AZ-104
AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
Everything you need for Microsoft exam AZ-104: format, passing score, the five skill areas, a four-week study plan and free sample questions.
- Duration
- 100 min
- Passing score
- 700 / 1000
- Level
- Associate
- Languages
- 10
AZ-104, Microsoft Azure Administrator, is Microsoft’s exam for the people who run an Azure environment day to day: who creates the users and assigns their roles, builds the networks, deploys the virtual machines, protects the storage, and notices when something breaks. Passing it earns the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential.
It is also the gateway to the architect track. Microsoft requires the Azure Administrator Associate certification before it awards the Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential, so AZ-104 is the first half of the route for anyone heading towards AZ-305.
AZ-104 is broad rather than deep in one place. It covers identity and governance, storage, compute, virtual networking, and monitoring and backup. You are expected to know what a setting does and which tool changes it: the portal, PowerShell, the Azure CLI, ARM templates or Bicep.
What the exam covers
| Skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Manage Azure identities and governance | 20–25% |
| Implement and manage storage | 15–20% |
| Deploy and manage Azure compute resources | 20–25% |
| Implement and manage virtual networking | 15–20% |
| Monitor and maintain Azure resources | 10–15% |
Identity and compute are the two largest areas. Networking is weighted lower than its reputation suggests, but it is where most candidates lose marks, because the questions combine several settings in one scenario.
Where to start
Read the exam format for the mechanics, then how AZ-104 compares with AZ-305 if you are planning the architect route. The study plan fits in four weeks if you already work with Azure.
AZ-104 guides
- AZ-104 exam format: questions, score and costThe AZ-104 format: 100 minutes, passing score 700, 10 languages, question types, pricing and what the five domain weights mean for your revision.
- AZ-104 vs AZ-305: which exam first?AZ-104 vs AZ-305: the administrator exam tests how you configure Azure, the architect exam how you design it. Why AZ-104 comes first and what carries over.
- AZ-104 study plan: pass in 4 weeksA four-week AZ-104 study plan: identity and governance, storage, compute, then networking and monitoring, with a hands-on lab for every week.
- Free AZ-104 sample questions with answersFive free AZ-104 practice questions on RBAC scope, SAS revocation, VM availability, network peering and backup, each with an explained answer.
- AZ-104 identities and governance explainedThe AZ-104 identity domain explained: Entra users, groups and SSPR, Azure RBAC scopes, Azure Policy, locks, tags, management groups and cost control.
- AZ-104 storage explainedThe AZ-104 storage domain explained: redundancy options, SAS tokens and stored access policies, firewalls, blob tiers, lifecycle rules and Azure Files.
- AZ-104 compute resources explainedThe AZ-104 compute domain explained: ARM templates and Bicep, VM sizing, disks and availability, scale sets, containers and App Service deployment slots.
- AZ-104 virtual networking explainedThe AZ-104 networking domain explained: subnets, peering, routes, NSG rule evaluation, Bastion, service versus private endpoints, DNS and load balancers.
- AZ-104 monitoring and backup explainedThe smallest AZ-104 domain explained: Azure Monitor metrics, logs and alerts, Network Watcher, Recovery Services and Backup vaults, and Site Recovery.
- Is AZ-104 worth it? Who should take itIs AZ-104 worth taking? Who benefits, what it costs, and why it is the required first step towards the Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential.
- Free AZ-104 practice test: 20 questionsA free 20-question AZ-104 practice test on Entra ID, RBAC, policy, storage, VMs, App Service, networking and backup, with explained answers.
- AZ-104 study resourcesWhat to study for AZ-104: the official outline and practice assessment, the Azure docs worth reading, and six labs that cover most of the exam.
- AZ-104 cheat sheetA one-page AZ-104 reference: the five skill areas, which Azure feature answers each requirement, redundancy, NSG and subnet rules, and common traps.
- Is AZ-104 hard? Exam difficulty explainedHow hard AZ-104 really is: why the breadth, the networking scenarios and the template snippets matter more than any single Azure service.