AZ-204 Study Guide
Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
Before You Start Studying
Before diving into the study sections, review the prerequisites, retirement notice, and recommended background knowledge below to understand what will help you succeed.
Important Retirement Notice
AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure is scheduled to retire on July 31, 2026.
This means that AZ-204 is still available for a limited time, but it is no longer the best long-term certification path for many learners.
The closest replacement is:
AI-200: Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate
If you are starting from zero and do not need AZ-204 specifically for work, school, or an employer requirement, you should strongly consider preparing for AI-200 instead.
However, AZ-204 can still be worth taking if:
- You already started preparing for AZ-204
- You need the Azure Developer Associate certification before retirement
- Your employer specifically requires AZ-204
- You want to validate traditional Azure developer skills before moving into AI-focused cloud development
If you want the most future-facing certification path, AI-200 is likely the better choice.
Recommended Exam Path
AZ-204 is an associate-level developer certification, so it is not usually the best first Microsoft certification for complete beginners.
If you are new to Azure, AZ-900: Microsoft Certified – Azure Fundamentals is strongly recommended before AZ-204.
AZ-900 helps you build:
- Foundational understanding of cloud computing
- Familiarity with core Azure services
- Awareness of Azure pricing, governance, and management concepts
- Basic understanding of identity, security, and networking
After AZ-900, AZ-204 is a natural next step if your goal is Azure application development.
Because AZ-204 is retiring, the modern path is:
AZ-900 → AI-200
or, if you specifically need classic Azure developer skills:
AZ-900 → AZ-204 → AI-200
Prerequisites
There are no strict prerequisites to start AZ-204 preparation, but the exam assumes real developer experience.
You should be comfortable with:
- Writing code in at least one supported programming language
- Understanding HTTP, REST APIs, and JSON
- Working with application configuration and secrets
- Basic cloud computing concepts
- Basic Azure portal navigation
- Basic identity and access concepts
- Debugging and troubleshooting applications
Microsoft recommends that candidates have experience with Azure development, including compute, storage, security, monitoring, and connecting to Azure services.
Recommended Background Knowledge
AZ-204 focuses on developing cloud solutions on Microsoft Azure, not general software development theory.
Azure Compute Development
- Azure App Service
- Azure Functions
- Containerized applications
- Azure Container Apps
- Azure Container Registry
- Deployment slots and scaling
- Durable Functions concepts
Azure Storage Development
- Azure Blob Storage
- Azure Cosmos DB
- Storage access tiers
- Lifecycle management
- SDK-based access to storage services
- Partitioning and consistency concepts
Security and Identity
- Microsoft Entra ID
- Managed identities
- App registrations
- OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect basics
- Azure Key Vault
- Role-based access control
- Secure configuration patterns
Monitoring and Troubleshooting
- Azure Monitor
- Application Insights
- Logging and telemetry
- Distributed tracing
- Performance optimization
- Diagnosing application failures
Connecting Azure Services
- Azure Event Grid
- Azure Event Hubs
- Azure Service Bus
- API Management
- Azure SDKs
- Message-based and event-driven architectures
- Retry policies and resiliency patterns
Step-by-Step Study Guide
Step 1: Review the Official Study Guide
What to do:
- Open the official AZ-204 study guide
- Read the skills measured sections
- Review the retirement notice carefully
- Note any topics that are new to you
- Use it as your checklist throughout your prep
Link to The Official Study Guide
Step 2: Decide Between AZ-204 and AI-200
Because AZ-204 is retiring, do not schedule it automatically.
