Azure Administrator AZ-104 – free training

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.

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:

  1. Managing Azure Identities and Governance: Implementing and managing Azure Active Directory, role-based access control, and policies.
  2. Implementing and Managing Storage: Configuring and managing Azure storage accounts, including blob, file, and disk storage.
  3. Deploying and Managing Compute Resources: Managing virtual machines, containers, and other compute resources.
  4. Implementing and Managing Virtual Networking: Configuring and managing virtual networks, subnets, gateways, and VPNs.
  5. 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:

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:

The trophy for the AZ-104 Prerequisites for Azure administrators learning path. 

AZ-104: Prerequisites for Azure administrators

The trophy for the AZ-104 Manage identities and governance in Azure learning path. 

AZ-104: Manage identities and governance in Azure

The trophy for the AZ-104 Implement and manage storage in Azure learning path. 

AZ-104: Implement and manage storage in Azure

The trophy for the AZ-104 Deploy and manage Azure compute resources learning path. 

AZ-104: Deploy and manage Azure compute resources

The trophy for the AZ-104 Configure and manage virtual networks for Azure administrators learning path. 

AZ-104: Configure and manage virtual networks for Azure administrators

The trophy for the AZ-104 Monitor and back up Azure resources learning path. 

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.

Exam prep episode for AZ 104 videos
Exam prep episode for AZ 104 videos

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.

Microsoft Azure Administrator AZ 104 Interactive Lab Simulation
Microsoft Azure Administrator AZ 104 Interactive Lab Simulation

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.

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.

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Andreas Hartig - MVP - Cloud and Datacenter Management, Microsoft Azure

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