AZ-204 Exam Guide | Everything You Want To Know For Taking The Exam
Microsoft Azure is one of the fastest-growing platforms that offer a range of IT Certifications. There are 12 Azure Certifications categorized into three groups, i.e., Fundamentals, Associate, and Experts. The blog is basically an extensive guide for the AZ-204 exam preparation. Are you planning to take the Azure Certified Developing Solutions Exam but don’t know how and where to begin your preparation? This blog will help you discover every bit of knowledge you should have before attempting the AZ-204 certification exam.
This blog covers:
What is Azure Developing Solutions Certification?
AZ-204 is an associate-level certification specially designed for Azure Cloud Developers. It is evidence of your capabilities in designing, building, and maintaining cloud apps and services. The Certified Azure Developing Solutions professionals stay updated with modish developments in technologies and have the skills to utilize these technical processes to provide sustainable solutions for business problems.
Is AZ-204 Certification Worth It?
As the AZ-204 Certified individuals can develop solutions for the Azure environment, their demand is increasing gradually. These professionals can work with Cloud Database Administrators (DBAs), Cloud Administrators, Cloud Computing Architects, and many other cloud professionals. Moreover, the certification brings the following perquisites to your professional life.
- Aid you land different lucrative and role-based jobs.
- Highlight you in a competitive environment for specific in-demand skills.
- Advances your knowledge and skills.
- Brings promotions and higher salaries.
- Open doors for numerous career opportunities.
- Provides you with self-satisfaction.
Want to grasp all these perks? Follow this guide and take the AZ-204 exam to kick-start your developer career.
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How to register for the AZ-204 Exam?
Follow the following steps to register for the AZ-204 exam.
- Open the platform of Microsoft Learn.
- Click on the certifications bar in the main menu.
- Browse the certifications and select Microsoft Azure Developing Solutions.
- Decide the mode of taking the exam, i.e., online or onsite.
- Check your schedule and register for your exam according to it.
- Now devote your time to exam preparation.
Required Skills for the AZ-204 Exam
The candidates who want to enroll for this certification exam should have 1-2 years of experience in professional development and Microsoft Azure. You should have knowledge of programming in any Azure Supported Language. Some of the required skills are as follows:
- Azure SDKs
- Data storage options
- Azure PowerShell
- Azure CLI
- Data connections
- APIs
- App authentication and authorization
- DebuggingÂ
- Compute and container deployment
- Performance tuningÂ
- Monitoring
Elementary Exam Pattern
- The English Version of the Azure Developing Solutions Certification exam was launched on April 19, 2022. You can access this exam by the code AZ-204. Here is the basic information about the exam.
- The exam contains 40- 60 questions.Â
- You only have 120 minutes to complete this computerized exam.
- The exam may contain MCQ, Short Questions, Mark Review, Best Answer, Drag and drop, and many other formats.
- You need to score 700/1000 to pass this exam. The scores are highly dependent upon the difficulty level of the questions.
- Expertise in at least one of the Azure Supported Languages is compulsory to take the exam.
- The exam is available in the following languages: English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, German, Korean, Chinese, French, Arabic, Portuguese, and Indonesian.
- Candidates will take their exam at the VUE Pearson Exam Center.
- The AZ-204 exam cost is $165, with the same retake charge.
AZ-204 Exam Blueprints
Administrators use exam blueprints to create exams and meet the exam requirements. Understanding a blueprint can help you identify the key topics that cover 80-85% of your exam.
Topic | Weightage |
Develop Azure compute solutions | 25-30% |
Develop for Azure storage | 15-20% |
Implement Azure security | 20-25% |
Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions | 15-20% |
Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services | 15-20% |
AZ-204 Learning Path
Develop Azure compute solutions (25–30%)
Implement IaaS solutions
Provision of virtual machines (VMs)
Configuring, validating, and deploying ARM templates
Configuring container images for solutions
Publishing an image to the Azure Container Registry
Running containers by utilizing Azure Container Instance
Create Azure App Service Web Apps
Creating an Azure App Service Web App
Enabling diagnostics logging
Deploying code to a web app
Configuring web app settings, including SSL, API settings, and connection strings
Implementing autoscaling rules, such as scheduled autoscaling and autoscaling by operational or system metrics
Implement Azure functions
Creating and deploying Azure Functions apps
Implementing input and output bindings for a function
Implementing function triggers by using data operations, timers, and webhooks
Implementing Azure Durable Functions
Develop for Azure storage (15–20%)
Develop solutions that use Cosmos DB storage
Selecting the appropriate API and SDK for a solution
Implementing partitioning schemes and partition keys
Performing operations on data and Cosmos DB containers
Setting the appropriate consistency level for operations
Managing change feed notifications
Develop solutions that use blob storage
Moving items in Blob storage between storage accounts or containers
Setting and retrieving metadata and properties
Performing operations on data by using the appropriate SDK
Implementing storage policies, and data archiving and retention
Implement Azure security (20–25%)
Implement user authentication and authorization
Authenticating and authorizing users by using the Microsoft Identity platform
Authorizing and authenticating users and apps by using the Azure Active Directory
Creating and implementing shared access signatures
Implementing solutions that interact with Microsoft Graph
Implement secure cloud solutions
Securing app configuration data by using App Configuration Azure Key Vault
Developing code that uses keys, secrets, and certificates stored in Azure Key Vault
Implementing Managed Identities for Azure resources
Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (15–20%)
Implement caching for solutions
Configuring cache and expiration policies for Azure Cache for Redis
Implementing secure and optimized application cache patterns, including data sizing, connections, encryption, and expiration
Troubleshoot solutions by using metrics and log data
Configuring a service or app to use Application Insights
Reviewing and analyzing metrics and log data
Implementing Application Insights web tests and alerts
Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services (15–20%)
Implement API Management
Creating an APIM instance
Creating and documenting APIs
Configuring authentication for APIs
Defining policies for APIs
Develop event-based solutions
Implementing solutions that use Azure Event Grid
Implementing solutions that use Azure Event Hub
Develop message-based solutions
Implementing solutions that use Azure Service Bus
Implementing solutions that use Azure Queue Storage queues
Click here for the practice official test for azure developerÂ
AZ-204 Exam Preparation Tips
- Look for the official certification page and start your exam preparation by thoroughly reading and comprehending the actual exam guide. Although our guide will provide you with the paramount knowledge of the exam, we recommend you go over the actual exam guide.
