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Updated – 17/08/2023 – The exam guide below shows the changes to be implemented starting on August 21, 2023. The study guide has been updated to reflect the new exam objectives added by Microsoft.
Updated – 21/04/2023 – The exam study guide below includes a new Free practice assessment for the AZ-204 certification.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Microsoft is keeping evolving its learning programs to help you and your career keep pace with today’s demanding IT environments. The new updated role-based certifications will help you to keep pace with today’s business requirements. Microsoft Learning is constantly evolving its learning program to better offer what you need to skill up, prove your expertise to employers and peers, and get the recognition—and opportunities—you’ve earned.
In January 2020, Microsoft announced new updates to several Azure and Data certifications, which were released in March 2020. The certifications that you earned are not changing, but the exams required to earn the certifications are changing.
| Certification | Old Exam | New Exam | Expected Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate | AZ-103 | AZ-104 | March, 2020 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate | AZ-203 | AZ-204 | February 20, 2020 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect | AZ-300 & AZ-301 | AZ-303 & AZ-304 | June, 2020 |
Last year, I passed the transition exam AZ-202 to earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate. The transition exam was only intended for those candidates who have taken and passed the previous Exam 70-532: Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions.
To get the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification, you are required to pass only ONE exam, the AZ-204: Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate.
Here is the full path for the Skills required and the Exam to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate Certification:
I decided to update my skills and take the new AZ-204 Azure Developer Associate. I am so happy and grateful now that I passed the AZ-204 exam – Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure. I figured that I would share my experience in this post to help you prepare and tackle this exam successfully.
In this exam, I got around 49 questions, including 2 case studies, and the total time for this exam is 130 minutes (~2 hours), so you have enough time to finish it. The questions do pretty much match the list of skills measured below.
Updated on 24/11/2025 – For the renewal assessment, I got 25 questions in total without any case study.
The performance assessment is based on the following topics:
> Implement Azure Functions
> Implement secure Azure solutions
> Troubleshoot solutions by using Application Insights
> Implement containerized solutions
> Monitor app performance
> Implement Azure Container Apps
> Manage container images in Azure Container Registry
> Develop solutions that use Azure Blob
> Develop solutions that use Azure
Exam Target Audience
Candidates for this exam are cloud developers who participate in all phases of development, from requirements definition and design to development and deployment, and maintenance. They partner with cloud DBAs, cloud administrators, and clients to implement solutions.
Candidates should be proficient in Azure SDKs, data storage options, data connections, APIs, app authentication and authorization, compute and container deployment, debugging, performance tuning, and monitoring.
Candidates must have 1-2 years of professional development experience and experience with Microsoft Azure, and you must be able to program in an Azure Supported Language.
This certificate is for Azure Developers who design and build cloud solutions such as applications and services. They participate in all phases of development including solution design, development and deployment, and testing and maintenance. They partner with cloud solution architects, cloud DBAs, cloud administrators, and clients to implement the solution.
Skills measured on this exam
This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical topics listed below based on the latest update from Microsoft:
Develop Azure compute solutions (25-30%)
Implement containerized solutions
- Create and manage container images for solutions
- Publish an image to Azure Container Registry
- Run containers by using Azure Container Instance
- Create solutions by using Azure Container Apps
Implement Azure App Service Web Apps
- Create an Azure App Service Web App
- Enable diagnostics logging
- Deploy code to a web app
- Configure web app settings including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), API settings, and connection strings
- Implement autoscaling
Implement Azure functions
- Create and configure an Azure Function App
- Implement input and output bindings
- Implement function triggers by using data operations, timers, and webhooks
Develop for Azure storage (15-20%)
Develop solutions that use Azure Cosmos DB
- Perform operations on containers and items by using the SDK
- Set the appropriate consistency level for operations
- Implement change feed notifications
Develop solutions that use Azure Blob Storage
- Set and retrieve properties and metadata
- Perform operations on data by using the appropriate SDK
- Implement storage policies and data lifecycle management
- Implement static site hosting
Implement Azure security (20-25%)
Implement user authentication and authorization
- Authenticate and authorize users by using the Microsoft Identity platform
- Authenticate and authorize users and apps by using Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra
- Create and implement shared access signatures
- Implement solutions that interact with Microsoft Graph
Implement secure Azure solutions
- Secure app configuration data by using App Configuration or Azure Key Vault
- Develop code that uses keys, secrets, and certificates stored in Azure Key Vault
- Implement Managed Identities for Azure resources
Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (15-20%)
Implement caching for solutions
- Configure cache and expiration policies for Azure Cache for Redis
- Implement secure and optimized application cache patterns including data sizing, connections, encryption, and expiration
- Implement Azure CDN endpoints and profiles
Troubleshoot solutions by using Application Insights
- Configure an app or service to use Application Insights
- Monitor and analyze metrics, logs, and traces
- Implement Application Insights web tests and alerts
Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services (15-20%)
Implement API management
- Create an Azure API Management (APIM) instance
- Create and document APIs
- Configure access to APIs
- Implement policies for APIs
Develop event-based solutions
- Implement solutions that use Azure Event Grid
- Implement solutions that use Azure Event Hub
Develop message-based solutions
- Implement solutions that use Azure Service Bus
- Implement solutions that use Azure Queue Storage queues
Lessons Learned and Exam Preparation
Practice, practice, and read… I cannot stress enough that hands-on experience and understanding of all the concepts will help you to pass this exam. The key success to passing this exam is to work with Microsoft Azure on a daily basis. You can create your free Azure account today and start practicing the new features.