Choose AZ-204 if:
- You need the certification before July 31, 2026
- Your employer or school specifically requires AZ-204
- You already have significant preparation completed
- You want to validate classic Azure developer skills
Choose AI-200 if:
- You are starting fresh
- You want the more future-facing certification
- You want to focus on AI-enabled cloud development
- You do not need AZ-204 specifically
Step 3: Schedule Your Exam
What to do:
- Choose a date that gives you enough time for study and practice
- Make sure your exam date is before the AZ-204 retirement date
- Schedule the exam through the official Microsoft certification page
- Put the date on your calendar and plan backwards
Recommended timing:
- If you already develop Azure applications: 3 to 5 weeks
- If you are a developer but new to Azure: 6 to 10 weeks
- If you are new to both development and Azure: start with AZ-900 first
Certification and Exam Details Page
Step 4: Go Through the Official Learning Path
What to do:
- Complete the official AZ-204 course and modules
- Take notes on concepts you cannot explain in simple terms
- Focus on how services are used from code
- Pay special attention to compute, storage, security, monitoring, and integration
Official Learning Path Course Page
Step 5: Use Microsoft Official Exam Prep Resources
What to do:
- Watch Microsoft’s official AZ-204 Exam Readiness Zone content
- Compare each episode with the skills measured list
- Use the videos to understand how Microsoft frames exam objectives
- Revisit the study guide after watching the prep videos
Tips:
- AZ-204 questions often focus on implementation details
- Learn when to use each Azure service, not just what the service does
- Pay close attention to SDK usage, authentication flows, and configuration
- Practice reading scenario requirements carefully
AZ-204 Exam Readiness: Develop Azure Compute Solutions
Step 6: Get Hands-On Practice
AZ-204 is a developer-focused exam. It rewards real experience building and troubleshooting Azure solutions.
Reading and watching content helps you understand the platform, but the exam expects you to recognize implementation patterns, service behavior, and coding scenarios.
You should aim to get experience with:
- Creating and deploying Azure App Service apps
- Building Azure Functions
- Working with Blob Storage from code
- Working with Cosmos DB from code
- Securing apps with managed identities
- Storing secrets in Azure Key Vault
- Using Application Insights for monitoring
- Sending and receiving messages with Service Bus
- Creating event-driven solutions with Event Grid or Event Hubs
- Using Azure SDKs in real application code
The goal is not just to memorize services. You should understand how an Azure developer would actually build, secure, monitor, and connect cloud applications.
Step 7: Benchmark Your Knowledge
What to do:
- Use CertiAce to benchmark your readiness
- Practice exam-style questions
- Use the official Microsoft practice assessment if available
- Review explanations carefully, especially for wrong answers
- Return to Microsoft Learn and hands-on practice for weak topics
Recommended target:
- Aim for consistent performance, not one lucky high score
- If a topic is unstable, return to learning + hands-on
- Pay close attention to questions involving authentication, authorization, messaging, monitoring, and storage SDKs
Microsoft Practice Assessments
Step 8: Take the Exam
The day before:
- Review your weak topics only
- Revisit Azure Functions, App Service, Blob Storage, Cosmos DB, Key Vault, and managed identities
- Review event-driven and message-based services
- Avoid learning brand new topics
On exam day:
- Read questions carefully and identify what they are truly asking
- Eliminate wrong options first
- Watch for wording that implies security, scalability, cost, performance, or operational simplicity
- Pay attention to whether the scenario requires synchronous, asynchronous, event-driven, or message-based integration
- Remember that AZ-204 tests developer implementation skills, not just Azure service recognition
Additional Learning Resources
Microsoft Official Resources
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/az-204
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/azure-developer/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-204t00
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/ai-200t00
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/support/retired-certification-exams
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/practice-assessments-for-microsoft-certifications
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/exam-readiness-zone/
YouTube
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlVtbbG169nFr8RzQ4GIxUEznpNR53ERq
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZx8PMQjobk
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhLKc18P9YOC9egNryE8mNcgpXLjsdU6d
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL1ih-rtU13sccGCMlDviDW4ddt1RpCmQ
Microsoft Product Documentation
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-apps/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/app/app-insights-overview
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/service-bus-messaging/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/event-grid/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/event-hubs/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/api-management/
Ready to test your knowledge?
Practice questions for AZ-204