Which Microsoft Azure course should I start with?
If you’re new to Microsoft Azure, the best starting point is the Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) course. It provides a broad understanding of cloud concepts, Azure services, pricing, governance, and security. From there, you can specialize: AZ-104 for administrators, AZ-204 for developers, or AZ-500 for security professionals. In short: begin with AZ-900 to build your foundation, then progress toward a role-based certification aligned with your career path and technical experience.
Microsoft Azure offers a rich learning path ecosystem, and choosing the right starting point depends on your current experience and career objectives. However, for most learners—whether technical or business-oriented—the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) course is the ideal entry point.
AZ-900 doesn’t require any prior technical knowledge. It introduces the core principles of cloud computing, explains how Azure delivers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and gives you a practical sense of how to deploy, manage, and secure resources in the Microsoft cloud. You’ll also explore pricing models, service-level agreements, compliance, and shared responsibility—essential topics for anyone who will later manage or audit Azure environments.
After completing AZ-900, your next step depends on your role or interest area:
- AZ-104: Azure Administrator Associate—for those who want to manage Azure identities, storage, virtual networks, and compute resources.
- AZ-204: Azure Developer Associate—for developers building and deploying cloud-native apps and APIs on Azure.
- AZ-305: Azure Solutions Architect Expert—for professionals designing complex solutions that integrate multiple Azure services.
- AZ-500: Azure Security Engineer Associate—for cybersecurity specialists focusing on securing identities, data, and workloads.
- DP-900, AI-900, or PL-900 — for learners exploring data, AI, or the Power Platform ecosystems, respectively.
For business decision-makers, AZ-900 also provides enough context to engage effectively with technical teams and suppliers. It’s equally useful as an onboarding tool for non-technical managers working in digital transformation, compliance, or governance roles.
The key is to treat AZ-900 as your foundation, ensuring you understand the Azure ecosystem before advancing to specialized certifications. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, your path should follow your career function—administration, development, architecture, security, or data.
Expert Insight
AZ-900 is short, accessible, and ideal for both technical and non-technical audiences. You can complete it in 1–2 days, making it a great team learning activity. Microsoft’s role-based structure makes it easy to specialize after AZ-900. Completing AZ-900 also unlocks discounts or fast-tracks for advanced exams on Microsoft Learn. Pair it with practical labs in the Microsoft Learn Sandbox to build confidence quickly.
““Every cloud journey starts with AZ-900. It’s not just a certification—it’s your passport to understanding how Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem really works.” — James Hsu, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)”
What's next?
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AZ-500 is a four-day course for IT security professionals who secure Microsoft Azure environments. It focuses on implementing security controls, maintaining security posture, and identifying and remediating vulnerabilities.
View courseAZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
AZ-900 is a one-day course that builds foundational knowledge of Microsoft Azure. It covers cloud concepts, core Azure services, and the solutions and management tools used to run workloads.
View courseAZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
AZ-204 is a five-day developer-focused course covering the design and implementation of end-to-end solutions on Microsoft Azure. It addresses compute services, web apps, Azure Functions, storage, security, and integration patterns.
View courseMore from AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
What does an Azure Administrator learn in AZ-104?
AZ-104 focuses on operating Azure environments: identity, governance, networking, storage, and compute. You also cover backup and monitoring so you can run workloads reliably day to day.
What is included in the AZ-104 exam and certification section?
The page lists the AZ-104 exam name and the associated certification: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate. It also states a passing score of 700 and lists available languages, while noting exam fees are not included.
How does AZ-104 handle networking and connectivity topics?
AZ-104 covers virtual networks, subnetting, IP addressing, DNS, and security controls such as NSGs and Azure Firewall. It also addresses connectivity options like VNet peering and gateway-based links for Azure and on-premises integration.
Who should attend the AZ-104 Azure Administrator course?
AZ-104 is intended for Azure Administrators who implement, manage, and monitor Azure resources. It fits roles responsible for identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networking in a cloud environment.
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