AZ-900 vs AZ-104: Which Azure Certification Should You Take First?

If you're starting your Microsoft Azure certification journey, the first question is almost always the same: should you take AZ-900 or AZ-104 first? The short answer is AZ-900 if you're new to cloud, AZ-104 if you already know cloud fundamentals from another platform. The longer answer matters because each exam tests very different skills, costs different money, and opens different doors.

The 60-second answer

• AZ-900 (Microsoft Azure Fundamentals) is a 60-minute, entry-level exam covering cloud concepts, core Azure services, security, governance, and pricing. It costs $99 USD. No hands-on Azure experience required.
• AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator) is a 120-150 minute, role-based exam covering identity, governance, storage, virtual networking, compute, and monitoring. It costs $165 USD. Microsoft recommends six months of hands-on Azure administration experience.

If you've never touched Azure (or any cloud), start with AZ-900. If you've been administering AWS, GCP, or on-prem infrastructure for a year or more, you can skip directly to AZ-104.

What AZ-900 actually tests

AZ-900 is a knowledge-recognition exam. Most questions ask things like "Which Azure service would you use to..." or "What is the benefit of...". You don't need to write any commands, understand specific syntax, or solve scenarios.

The exam is split into four domains:

• Cloud concepts (25-30%): what cloud is, IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS, public vs private vs hybrid, and the high-availability/scalability/elasticity/ reliability/predictability/security/governance/manageability vocabulary.
• Azure architecture and services (35-40%): core services like Virtual Machines, Storage Accounts, Virtual Networks, Azure SQL, App Service, and the Azure CLI/portal/PowerShell tools.
• Azure management and governance (30-35%): cost management, policies, Resource Groups, locks, and the Azure Trust Center.

Most candidates pass AZ-900 with 1-2 weeks of study, especially if they have any IT background. It's a confidence builder more than a technical gate.

What AZ-104 actually tests

AZ-104 is a working-administrator exam. You need to understand not just what an Azure service does, but how to configure it, when to use it, and what breaks if you misconfigure it.

The exam covers five domains:

• Identity and governance (20-25%): Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), users, groups, RBAC, conditional access, subscriptions, and resource tagging.
• Storage (15-20%): storage accounts, blob storage, file shares, redundancy options, lifecycle management, and Azure Files.
• Compute (20-25%): virtual machines, scale sets, availability sets, containers (ACI/AKS basics), and App Service plans.
• Virtual networking (15-20%): VNets, subnets, network security groups, Azure Firewall, VPN gateways, ExpressRoute, and load balancers.
• Monitoring and backup (10-15%): Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, alerts, backup policies, and Site Recovery.

AZ-104 has scenario questions, drag-and-drop sequencing, and case-study-style multi-part problems. Most candidates need 6-12 weeks of study with hands-on lab time.

The decision matrix

Your situation	Take first
Brand new to cloud	AZ-900
Used Azure casually (some VMs, some storage)	AZ-900 then AZ-104
Working admin on AWS or GCP	AZ-104 directly
On-prem sysadmin (Windows Server, Hyper-V, Active Directory)	AZ-104 directly
Manager/PM who needs to understand cloud	AZ-900 only
Developer who wants to deploy to Azure	AZ-900 then AZ-204 (not AZ-104)
Architect designing cloud systems	AZ-104 then AZ-305

Why most people start with AZ-900 anyway

Even if you have cloud experience and could pass AZ-104 directly, AZ-900 is worth considering for three reasons:

1. Vendor-specific vocabulary. AWS calls it a Security Group; Azure calls it a Network Security Group. AWS has IAM Roles; Azure has Managed Identities. AZ-900 teaches you the Azure-specific names so you don't stumble in AZ-104 questions.
2. Confidence and momentum. Passing AZ-900 in 2 weeks builds momentum for the harder AZ-104 study cycle. People who skip AZ-900 sometimes stall on AZ-104 because the jump feels too steep.
3. Resume signal. Two certifications look better than one for early- career roles. AZ-900 + AZ-104 signals "structured learner who finishes what they start."

When skipping AZ-900 makes sense

Skip directly to AZ-104 if all three are true:

• You have 12+ months of hands-on cloud or infrastructure work.
• You're confident with vocabulary like "RBAC", "subnet", "encryption at rest", "high availability", and "disaster recovery".
• You have time pressure (a job requirement, a promotion deadline, or a bootcamp finish line).

For everyone else, AZ-900 first is the better path. The $99 exam cost and 2-week study window are a small investment for the confidence and foundational vocabulary AZ-900 builds.

What's next after AZ-104?

AZ-104 unlocks several specialty paths:

• AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect Expert): the architect track. Adds designing identity, infrastructure, data storage, and business continuity solutions.
• AZ-204 (Azure Developer): for developers building on Azure. Covers Functions, App Service, Cosmos DB, and Azure DevOps.
• AZ-500 (Azure Security Engineer): for security-focused administrators. Deeper coverage of identity, platform protection, and security operations.
• AZ-700 (Azure Network Engineer): networking specialty - VPN gateways, ExpressRoute, hybrid connectivity, application delivery.

Most administrators take AZ-104 then AZ-305 within 6-12 months to round out the architect path. The AZ-104 + AZ-305 combination is one of the highest- demand cert pairings in cloud hiring today.

Key takeaway

Start with AZ-900 unless you have substantial cloud experience and time pressure. AZ-900 builds the vocabulary and confidence; AZ-104 is where your career-relevant cloud administration credential begins. Practice with real AZ-900 exam questions and AZ-104 exam questions on NerdExam.