AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator validates the skills to implement, manage and monitor an Azure environment. It is one of the most valuable Azure certifications for cloud engineers, system administrators and DevOps professionals — and it is far more hands-on than AZ-900.
Who should take AZ-104?
- System administrators moving to Azure
- Cloud engineers and support engineers
- DevOps engineers in Microsoft environments
- Candidates preparing for AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect Expert)
Prior experience with PowerShell, the Azure CLI, networking and virtualization is very helpful.
Exam overview
AZ-104 is an associate-level exam with a passing score of 700 out of 1000. It can include case studies and scenario questions. Associate certifications are renewed annually through a free online assessment.
Exam details such as price, length and question count change periodically — always confirm current information on the official certification page before you book.
Skills measured
- Manage Azure identities and governance — Microsoft Entra ID users and groups, RBAC, Azure Policy, subscriptions, management groups and resource locks
- Implement and manage storage — storage accounts, redundancy, access tiers, SAS tokens, Azure Files and backups
- Deploy and manage compute — VMs, availability sets and zones, scale sets, ARM/Bicep templates, containers and App Service
- Implement and manage virtual networking — VNets, subnets, peering, NSGs, Azure DNS, load balancers and VPN connectivity
- Monitor and maintain resources — Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, alerts, Azure Backup and Site Recovery
Hands-on labs to complete
- Create users, groups and RBAC role assignments
- Apply Azure Policy to enforce tagging and allowed regions
- Build a hub-and-spoke network with peering and NSGs
- Deploy VMs into availability zones behind a load balancer
- Configure storage with lifecycle management and private endpoints
- Deploy resources with a Bicep or ARM template
- Set up Azure Monitor alerts and a Log Analytics workspace
- Back up and restore a VM
Labs are essential — AZ-104 rewards practical familiarity with the portal, CLI and PowerShell.
A 6-week study plan
- Week 1: Identity and governance
- Week 2: Storage
- Week 3: Compute and templates
- Week 4: Networking (allow extra time — it is the hardest area for many)
- Week 5: Monitoring, backup and recovery
- Week 6: Practice assessments and weak-area review
Microsoft Learn’s free AZ-104 learning path and practice assessment are excellent starting points.
Exam tips
- Read case studies carefully and note requirements before answering
- Know default behaviors, such as NSG rules and storage redundancy options
- Manage time — mark difficult questions for review
- Learn when to use Azure Policy versus RBAC
After AZ-104
Consider AZ-305 for architecture, AZ-400 for DevOps or AZ-500 for security. Add Terraform skills with Terraform Associate. Compare paths in best cloud certifications and prepare for DevOps interview questions.
Frequently asked questions
Is AZ-104 hard?
It is considered moderately difficult because of its breadth and hands-on focus, especially networking.
Do I need AZ-900 before AZ-104?
No, AZ-900 is not required, but it helps beginners.
How do I renew AZ-104?
Microsoft associate certifications are renewed annually through a free online renewal assessment.
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