The first AWS certification that is recommended for beginners is the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification. This certification is designed to validate foundational knowledge of the AWS Cloud and is suitable for individuals with no prior experience in AWS or cloud computing. It covers basic AWS services, security, pricing, and architectural principles. After obtaining the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification, the next recommended certification is the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate certification. This certification validates the ability to design and deploy scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems on AWS. It is one of the most popular AWS certifications and provides a broad understanding of AWS services and architectures.