AZ-204 vs AZ-104: which Azure associate cert should you get?
People frame this as a difficulty question — which exam is harder, which one to "level up" to. It is not that. AZ-104 and AZ-204 are siblings on the same rung, aimed at two different jobs. So the real question is not which is tougher; it is which one describes the work you actually want to do. Here is how to tell, from your background and the role you are chasing.
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Both sit at Microsoft's Associate tier, one step above the AZ-900 fundamentals, and neither is a prerequisite for the other. AZ-104, Azure Administrator, is about operating Azure — running the identity, networking, storage and compute that everything else stands on. AZ-204, Azure Developer, is about building on Azure — writing and shipping application code that lives on that infrastructure. Same platform, two seats at the table. Pick the wrong one for your goal and you spend months proving a skill the job you want never asked for.
Choose by role and background, not by which sounds harder. Coming from IT, support, sysadmin or networking and aiming at a cloud engineer or Azure administrator job? Take AZ-104 — it is the operate-and-run cert most infrastructure roles list, and the more common first cert overall. Already a developer who wants to build apps on Azure? Take AZ-204, which plays to code you can already write. Neither requires the other, and — usefully — both satisfy the prerequisite for AZ-400, the DevOps Engineer Expert, so whichever you pick keeps that path open.
What each exam actually tests
AZ-104, Microsoft Azure Administrator, tests whether you can run an Azure estate. Identity and governance in Microsoft Entra, RBAC and Azure Policy, virtual networks and their connectivity, storage accounts and access, deploying and sizing compute, and monitoring and backup. It leans on interactive, scenario-style tasks — if you have never actually built a virtual network or set a role assignment, the exam finds out fast. It maps to a real job title: Azure Administrator, and by extension the operations half of cloud engineering.
AZ-204, Microsoft Azure Developer, tests whether you can build software that runs on Azure. Writing and deploying app code to App Service, Functions and containers; working with Blob storage and Cosmos DB from code; securing apps with Key Vault, managed identities and token-based auth; and wiring services together with messaging (Service Bus, Event Grid, queues) and API Management. Microsoft is explicit that AZ-204 assumes real development experience — roughly one to two years — and fluency in a language such as C#, Python, JavaScript or Java. It is a coding exam with an Azure accent, not an infrastructure exam.
AZ-104 asks whether you can run the infrastructure. AZ-204 asks whether you can build the software that runs on it.
The deciding question: are you an operator or a builder?
Strip the debate down and it is really one honest question about where you already stand and where you want to go.
- Your background. If you come from IT, help desk, systems administration, networking or support, AZ-104 builds on instincts you already have and does not demand that you can code. If you are a working developer, AZ-204 lets you lean on your strongest skill instead of fighting it — and forcing yourself down the admin path first can feel like starting over.
- The job title you are aiming at. Read the postings you actually want. Cloud Engineer, Azure Administrator, Cloud Operations, Infrastructure Engineer overwhelmingly list AZ-104. Azure Developer, Cloud Developer, Backend Engineer on Azure, Application Developer list AZ-204. The cert is not there to impress you; it is there to match a line on a job spec.
- Whether you can code, honestly. This is the tiebreaker people avoid. AZ-204 assumes you can already program comfortably. If you cannot, AZ-204 is not a harder version of AZ-104 — it is a different exam you are not ready for, and AZ-104 is the realistic place to start.
| AZ-104 · Administrator | AZ-204 · Developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Associate (role-based) | Associate (role-based) |
| You are | An operator — you run the platform | A builder — you write apps on it |
| Assumes you can code? | No | Yes — ~1–2 yrs dev experience |
| Core skills | Identity, governance, networking, storage, compute, monitoring | App Service, Functions, containers, Cosmos/Blob, Key Vault, messaging, API Management |
| Maps to job | Cloud Engineer, Azure Administrator | Azure / Cloud Developer |
| Prerequisite for the other? | No | No |
| Feeds into | AZ-305 (Architect) or AZ-400 (DevOps) | AZ-400 (DevOps) |
| Exam cost (USD) | ~$165, region-varying | ~$165, region-varying |
Is one harder than the other?
