{"id":3998,"date":"2025-05-09T11:35:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T11:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/?p=3998"},"modified":"2026-11-04T09:57:32","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T09:57:32","slug":"which-microsoft-certification-should-you-start-with-az-900-or-az-104","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/which-microsoft-certification-should-you-start-with-az-900-or-az-104\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft AZ-104 vs. AZ-900: Which Should You Take?"},"content":{"rendered":"<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"article-breadcrumbs\"><a href=\"\/certification\/\">Home<\/a><span>\/<\/span><a href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/\">Certifications<\/a><span>\/<\/span><a href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/microsoft\/\">Microsoft<\/a><span>\/<\/span><span>Microsoft AZ-104 vs. AZ-900: Which Should You Take?<\/span><\/nav><div class=\"editorial-article-shell\"><div class=\"editorial-article-main\"><div class=\"article-kicker-row\"><a class=\"article-kicker\" href=\"\/certification\/category\/technology\/cloud\/\">Cloud &amp; Architecture<\/a><span class=\"article-meta\">Updated October 10, 2026 \u00b7 6 min read<\/span><\/div><p class=\"article-deck\">AZ-900 and AZ-104 both concern Microsoft Azure, but they answer different questions. AZ-900 establishes whether you understand cloud concepts, services and governance language. AZ-104 tests whether you can configure, secure, monitor and troubleshoot an Azure environment. Choosing between them depends more on the work you can already perform\u2014and the role you want next\u2014than on which exam number looks like the logical first step. Someone comfortable discussing Azure regions may still need guided practice configuring permissions, storage, and network routes. Conversely, an experienced administrator may find an introductory exam redundant; the distinction is demonstrated competence rather than the number of course modules completed.<\/p><details class=\"article-toc\" open=\"\"><summary>On this page<\/summary><ol><li><a href=\"#choose-between-describing-azure-and-operating-azure\">Choose between describing Azure and operating Azure<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#compare-the-actual-objectives-not-the-titles\">Compare the actual objectives, not the titles<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#az-900-is-a-useful-foundation-not-a-required-gateway\">AZ-900 is a useful foundation, not a required gateway<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#test-your-starting-point-with-three-small-tasks\">Test your starting point with three small tasks<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#match-the-exam-to-the-next-role-you-want\">Match the exam to the next role you want<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#compare-the-exam-experience-without-confusing-it-with-difficulty\">Compare the exam experience without confusing it with difficulty<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#build-two-different-preparation-plans\">Build two different preparation plans<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#make-a-decision-you-can-explain\">Make a decision you can explain<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/details><article class=\"corrected-editorial-body\"><section><h2 id=\"choose-between-describing-azure-and-operating-azure\">Choose between describing Azure and operating Azure<\/h2><p>Imagine two interviews. In the first, you are asked to explain regions, resource groups, cloud service models and shared responsibility to a business stakeholder. In the second, you must explain why a VM cannot reach a private storage endpoint and which evidence would distinguish a route error from a permission error. Both are legitimate Azure skills, but they are assessed at different depths.<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/az-900-exam.html\">Microsoft AZ-900<\/a> is the exam associated with Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals. Its AZ-900 skills outline, updated July 20, 2026, uses the verb <strong>describe<\/strong> for cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and management and governance.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/az-104-exam.html\">Microsoft AZ-104<\/a> aligns with Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate. Its AZ-104 skills outline, updated April 17, 2026, emphasizes <strong>manage, implement, configure, troubleshoot, monitor<\/strong> and recovery work. The action required is the meaningful difference between the two assessments.<\/p><p>The second level assumes enough familiarity with operating systems, networks, servers and virtualization to reason about what actually happens after a resource is deployed. Someone who already administers infrastructure may be ready to begin directly with AZ-104; someone new to cloud vocabulary may benefit from AZ-900 first.<\/p><\/section><section><h2 id=\"compare-the-actual-objectives-not-the-titles\">Compare the actual objectives, not the titles<\/h2><div aria-label=\"Compare the actual objectives, not the titles\" class=\"table-scroll pa-table-scroll\" role=\"region\" tabindex=\"0\"><table><caption>Compare the actual objectives, not the titles<\/caption>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Decision<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">AZ-104: Azure Administrator<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Decision\">Primary purpose<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals\">Explain Azure and cloud fundamentals<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-104: Azure Administrator\">Operate an Azure environment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Decision\">Current skills version<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals\">July 20, 2026<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-104: Azure Administrator\">April 17, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Decision\">Major skill areas<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals\">Cloud concepts; Azure architecture\/services; management\/governance<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-104: