When seeking the most valuable Azure Hyperscaler certification, many individuals opt for the “The Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)“.
Obtaining this certification demonstrates your proficiency in managing cloud services that span storage, security, networking, and compute capabilities within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.
Table of Contents
Introduction to AZ-104
The following resources are my favorites to get prepared for the AZ-104 and start my learning journey in 2025. I would highly recommend that you have at least 1 year of experience with Azure Cloud Services. It is also helpful to setup a homelab and get started with Azure Arc and extend your on premise knowledge to the cloud. Check my story here to build a homelab.
What will the AZ-104 cover?
The AZ-104 exam, also known as the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification, covers a range of topics related to managing and implementing Microsoft Azure environments. Here are the main areas it focuses on:
- Managing Azure Identities and Governance: Implementing and managing Azure Active Directory, role-based access control, and policies.
- Implementing and Managing Storage: Configuring and managing Azure storage accounts, including blob, file, and disk storage.
- Deploying and Managing Compute Resources: Managing virtual machines, containers, and other compute resources.
- Implementing and Managing Virtual Networking: Configuring and managing virtual networks, subnets, gateways, and VPNs.
- Monitoring and Managing Azure Resources: Using Azure Monitor and other tools to monitor and manage resources.
You should have covered the areas from the AZ-900 Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals:
- Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Describe cloud concepts
- Azure Fundamentals: Describe Azure architecture and services
- Azure Fundamentals: Describe Azure management and governance
Azure Learning Path
There are multiple components that I do recommend to use and all of these are part of free training offers.
Microsoft Learning paths
My first step for new learnings is always the Microsoft Learning Paths. There are 5 plus the prequisites modules to learn the basic Azure concepts you need to know as an Azure administrator. You can find these directly on the main page or below for the direct links:
AZ-104: Prerequisites for Azure administrators
AZ-104: Manage identities and governance in Azure
AZ-104: Implement and manage storage in Azure
AZ-104: Deploy and manage Azure compute resources
AZ-104: Configure and manage virtual networks for Azure administrators
AZ-104: Monitor and backup Azure resources
Microsoft Training Video
Once you have completed the learning modules, I recommend watching the videos to review the learning and understand any gaps.

- Preparing for AZ-104 – Manage Azure identities and governance (1 of 5)
- Preparing for AZ-104: Implement and manage storage (2 of 5)
- Preparing for AZ-104: Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (3 of 5)
- Preparing for AZ-104: Implement and manage virtual networking (4 of 5)
- Preparing for AZ-104: Monitor and maintain Azure resources (5 of 5)
Microsoft Interactive Labs
My favourite learning style is actually the interactive labs. It allows me to consume things visually, like in training videos, but I also have to be active and do the steps myself.
Check the available interactive labs here. You should see the graphic below, but you can also use my directly shared links below.

- Lab Simulation 1 – Manage Azure Entra ID Identities
- Lab Simulation 2 – Manage Subscriptions and RBAC
- Lab Simulation 3 – Manage Governance via Azure Policy
- Lab Simulation 4 – Manage Azure Resources by using the Azure Portal
- Lab Simulation 5 – Manage Azure resources by using Azure Resource Manage Templates
- Lab Simulation 6 – Manage Azure Resources by using Azure PowerShell
- Lab Simulation 7 – Manage Azure resources by using the Azure CLI
- Lab Simulation 8 – Implement Virtual networking
- Lab Simulation 9 – Implement intersite Connectivity
- Lab Simulation 10 – Implement Traffic management
- Lab Simulation 11 – Manage Azure Storage
- Lab Simulation 12 – Manage Virtual Machines
- Lab Simulation 13 – Implement Azure Web apps
- Lab Simulation 14 – Implement Azure Container Instances
- Lab Simulation 15 – Implement Azure Kubernetes Service
- Lab Simulation 16 – Backup Virtual Machines
- Lab Simulation 17 – Implement Monitoring
Microsoft Trainings
If you don’t have 6+ months practical experience you can also consider to attend the 4 day training. Check the links below to get started.
Microsoft Azure Administrator – Course AZ-104T00-A: Microsoft Azure Administrator
I would highly recommend the instructor-led training if you are not comfortable with the Azure portal, Azure RBAC and cloud terminology. To see if this is a good opportunity for you, I would recommend taking the AZ-900 and if it was challenging for you, then you should consider this training.
3rd Party options
The Azure 104 course is one of the most shared courses on all 3rd party plattforms. Check with your organizations or use free weekends or offers from the large organizations, i.e.
- Udemy – https://www.udemy.com/topic/microsoft-az-104/
- Youtube – AZ-104 Administrator Associate Study Cram v2
- LinkedIn – Prepare-for-the-azure-administrator-az-104-certification-by-microsoft-press
- Whizlabs – Azure Courses
Some of the above videos and solutions are for free. I highly recommend every content from John Savill on LinkedIn or his Youtube Channel.
How much does AZ-104 cost? (Q1/2025)
The cost of the AZ 104 exam varies by country/region and can range from USD 165 to USD 350.
If you take the exam in India, the AZ 104 exam fees will cost you ₹4865 INR. However, if you take the Azure certification exam in the United States, you will have to pay $165 and in Germany it is €126.
You can check this on the Take the Exam training page here.
The exam is offered in the following languages: English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Indonesian (Indonesia)
Conclusion
There is a lot of free content to get prepared for the AZ-104. Please be aware and always remember, that this is a very challenging training. It is often at the beginning of cloud careers and if you are new to this area of expertise, than take your time. If you want to discuss and share your story, there is a very useful discussion on Reddit in the AzureCertification area.
Don’t forget to get the latest and greatest on the Microsoft Learning Github page.
You will not need az104 exam dumps to get this exam completed, if you follow my az104 microsoft azure administrator practice guide to get your free microsoft azure administrator associate az104 while using the free az104 microsoft azure administrator resources shared here.