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Everything you need to know about GitHub Foundations, the entry-level exam in the GitHub certification track, as of 2026. This guide covers the GH-900 exam, the seven domains and their weights, the format and passing score, what changed in the January 2026 outline, why the credential never expires, and the roles it fits.
GitHub Foundations, earned by passing exam GH-900, is the entry-level certification in the GitHub track. It proves you understand how work moves through GitHub: repositories, branches, commits, pull requests, issues, projects, and the collaboration habits that hold a team together on the platform.
The credential is GitHub-branded, but Microsoft administers it. You register with a Microsoft Learn account, schedule through Pearson VUE, and the certification record lives in your Microsoft Learn profile next to any Azure credentials you hold. It is not a Microsoft Certified title; the certificate says GitHub Foundations.
GH-900 carries no prerequisites and is written for non-developers, developers and anyone else who uses GitHub. The skills measured outline is current as of January 2026, the release Microsoft says changed the exam significantly, and it is published on Microsoft Learn.
Git versus GitHub, repositories, commits, branches, accounts, GitHub Flow and Markdown. 25 to 30%.
README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, CODEOWNERS and SECURITY files, templates, insights. 10 to 15%.
Issues, pull requests, discussions, notifications, Gists, Wikis and GitHub Pages. 10 to 15%.
GitHub Actions, Copilot plans and agents, Codespaces, dev containers and github.dev. 10 to 15%.
GitHub Projects, labels, milestones, workflows and saved replies. 5 to 10%.
2FA and passkeys, roles and permissions, Enterprise Managed Users, Copilot policy, branch protection. 10 to 15%.
Open source, Sponsors, following, Marketplace, InnerSource, forks and templates. 5 to 10%.
Four things that make GitHub Foundations the sensible first credential for anyone who works in GitHub in 2026.
GitHub runs six certification exams: Foundations, Actions, Copilot, Advanced Security, Administration, and the newer Agentic AI Developer exam. GH-900 is the only fundamentals exam among them, and it teaches the shared vocabulary every other exam assumes. The role-based exams expect you to already know what this one tests.
Microsoft lists non-developers first in the audience. Project managers who track work in Issues, technical writers who publish through Pages, analysts who version notebooks: GH-900 measures whether you can work in GitHub without a developer translating for you.
The January 2026 outline added GitHub Copilot plans, agents and Agent Mode, Codespaces and dev containers, passkeys and Enterprise Managed Users. Our guide to the 2026 GitHub certification track covers what changed across all six exams.
GitHub Foundations does not expire. Microsoft applies its fundamentals policy to the credential, so there is no renewal assessment and no recertification option, unlike the two-year role-based GitHub exams. It is not a DoD 8140 credential and does not appear on the Approved Qualifications Matrix. The current matrix is published at the DoD Cyber Exchange.
Its weight is practical instead. GitHub is the collaboration platform most software teams already work in, so knowing how to operate there is expected in development, DevOps, documentation and product roles, and GH-900 is the credential that shows it.
Everything you need to know about the certification, the GH-900 exam, and what happens after you pass, as of 2026.
GH-900 is the fundamentals tier of the GitHub track. From here, the right next exam depends on the system you are accountable for. The three below are the ones most GH-900 holders move to.
The move from using GitHub to automating it. GH-200 measures five skill areas rewritten in January 2026, from authoring and troubleshooting workflows to managing Actions for the enterprise and securing automation. The Actions introduction in GH-900 is the on-ramp.
The Copilot credential for developers and team leads. GH-300, last updated August 7, 2026, covers using Copilot responsibly, its features, data and architecture, prompt engineering, developer productivity, and privacy safeguards. The Copilot objectives in GH-900 are the light version of this material.
The administration credential. GH-100 changed significantly in July 2026 and its study guide now carries the title GitHub Enterprise Administrator, covering deployment scenarios from Enterprise Cloud with Enterprise Managed Users to GitHub Enterprise Server. The administration domain in GH-900 is the first step.
GH-900 sits at the fundamentals tier of the GitHub track. Nothing sits below it, and from here the track branches by role into automation, AI-assisted development, enterprise administration and security.
The GitHub groundwork
Pick by the system you own
Enterprise, security or AI agents
Two questions to answer before you commit: can you sit it, and should you pursue GH-900 specifically. Here's a straight answer to both.
No prerequisites and no experience requirement.
GH-900 has no prerequisites. You create a Microsoft Learn account, register with a personal Microsoft account rather than a work account so the record stays with you when you change jobs, and schedule through Pearson VUE. Microsoft names non-developers as part of the audience, so a technical background is not assumed.
The exam assumes you have opened a pull request.
Reading about branches is not the same as resolving a merge conflict in one. The January 2026 outline reaches into Copilot agents, Codespaces, branch protection and Enterprise Managed Users, and the questions expect you to recognize those screens and settings. Create a free GitHub account, build a small project, and run each feature in the outline at least once before you book.
