Learn OPC UA properly, for free
Four tracks, fourteen courses and every lesson free. The written lesson and its transcript are open to everyone; video, labs and exams need a free account. Every exercise runs against a public OPC UA server, so you do not need a PLC.
opc.tcp://opcua.umati.app:4840 (umati sample server, read-only), opc.tcp://milo.digitalpetri.com:62541/milo and opc.tcp://opcuademo.sterfive.com:26543, or a local server you start with one command.The four tracks
Track A takes you from knowing nothing about OPC UA to holding a working, tuned subscription against a real server. It covers what OPC UA is, how to connect and browse, how to read and write, and how subscriptions actually behave, which is where most projects go wrong.
Prerequisites: None. You need a laptop and a terminal. No PLC, no licence, no vendor software.
Track B is for people writing code. It covers events, alarms and historical access, authoring your own information model, certificates and PKI properly rather than by disabling security, and building a working client and server in four languages.
Prerequisites: Track A, and enough of one of Python, JavaScript, C# or C to run an example.
Track C is the one that reaches the plant. It covers companion specifications (the standard information models that make integration portable between vendors) PubSub and the unified namespace, and how to get availability, performance and quality data off a machine for OEE.
Prerequisites: Track A. Track B helps but is not required.
Track D is about running OPC UA in production. A troubleshooting clinic that fixes broken configurations on camera, deployment and scaling for a plant rather than a demo, and the conformance machinery (profiles, facets and the Compliance Test Tool) that nobody explains.
Prerequisites: Track A. Track B for the certificate and code lessons.
Credentials
| Credential | Requires | Assessment | Valid |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPC UA Fundamentals | Track A | 40 questions, 75% to pass | 24 months |
| OPC UA Developer | Track A, Track B | 50 questions, 75% to pass | 24 months |
| Machine Data and OEE | Track A, Track C | 45 questions, 75% to pass | 24 months |
| OPC UA Practitioner | Track A, Track B, Track C, Track D | 60 questions, 80% to pass | 24 months |
Create a free account to unlock video, labs, downloadable code and the exams. No card, no sales call.
Create a free account →Last verified 7 September 2026 against OPC UA 1.05.07. OPC UA Connect is an educational resource and is not affiliated with the OPC Foundation.