Azure Administrator\">Identity\/governance; storage; compute; networking; monitoring\/recovery<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Decision\">Expected thinking<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals\">Recognize and describe service purposes<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-104: Azure Administrator\">Configure, select, validate and troubleshoot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Decision\">Best practice evidence<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals\">Explain trade-offs in plain language<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"AZ-104: Azure Administrator\">Show resources, settings, test results and recovery decisions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div><p>There is overlap in terminology: both syllabuses mention networking, access control, storage and governance. The assessed actions differ. AZ-900 may ask what virtual network peering is for; AZ-104 expects configuration and connectivity troubleshooting. AZ-900 teaches the purpose of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/azure-rbac-separate-scope-from-role\/\">Azure RBAC<\/a>; AZ-104 tests selection of a role, appropriate assignment scopes and interpretation of effective access.<\/p>\n<p>After learning the definitions, test them: assign a role at the right resource scope, inspect an effective route and verify a restore. Arrange those exercises against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/az-104-exam-guide-become-a-microsoft-azure-administrator\/\">Microsoft AZ-104 administrator objectives<\/a> and record the result of each test. A longer fundamentals course cannot replace completing and checking those operations.<\/p><\/section><section><h2 id=\"az-900-is-a-useful-foundation-not-a-required-gateway\">AZ-900 is a useful foundation, not a required gateway<\/h2><p>Microsoft does not list AZ-900 as a prerequisite for taking AZ-104. The sensible order depends on your starting point. If you have never used Azure, begin by explaining the resource hierarchy, cloud service models, consumption-based cost and the security\/shared-responsibility model. Those concepts help you understand why an administrator configures a subscription, resource group or identity in a particular way.<\/p><p>Once you can identify resources, explain network and storage choices, and navigate the portal or CLI, move into concrete configuration and fault isolation. You may choose to take AZ-900 as a credential, use its material only as a bridge, or skip directly to AZ-104 if your experience supports it.<\/p><p>Conversely, an experienced on-premises administrator is not automatically ready for AZ-104. Knowing Windows Server or networking helps, but Azure-specific effective routes, resource scopes, identity assignments, platform defaults and recovery services still require deliberate practice.<\/p><\/section><section><h2 id=\"test-your-starting-point-with-three-small-tasks\">Test your starting point with three small tasks<\/h2><p>Start with a descriptive task. Explain to a colleague why a production application might use a managed Azure service instead of self-managed virtual machines. Include costs, operational responsibility, availability, identity and service boundaries without resorting to product names as the answer. If those concepts are unfamiliar, AZ-900 content will probably be useful.<\/p><p>Next, try an administrator task in an approved sandbox. Create a resource group, apply a Reader assignment to a test identity, deploy a small resource and verify exactly what that identity can access. If you cannot distinguish the role from the assignment scope, you have found an AZ-104 skills gap, regardless of how well you know the definition of RBAC.<\/p><p>Finally, diagnose a deliberate failure. Break access to a test storage object or change an NSG rule in a disposable network. Write down the expected result, the observed result, the evidence collected and the smallest safe correction. Working through a failure without guessing is a better signal of administrator readiness than remembering a diagram from an introductory course.<\/p><\/section><section><h2 id=\"match-the-exam-to-the-next-role-you-want\">Match the exam to the next role you want<\/h2><p>A student, business analyst, project coordinator or non-Azure developer may want an accurate mental model of public cloud without becoming responsible for production infrastructure. AZ-900 is a coherent destination for that need. Its breadth supports conversations about service choices, governance and costs.<\/p><p>A support engineer, systems administrator, cloud operations technician or network administrator moving into Azure ownership has a different next step. Their work may include permissions, resources, logging, connectivity, deployment changes and incident recovery. AZ-104 is closer to those operational responsibilities, provided they are prepared for hands-on study.<\/p><p>Some career paths need neither exam immediately. A developer targeting one Azure application platform may gain more from building and operating a real service before adding a broad administrator certification. Choose a credential because the covered decisions match the work, not because it sits earlier in a diagram.<\/p><\/section><section><h2 id=\"compare-the-exam-experience-without-confusing-it-with-difficulty\">Compare the exam experience without confusing it with difficulty<\/h2><p>Microsoft&#8217;s published credential pages currently list a 45-minute assessment for AZ-900 and 100 minutes for AZ-104. Actual question counts can vary, and Microsoft documents separate seat-time and possible lab arrangements for role-based exams. Treat the booking page and exam policies as the authority rather than assuming an unofficial fixed question count or an identical test experience everywhere.<\/p><p>Both exams use a scaled passing standard of 700, but identical passing scores do not imply the assessments demand the same technical depth. AZ-900 is fundamentals-level; AZ-104 is associate-level. Price also depends on the country or region where the exam is proctored, so avoid relying on a universal fee copied from an old article.