To prepare for this exam, I use the official Microsoft Azure documentation which is a great resource to learn.
I also use Microsoft Learn the new learning approach to explore more advanced Azure Developer topics, I highly recommend checking the following Microsoft Learn modules:
- Create serverless applications (10 modules)
- Connect your services together (4 modules)
- Store data in Azure (5 modules)
- Deploy a website with Azure virtual machines (4 modules)
- Manage resources in Azure (6 modules)
- Deploy a website to Azure with Azure App Service (6 modules)
- Secure your cloud data (7 modules)
AZ-204 Books
As of December 16, 2020, Microsoft released the Exam Reference AZ-204 Book – Developing Solutions for Microsoft which you can place the order today here. This Exam Ref focuses on the critical thinking and decision-making acumen needed for success at the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate level.
I highly recommend this book to prepare for this exam.
AZ-204 Videos
If you are interested to cram for this exam, then I highly recommend you to check the Certification Talk, by Skill Me UP here which provides a summary and discussion around the preparation needed for the AZ-204 – Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Exam. Please note that this video is 3 hours long.
I highly recommend you check the AZ-204 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Exam Prep training from Udemy and watch it entirely a couple of times. This course contains around 8.5 hours worth of content and is being updated to cover the newest AZ-204 exam objective. This is the most complete course available on the Microsoft Azure developer exam AZ-204 with a timed practice test.
Pluralsight also offers a great learning path for the AZ-204 Microsoft Azure Developer preparation, you can check it out here.
AZ-204 Exam Readiness
The Microsoft Learn exam readiness zone is a team of experts who share valuable insights, techniques, and strategies to help you prepare effectively for your Microsoft Certification exam.
The comprehensive exam preparation videos will assist you in identifying the key areas of knowledge and skills assessed in the AZ-204 exam, as well as guide you on how to allocate your study time efficiently. Each video segment below corresponds to a significant topic covered in the latest AZ-204 exam, and the trainer highlights objectives that many test takers typically find challenging.
1) Preparing for AZ-204 – Develop Azure compute solutions.
2) Preparing for AZ-204 – Develop for Azure storage.
3) Preparing for AZ-204 – Implement Azure security.
4) Preparing for AZ-204 – Monitor, troubleshoot and optimize Azure solutions.
5) Preparing for AZ-204 – Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services.
These free videos include illustrative sample questions and detailed explanations of the answers. We recommend watching these videos once you have completed your training or gained some practice, although you are welcome to view them at any stage of your certification journey. Additionally, they provide additional resources to further aid you in your AZ-204 exam preparation.
Lab-training
Practice is the key to success and passing this exam. I highly recommended going through the following labs developed by Microsoft:
AZ-204 Free Practice Assessment
Are you preparing for the AZ-204 certification exam? Microsoft just announced Practice Assessments on Microsoft Learn, the newest free exam preparation resource that allows you to assess your knowledge and fill knowledge gaps so that you are better prepared the take the AZ-204 certification exam.
The following assessment provides you with an overview of the style, wording, and difficulty of the questions you’re likely to experience on the exam. Through this assessment, you’re able to assess your readiness, determine where additional preparation is needed, and fill knowledge gaps bringing you one step closer to the likelihood of passing your AZ-204 exam.
> Take now the Exam AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Free Practice Test (50 questions).
Prepare for your certification exam by assessing your knowledge through Practice Assessments, which are free and can be attempted multiple times. These assessments are created and regularly updated by the same team that develops the official certification exams.
You can access practice assessments on Microsoft Learn by signing in or creating an account. The score report for each question includes the answer, rationale, and links to additional information.
Instructor-led virtual training
Last but certainly not least, if you prefer instructor-led training, Microsoft released AZ-204T00-A 5 days course. This course teaches developers how to create end-to-end solutions in Microsoft Azure. Students will learn how to implement Azure compute solutions, create Azure Functions, implement and manage web apps, develop solutions utilizing Azure storage, implement authentication and authorization, and secure their solutions by using KeyVault and Managed Identities. Students will also learn how to connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services and include event- and message-based models in their solutions. The course also covers monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing Azure solutions.
If you prefer to get prepare for this exam with Microsoft MCT instructor-led virtual training, you can get in contact with me here.
Certification
By passing the AZ-204 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure, you will earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate certificate.
If you are planning to take this exam… I wish you all the best and Happy Studying!!!
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Thank you for reading my blog.
If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment.
-Charbel Nemnom-