- Once you are aware of the exam pattern and objectives, discover the topics you need to focus on. You can look for these topics by reading the learning path that we have provided in our blog.
- If you want to go for the self-study, the Microsoft platform provides 12 learning paths to cover the whole AZ-204 Syllabus. You can access this course on the Microsoft Learn platform. These learning paths include:
- AZ-204: Create Azure App Service web apps
- AZ-204: Implement Azure Functions
- AZ-204: Develop solutions that use Blob storage
- AZ-204: Develop solutions that use Azure Cosmos DB
- AZ-204: Implement infrastructure as a service solutions
- AZ-204: Implement user authentication and authorization
- AZ-204: Implement secure cloud solutions
- AZ-204: Implement API Management
- AZ-204: Develop event-based solutions
- AZ-204: Develop message-based solutions
- AZ-204: Instrument solutions to support monitoring and logging
- AZ-204: Integrate caching and content delivery within solutions
- Furthermore, if you think self-study is not enough for your preparation, you can enroll in an E-learning video course for exam preparation. There is a plethora of sites that offer online courses. But, we recommend you prefer the learning videos provided by Microsoft Learn.
- Before attempting your exam, you can also have a demo exam experience. It is offered by Microsoft to provide you with a free trial of the AZ-204 exam.
Moreover, you can solve actual AZ-204 dumps to assess your exam preparation.
Market demand for Certified Azure Developers
Many MNCs are executing to transfer their services to cloud platforms. Which in return has increased the demand for certified cloud professionals and experts. As Azure is one of the top five cloud platforms, the market need for Certified Azure Developing Solutions professionals is also increasing. Some of the roles to which a developing solution professional can apply are as follows:
- Cloud Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Senior Azure DevOps Engineer
- SQL Developer
- Software Engineer
- ETL Developer
- Azure Databricks Developer
- Web Developer
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Salary of a Certified Azure Developer:
Attaining an Azure certification always helps you to anchor highly paying jobs. According to Glassdoor, A Certified Azure Developer can make $101360 annually.
Final Notes
In short, if you are planning to take the AZ-204 exam, this preparation guide will help you ace your exam on the first go. It is vital to select beneficial resources with the utmost information for your preparation. Are you aspire to pass your exam with flying colors? No need to take tension. Thoroughly go through the guide and start your preparation.
FAQ's
Azure Developers are professionals with skills in designing, developing, testing, and deploying cloud applications on the Azure Cloud platform. These individuals can develop websites, web platforms, applications, and software.
Your preparation for the AZ-204 exam entirely depends upon your prior Azure Cloud knowledge, your preparation resources as well as your ability to comprehend new skills. Many platforms provide online courses for your exam preparation. These courses can take from 1 month to 3 months to your preparation. However, a smart plan can also help you prepare for your exam in 2-3 weeks.
You can attempt your AZ-204 exam 5-times a year. If you fail your exam on the first go, you should wait 24 hours before registering for your second attempt. Unluckily if you fail your second attempt, you will have to wait for 14 days for further attempts (up to 5). You have to pay 165 USD for every exam retake.
No, the AZ-204 exam is not completely an MCQ-based exam. It can contain different formats of questions including:
- Short Answer
- Drag and Drop
- Multiple Response Questions
- Performance Based
- Mark Review
- Best Answer
The programming languages of Azure include C#, Java, Python, and Node. js. For the Azure 204 exam, you must know programming in at least one of these languages.
It is an associate-level certification. It can be difficult for those who have no experience working on the Azure Cloud platform. On the other hand, it will be a piece of cake for individuals with hands-on experience in Azure Cloud.
The AZ-204 exam focuses on the following skills
- Develop Azure compute solutionsÂ
- Develop for Azure storageÂ
- Implement Azure securityÂ
- Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutionsÂ
- Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services
