CCDE certification, however, is still active and relevant.