<\/p><p>Renewal is another difference. Microsoft&#8217;s fundamentals certifications do not expire. Its associate, expert and specialty certifications generally expire after one year and have a free online renewal path while eligible. That ongoing requirement is relevant when planning an administrator credential as part of a career, not merely as a one-time exam.<\/p><\/section><section><h2 id=\"build-two-different-preparation-plans\">Build two different preparation plans<\/h2><p>For AZ-900, map the three current domains, practice explaining each concept without notes and compare plausible service choices. A small diagram of regions, subscriptions, resource groups and basic network options may be enough to expose misunderstandings. Use the official practice assessment to find conceptual weak areas.<\/p><p>For AZ-104, use a disposable Azure environment where costs and permissions are controlled. Complete hands-on tasks for identity and governance, storage access and recovery, VM or App Service deployment, VNet routing\/DNS and monitoring\/backup.<\/p><p>Every lab should end with verification and at least one question about how you would diagnose a failure. Use an error log and revisit failed tasks instead of simply repeating their steps.<\/p><p>Avoid a schedule determined only by calendar days. Someone who can already administer Azure may need a focused objective-gap review. Someone starting from zero may need longer to build networking, operating-system and cloud foundations. The useful measure is whether you can explain and demonstrate the tasks\u2014not how many videos you completed.<\/p><\/section><section><h2 id=\"make-a-decision-you-can-explain\">Make a decision you can explain<\/h2><p>Before booking, try both types of work. Write a short explanation of why a small application might use Azure App Service rather than a self-managed VM, including the operational responsibilities each option transfers to the customer. Then, in an authorized disposable lab, assign read-only access to a resource and diagnose one deliberately blocked connection.<\/p><p>Compare what you can actually demonstrate. If service categories and shared responsibility remain unclear, a fundamentals path will close a real gap. If you can explain the choices but cannot configure, verify and safely reverse them, prepare for administrator-level tasks. AZ-900 is not a required prerequisite to AZ-104; choose the next step that matches your intended responsibilities.<\/p><\/section><\/article><section class=\"article-related\"><div class=\"article-section-heading\"><p class=\"article-section-eyebrow\">Continue learning<\/p><h2>Related guides<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"article-related-grid\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/az-104-exam-guide-become-a-microsoft-azure-administrator\/\"><strong>AZ-104 Exam Guide<\/strong><span>Translate the current administrator blueprint into hands-on evidence.<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/microsoft-azure-admin-101-roles-skills-responsibilities\/\"><strong>Azure Administrator Responsibilities<\/strong><span>See what an Azure administrator actually manages.<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/understanding-the-structure-of-the-az-104-learning-plan\/\"><strong>AZ-104 Learning Plan<\/strong><span>Sequence practical administrator preparation around your skills.<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/section><\/div><aside aria-label=\"Browse topics\" class=\"topic-nav-panel article-topic-nav pa-unified-topic-nav\"><h2 class=\"topic-nav-title\">Browse Topics<\/h2>\n<details class=\"topic-group\" open=\"\">\n\n<summary><span>Certifications<small>Vendor and credential guides<\/small><\/span><\/summary><div class=\"topic-group-body\"><a class=\"topic-view-all\" href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/\">View all Certifications \u2192<\/a><a href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/microsoft\/\">Microsoft<\/a><a href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/amazon\/\">Amazon<\/a><a href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/comptia\/\">CompTIA<\/a><a href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/cisco\/\">Cisco<\/a><a href=\"\/certification\/category\/certifications\/project-management\/\">Project Management<\/a><a 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vs. AZ-900: Which Should You Take?Cloud &amp; ArchitectureUpdated October 10, 2026 \u00b7 6 min readAZ-900 and AZ-104 both concern Microsoft Azure, but they answer different questions. 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Choosing between them","twitter:image":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/logo.png"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"3998","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":[],"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":[],"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"created":"2025-05-09 11:35:31","updated":"2026-11-04 10:16:56","focus_keyword":null,"additional_keywords":null,"truseo_locale":null,"primary_term":null,"ai":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/category\/technology\/\" title=\"Technology\">Technology<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/category\/technology\/cloud\/\" title=\"Cloud &amp; Architecture\">Cloud &amp; Architecture<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tMicrosoft AZ-104 vs. AZ-900: Which Should You Take?\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/"},{"label":"Technology","link":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/category\/technology\/"},{"label":"Cloud &amp; Architecture","link":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/category\/technology\/cloud\/"},{"label":"Microsoft AZ-104 vs. AZ-900: Which Should You Take?","link":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/which-microsoft-certification-should-you-start-with-az-900-or-az-104\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3998"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18463,"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3998\/revisions\/18463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prepaway.com\/certification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}