GH-900 is an entry credential, so it supports a role rather than qualifying you for one on its own. These are the six roles where working knowledge of GitHub is part of the job description.
The role most GitHub users hold. GH-900 confirms the collaboration side of the job, from branching and pull requests to code review, Actions and Copilot, the part a coding interview rarely checks.
Owns the pipelines and environments a team ships through. GH-900 covers the Actions, Codespaces and branch protection basics that the GH-200 GitHub Actions exam then builds on.
Publishes and maintains documentation in the same repositories as the code, through Markdown, Wikis and GitHub Pages. GH-900 shows a writer can work inside the developers' toolchain without a translator.
Plans and tracks work in Issues, Projects, labels and milestones. GH-900 gives product and delivery roles the vocabulary to run a backlog in the place the engineers already work.
Manages accounts, roles, permissions, two-factor enforcement and Copilot policies for an organization. GH-900 is the first step toward the GH-100 GitHub Administration exam.
Versions notebooks, scripts and datasets in Git and publishes results through repositories and Pages. GH-900 formalizes the habits that make analytical work reproducible and easy to hand off.
GH-900 holds the fundamentals slot in the GitHub track, the same place AZ-900 holds on the Azure side. Here's how it lines up against the two role-based GitHub exams most people take next and against its Microsoft fundamentals sibling.
| GitHub Foundations (GH-900) | GitHub Actions (GH-200) | GitHub Copilot (GH-300) | Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer | GitHub, administered by Microsoft | GitHub, administered by Microsoft | GitHub, administered by Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Level | Fundamentals | Role-based | Role-based | Fundamentals |
| Focus | Working in GitHub | CI/CD with GitHub Actions | Copilot features and governance | Cloud concepts and Azure basics |
| Current Outline | January 2026 | January 2026 | August 7, 2026 | See Microsoft Learn |
| Exam Time | 100 min | 100 min | 100 min | 45 min |
| Passing Score | 700 of 1000 | 700 of 1000 | 700 of 1000 | 700 of 1000 |
| Cost (US) | $99 | $99 | $99 | $99 |
| Validity | Does not expire | 2 years | 2 years | Does not expire |
| Best For | New GitHub users and non-developer roles | Developers and DevOps engineers who own pipelines | Developers and team leads using Copilot | Beginners and non-technical cloud roles |
Microsoft prices exams by the country where you test, so fees vary outside the United States. None of the GitHub or Azure certifications appear on the DoD 8140 Matrix; their recognition is market-driven rather than DoD-listed. The two-year GitHub credentials are moving onto Microsoft's recertification process, so check your expiration date in your Microsoft Learn profile.
As a Microsoft training partner, our GitHub Foundations boot camp covers all seven GH-900 domains over two days, with hands-on work in live GitHub repositories, Official Microsoft Courseware, your exam voucher, and a free retake included, so you leave exam-ready.
The full GitHub track, the Microsoft program that administers it, and where a first credential fits when you are starting out.
The current structure of all six GitHub exams as of September 2026, which ones were rewritten this year, where candidates lose points, and the order that makes sense once you hold GH-900.
The full Microsoft catalog, from fundamentals through the associate and expert tiers, with exam details and the job roles each path leads to. Useful context once your GH-900 record lands in the same Microsoft Learn profile.
How Microsoft certification has changed over the years and where the program is heading, including the shift to role-based exams and the widening set of platforms Microsoft now certifies.
Which Microsoft-administered certifications candidates are sitting most this year, and what that says about where employers are hiring and which entry points are worth your time.
A first-credential roadmap for people with no IT background, and how to pick a starting point with no prerequisites and a realistic study window that you can actually pass.
The alternative routes into IT when you don't hold a degree, and how entry-level certifications plus a public portfolio, the kind a GitHub profile was built to hold, stand in for a transcript.
How to choose between cloud and security as a first specialty, and why the collaboration basics underneath both, version control included, are worth learning before you commit to either.
The GH-900 exam is organized into seven domains, each carrying its own weight. Git and GitHub basics is the heaviest at 25 to 30 percent, and four of the remaining six sit at 10 to 15 percent each. Click any domain for what it covers.
The difference between Git and GitHub, how repositories, commits and branches work, and how personal accounts, organizations and enterprise accounts fit together. Also covers GitHub Flow, Markdown, and the GitHub Desktop and GitHub Mobile clients. The heaviest domain on the exam.
How a repository is structured and documented, including the README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, CODEOWNERS and SECURITY files, and how repository templates speed up new projects. Also covers the insights and metrics GitHub reports about a repository's activity.
Issues, pull requests and discussions as the working surfaces of a project, plus notifications and how to keep them under control. Also covers Gists, Wikis and GitHub Pages as ways to share snippets and publish documentation.
An introduction to GitHub Actions for automation, and to GitHub Copilot across its Individual, Business and Enterprise plans, including agents, Agent Mode and multi-model support. Also covers Codespaces, dev containers and the github.dev editor.
