AZ-104 Study Guide UK 2026
Complete AZ-104 study guide for UK engineers 2026. Azure Administrator exam domains, study plan, free and paid resources. The core ops certification for Azure professionals.
Prices last verified: March 2026
Exam Details
AZ-104
Skills measured
- ›Manage Azure identities and governance (15–20%)
- ›Implement and manage storage (20–25%)
- ›Deploy and manage Azure compute (20–25%)
- ›Implement and manage virtual networking (15–20%)
- ›Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10–15%)
Recommended study resources
AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator
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What is AZ-104?
AZ-104 is the core Azure operations certification — Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate. It validates the skills required to manage Azure subscriptions, implement storage solutions, deploy compute resources, configure virtual networking, and monitor Azure environments. It is the natural next step after AZ-900 for anyone in an operations, infrastructure, or cloud engineering role.
The target audience is Azure administrators responsible for managing cloud infrastructure — people who create and manage VMs, configure networking, handle storage accounts, and ensure the environment is running reliably. AZ-104 is recommended to hold AZ-900 as a prerequisite, though it is not formally required.
The exam consists of 40–60 questions including performance-based lab tasks in a live Azure environment. Passing score is 700/1000 and the cost is £165 via Pearson VUE. No retirement date has been announced.
Exam Topic Breakdown
Manage Azure Identities and Governance
- ›Microsoft Entra ID users, groups, and licences
- ›RBAC roles and custom role definitions
- ›Azure Policy and management groups
- ›Subscriptions and cost management
Implement and Manage Storage
- ›Storage accounts and access keys
- ›Blob Storage tiers and lifecycle management policies
- ›Azure Files and Azure File Sync
- ›Storage security: SAS tokens, stored access policies
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources
- ›Virtual machines and VM scale sets
- ›Azure App Service and Azure Container Instances
- ›Azure Kubernetes Service basics
- ›ARM templates and Bicep deployments
Implement and Manage Virtual Networking
- ›Virtual networks, subnets, and VNet peering
- ›Network Security Groups and Application Security Groups
- ›Azure DNS and Azure Load Balancer
- ›VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute basics
Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources
- ›Azure Monitor and Log Analytics workspaces
- ›Alerts and action groups
- ›Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery
- ›Update Management
Domain 2 covers Azure Blob Storage tiers and lifecycle policies in depth. Use our free calculator to understand the pricing:
storageBlob Storage Calculator
Estimate Hot, Cool, Cold and Archive tier costs for UK South.
UK Context
AZ-104 is the most in-demand Azure operations certification in UK cloud job postings after AZ-900. UK salary ranges for Azure Administrator roles are typically £45,000– £70,000, with senior roles in London and financial services regularly exceeding this.
Many UK managed service providers (MSPs) and IT departments require AZ-104 for staff managing Azure environments. It is also a common contractor requirement across UK public sector and financial services Azure programmes. Like AZ-500, AZ-104 includes hands-on lab tasks — you cannot prepare with MCQ practice tests alone.
Domain 5 covers Azure Monitor and Log Analytics — understand the costs before your exam:
monitor_heartLog Analytics & Sentinel Calculator
Ingestion, retention, search job and restore costs for UK South.
Free Study Resources
AZ-104 requires more depth than AZ-900 — the free Microsoft Learn path alone is unlikely to be sufficient for most candidates. However, it is an essential foundation alongside the official practice assessment.
Microsoft Learn — Official AZ-104 learning path
Approximately 40 hours of structured content across all 5 domains
AZ-104 official practice assessment
Free on Microsoft Learn — identifies weak domains before exam
John Savill's AZ-104 YouTube series
Comprehensive free video course, highly rated by UK candidates
Paid Study Resources
AZ-104 is significantly harder than AZ-900. Paid video courses and practice tests are recommended for most candidates — especially the lab component, which requires hands-on practice you cannot get from free text-based resources alone.
AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator
From £29/month
AD: We earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
AZ-104 Official Practice Test
From £99
AD: We earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
AZ-104 Practice Tests
From £15
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8-Week Study Plan
AZ-104 requires more preparation than AZ-900. Allow 8 weeks part-time (1–2 hours/day) or 4 weeks full-time. The lab component means hands-on practice in a real or trial Azure subscription is mandatory — not optional.
Identity and Governance (Domain 1)
Entra ID users and groups, RBAC custom roles, Azure Policy, management groups
Storage (Domain 2)
Storage accounts, Blob tiers and lifecycle, Azure Files, SAS tokens
Compute (Domain 3)
VMs and scale sets, App Service, Container Instances, ARM/Bicep
Networking (Domain 4)
VNets, NSGs, DNS, Load Balancer, VPN Gateway basics
Monitoring and Backup (Domain 5)
Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Backup, Site Recovery, Update Management
Hands-on Labs Practice
Complete all Microsoft Learn sandbox exercises; practice lab tasks under time pressure
Practice Exams and Weak Areas
MeasureUp full practice test, review flagged topics, book exam
Calculator Resources
Domain 2 (Storage) maps directly to the Blob Storage calculator — understanding tier pricing is tested in the exam. Domain 3 (Compute) includes App Service plan selection, which our App Service calculator covers for UK South pricing.
Official Resources
AZ-104 Official Practice Test
From £99
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