This is the question the internet fights about, and the honest answer is unsatisfying: it depends on you. Difficulty is not baked into the exam; it is the distance between the exam and where you already stand. For a career developer, AZ-204 is the gentler climb and AZ-104's networking and identity domains are the unfamiliar terrain. For a sysadmin or support engineer, AZ-104 is the natural fit and AZ-204's coding requirement is the wall. Anyone who tells you one is flatly "harder" is quietly describing their own background, not the exam. Pick the one whose gap you can actually close, and it will feel like the easier one — because for you, it is.
Do you have to choose just one?
For now, yes — start with the one that matches your role, because a cert you can pair with real work beats two you half-hold. But the two paths are not walled off from each other. The place they converge is one tier up: both AZ-104 and AZ-204 satisfy the associate prerequisite for AZ-400, the DevOps Engineer Expert. So an administrator who later learns to code, or a developer who later learns to run infrastructure, can pick up the other associate and both routes fold into the same DevOps destination — the full leap is in AZ-104 to AZ-400. Administrators eyeing design rather than delivery take the other fork, AZ-104 to AZ-305, toward Solutions Architect. You are choosing a starting seat, not a life sentence.
The honest gap: either cert still needs something behind it
Here is the part the practice-dump sites skip. Whichever you pick, the certificate proves you can pass a test — not that you can do the job. A hiring manager reading AZ-104 wants to see a virtual network you actually built and can explain; one reading AZ-204 wants a repository with an app you deployed to Azure, not just a badge. The strongest candidates pair the right cert with two or three things they built and can walk through in an interview. If you are weighing which credential does the most for employability overall, which Azure certifications actually get you hired goes deeper, and if you are still upstream of both exams, the complete Azure certification path lays out every tier. And if the real question underneath "AZ-204 or AZ-104" is "am I an operations person or a developer," cloud engineer vs software engineer is the note to read next.
It worked for them.
Questions people also ask
Should I take AZ-104 or AZ-204 first?
Take the one that matches the job you want and the skills you already have, not the one that sounds easier. If you come from IT, support, systems or networking and you are aiming at a cloud engineer or Azure administrator role, take AZ-104 — it is the operate-and-run cert most infrastructure jobs list. If you write code and want to build applications on Azure, take AZ-204, the developer cert that plays to your strength. Neither is a prerequisite for the other, so there is no fixed order; there is only the order that fits your path.
What is the difference between AZ-104 and AZ-204?
AZ-104, Azure Administrator, tests whether you can operate Azure — identity and governance, virtual networking, storage, compute, monitoring and backup. AZ-204, Azure Developer, tests whether you can build on Azure — writing and deploying app code to App Service, Functions and containers, using Blob and Cosmos DB, securing apps with Key Vault and managed identities, and wiring services together with messaging and API Management. One runs the infrastructure; the other builds the software that runs on it. They are the same associate tier, aimed at two different jobs.
Is AZ-204 harder than AZ-104?
It depends entirely on your background, which is why the internet argues about it. AZ-204 assumes you can already program — it expects one to two years of development experience and comfort in a language like C#, Python or JavaScript — so for a non-coder it is the harder exam by far. AZ-104 assumes you can already operate infrastructure, so for a developer who has never configured a virtual network it is the harder one. Difficulty here is not a property of the exam; it is the distance between the exam and where you already stand.
Do I need AZ-104 before AZ-204?
No. AZ-104 and AZ-204 are independent associate certifications, and neither is a prerequisite for the other. You can take either one first, or only ever take one, depending on your role. The one place they meet is above them: both AZ-104 and AZ-204 satisfy the associate-certification prerequisite for AZ-400, the DevOps Engineer Expert, so whichever you earn keeps that door open.
Which Azure certification is better for a job, AZ-104 or AZ-204?
Better is the wrong frame — they map to different jobs. AZ-104 appears in far more listings overall because cloud engineer, Azure administrator and cloud operations roles are the largest slice of Azure hiring, and it is the common first cert on that track. AZ-204 is the stronger signal for developer and application-focused roles, where writing and shipping code on Azure is the job. Match the cert to the role you are applying for; a developer with AZ-204 and a cloud engineer with AZ-104 are each holding the right one.