GitHub Projects as the planning layer, with labels and milestones to organize issues and pull requests. Also covers project workflows and saved replies that keep repetitive work consistent across a team.
Two-factor authentication and passkeys, roles and permissions across repositories and organizations, and Enterprise Managed Users. Also covers Copilot policy management, repository visibility and branch protection.
How open source works on GitHub, from following people and organizations to GitHub Sponsors and the Marketplace. Also covers InnerSource inside a company, and when to fork a repository versus starting from a template.
Domains and weights reflect the Microsoft Learn GH-900 study guide, skills measured as of January 2026, the release Microsoft says changed the exam significantly. Microsoft refreshes GitHub exams periodically, so confirm the current outline on Microsoft Learn before scheduling.
The questions candidates ask most often when researching the GitHub Foundations certification.
GitHub Foundations, earned by passing exam GH-900, is the entry-level certification in the GitHub track. It covers Git and GitHub basics, repositories, collaboration, modern development practices including Actions and Copilot, project management, security and administration, and the GitHub community. It's written for non-developers, developers, and anyone else who works in GitHub.
Microsoft administers it, but the credential stays GitHub-branded. You register with a Microsoft Learn account, schedule through Pearson VUE, and the certification appears in your Microsoft Learn profile, but the title is GitHub Foundations rather than a Microsoft Certified credential. Training Camp teaches it as a Microsoft training partner using Official Microsoft Courseware.
No. GH-900 has no prerequisites and no experience requirement, so anyone can register and sit the exam. Microsoft names non-developers first in the audience, and the outline assumes only foundational knowledge of Git, repositories, collaboration tools, project management and modern development practices.
The seven domains are Understand Git and GitHub basics (25 to 30 percent), Work with GitHub repositories (10 to 15 percent), Collaborate using GitHub (10 to 15 percent), Apply modern development practices (10 to 15 percent), Manage projects with GitHub (5 to 10 percent), Understand privacy, security, and administration (10 to 15 percent), and Explore the GitHub community (5 to 10 percent). Basics carries the most weight by a clear margin.
Microsoft does not publish a question count for GH-900. You have 100 minutes, the same length as the other GitHub certification exams, and Microsoft says the exam may include interactive components, so plan your pace around the clock rather than a fixed number of items.
You need 700 on a scale of 100 to 1000. Microsoft uses scaled scoring, so 700 doesn't mean 70 percent correct, and the passing line reflects overall performance across the seven domains rather than a straight percentage. If you fail a first attempt, you can retake after 24 hours.
The GH-900 exam costs $99 USD in the United States, scheduled through Pearson VUE. Microsoft prices by the country where you test, so check the exam page for your region. Training Camp's GitHub Foundations boot camp includes the exam voucher in the program fee, along with a free retake.
Microsoft's change log says the exam changed significantly in January 2026, with objectives added, removed, moved and reworded. The current outline covers GitHub Copilot's Individual, Business and Enterprise plans, including agents, Agent Mode and multi-model support, plus Codespaces and dev containers, passkeys, Enterprise Managed Users and Copilot policy management. Confirm the skills measured date on any study material before you rely on it.
No. GitHub certifications don't appear on the DoD 8140 Approved Qualifications Matrix, so GH-900 on its own won't satisfy a cyber-coded position requirement. Its value is practical instead: GitHub is where most development teams already collaborate, and the credential shows you can work there. See the full DoD 8140 work role paths.
No. Microsoft states that the GitHub Foundations certification does not require renewal. As the GitHub certifications move onto Microsoft's policies, GH-900 follows the fundamentals policy, which has no recertification option, so the credential never expires. The role-based GitHub exams such as GH-200 and GH-300 are valid for two years and are moving onto Microsoft's recertification process.
GH-900 fits software developers, DevOps engineers, technical writers and documentation specialists, project managers and product owners who work in GitHub, IT administrators who manage GitHub organizations, and data analysts and researchers who version their work. It's an entry credential, so it supports a role rather than qualifying you for one on its own.
Pick by the system you're accountable for. Developers and DevOps engineers who own pipelines go to GH-200 GitHub Actions. Teams rolling out Copilot go to GH-300. Enterprise administrators take GH-100, application security engineers take GH-500 Advanced Security, and anyone running AI agents inside a development workflow should look at GH-600. Training Camp's GitHub Enterprise Certification Track covers GH-100, GH-200, GH-300 and GH-500, and the GitHub AI Certification Track pairs GH-300 with GH-600.
For anyone new to GitHub, or working alongside developers without a developer background, yes. It costs $99, has no prerequisites, never expires, and the January 2026 outline covers the Copilot and Codespaces features teams are adopting now. If you already use GitHub every day, skip it and put your exam budget toward the role-based exam that matches your job.
If you're weighing the certification, planning the GitHub track for yourself, or arranging GitHub training for a team, tell us where you are and we'll help you map out the right path.