What is AZ-204 and who should take it?
AZ-204 validates Azure developer skills: building solutions with App Service and Functions, using containers, working with Cosmos DB and Blob Storage, implementing Entra ID authentication and Key Vault secrets, and integrating via API Management and messaging/event services.
As of April 11, 2026, the current Microsoft Learn study guide still shows the January 14, 2026 skills measured, and Microsoft says the exam will retire on July 31, 2026.
How many questions and what is the passing score?
The passing score is typically 700/1000 (scaled). Question count and exact formats vary (MCQ/MR, case studies, drag-and-drop). Expect scenario prompts that force you to pick the correct service and configuration.
Is AZ-204 still worth taking in 2026?
Yes, but only if your timeline fits the current retirement date. Since Microsoft says the exam retires on July 31, 2026, you should study only from the current scope in Resources and avoid mixing in older pre-2026 skill lists.
Are there prerequisites?
No formal prerequisite exam is required. Practically, you should be comfortable with:
- at least one Azure SDK (C#, JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, or Python)
- deploying apps to App Service and/or Functions
- basic identity concepts (tokens, Entra app registrations)
Microsoft also expects practical comfort with:
- Azure CLI, PowerShell, or similar deployment tooling
- data storage choices and connection patterns
- debugging and monitoring at the application level
What is actually in scope?
The current guide is still centered on five lanes:
- compute: App Service, Functions, containers, deployment slots, scaling
- storage: Cosmos DB and Blob Storage
- security: Entra ID, SAS, Graph, Key Vault, managed identities
- monitoring: Application Insights and Azure Monitor
- integration: API Management, Event Grid, Event Hubs, Service Bus, Queue Storage
That means this is a developer-on-Azure exam, not a broad Azure admin exam.
How long should I study?
Pick a schedule you can sustain: AZ-204 Study Plan (30/60/90) →.
Most candidates land around 60–90 hours total unless they already build on Azure weekly.
Are labs required?
Hands-on practice helps a lot. You don’t need huge projects—just enough to make the core patterns feel automatic:
- Deploy a web API to App Service with a slot swap
- Build/push an image to ACR and deploy to Container Apps
- Write a Function with a trigger + binding and handle retries
- CRUD + query in Cosmos DB, and process change feed
- Secure secrets in Key Vault and access them via managed identity
- Publish an API in API Management and apply policies
What are the most common weak spots?
- Event selection: Event Grid vs Event Hubs vs Service Bus vs Storage Queues
- Auth choices: managed identity vs client secrets; delegated vs application permissions; Graph scopes
- SAS nuance: service vs user delegation SAS; least privilege + expiry
- Functions scaling/retries: poison messages, idempotency, concurrency
- App Service deployment safety: slots, config drift, and rollback thinking
- Observability: where to find failures in Application Insights and what to alert on
What is the minimum useful hands-on lab set?
If time is tight, the smallest useful lab loop is:
- Deploy one app to App Service and do a slot swap
- Build one Function with a real trigger and a retry or poison-message path
- Push one image to ACR and deploy it to Container Apps
- Work one Cosmos DB and one Blob Storage path
- Use Key Vault with managed identity
- Wire one integration lane with API Management, Service Bus, or Event Grid
That is enough to stop answering from buzzwords alone.
Do you need deep coding knowledge?
You do not need to memorize obscure syntax. But you do need to reason comfortably about:
- SDK usage
- configuration and secret flow
- async messaging patterns
- deployment safety and rollback
- monitoring and failure diagnosis
If you can explain what the code or configuration should do, you are usually in the right range.
Any last-mile tips?
- Convert misses into rules (“Service Bus for ordering/DLQ”, “Prefer PaaS when ops simplicity matters”).
- Keep the Cheat Sheet open during practice and star weak tables.
- In the final week, do 2 timed mocks, then re-drill your weakest tasks until misses stabilize.
What should you do in the last week?
Use a narrow loop:
- Re-read the Cheat Sheet and your weakest lesson pages
- Run one or two timed mixed sets
- Turn every miss into a short rule
- Revisit the official Microsoft Learn scope in Resources
If you still confuse Event Grid vs Event Hubs, Service Bus vs Queue Storage, or managed identity vs secret-based auth, you are not ready to coast yet.
Which official page should you trust?
Trust the live Microsoft Learn pages in Resources first:
- the study guide
- the exam page
- the broader credential retirement context when you need to verify dates
Keep going