AZ-104 · Microsoft Azure Administrator
One workspace for a single goal: passing AZ-104 and being able to actually administer Azure. Decks by exam domain, practice exams, free hands-on labs, a skill map, and curated free resources — in one place.
The honest read on labs: you cannot provision real Azure resources for free — that needs a subscription. But a lot of the skill can be practiced at $0, because Bicep/ARM/Terraform authoring and the Azurite storage emulator all run fully offline. For the parts that truly need live Azure, we point you at the free Microsoft Learn Sandbox (a temporary real subscription, no credit card). The plan below is built around that split.
Certification roadmap
sequenceFundamentals · ~$99 · optional
Skip if you already know cloud basics. It's a gentle on-ramp (cloud concepts, core services, pricing) — not required for AZ-104.
Associate · ~$165 · 40–60 questions inc. case studies · 700/1000 to pass
The target of this workspace. Skills measured updated 2026-04-17. Everything below is organized around its five domains.
Expert · design-focused
The natural progression once you administer Azure comfortably — moves from operating to designing solutions.
Exam domains — weight your study by these
skills measured| Domain | Weight | Free practice vs. needs real Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Manage Azure identities & governance | 20–25% | CLI/PowerShell syntax drills for users, groups, RBAC, Policy, tags, locks. Live Entra & RBAC → MS Learn Sandbox. |
| Implement & manage storage | 15–20% | Strong — Azurite emulator gives REAL blob/queue/table + SAS/CLI practice, free & offline. |
| Deploy & manage compute resources | 20–25% | IaC authoring (Bicep / ARM / Terraform) is fully free & gradable offline. Live VM/App Service deploys → Sandbox. |
| Implement & manage virtual networking | 15–20% | CLI-syntax drills + IaC authoring of VNet/subnet/NSG/peering. Live networking → Sandbox. |
| Monitor & maintain Azure resources | 10–15% | KQL query-writing drills + CLI-syntax drills. Live Monitor/Backup → Sandbox. |
Flashcard decks — the recall layer
all 5 domains live · 186 cardsDomains 2–5
Practice exams
live · 127-question poolHands-on labs — the real practice
5 built · 2 plannedNote: the lab scenarios are authored and live in the workspace, but the in-browser Check button grades only once the Killercoda account is connected (a one-time setup). Until then, you can still follow every step by hand.
| Lab | Skill it builds | How it's graded (offline) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bicep authoring | Compute & networking IaC (D3/D4) | `az bicep build` compiles + asserts on the ARM JSON | built ✓ |
| Bicep params & lint | Reusable, secret-safe IaC (@secure) | `az bicep lint`/`build` clean, param + @secure present | built ✓ |
| Terraform (azurerm) | Multi-tool IaC (learn + break-fix) | `terraform init && validate` (pin azurerm ~> 4.x, features {}) | built ✓ |
| Azurite storage | Blob/queue/table ops, SAS (D2) | real `az storage` against the emulator, state checked | built ✓ |
| Azure CLI drills | Command fluency, all 5 domains | string/flag match against the expected command — no live Azure | built ✓ |
| ARM template (arm-ttk) | Read & edit ARM JSON (D3) | `Test-AzTemplate` returns no errors | planned |
| KQL query drills | Azure Monitor log queries (D5) | query structure/keywords validated | planned |
What needs real Azure → free Microsoft Learn Sandbox
honestNo emulator exists for these — they need a live subscription. The free path is the Microsoft Learn Sandbox: a temporary real Azure subscription inside training modules, no credit card, about 4 hours per session. We link you to the specific modules rather than host (or charge for) real Azure.
- •Provisioning VMs, VNets/peering, NSG effective rules, Bastion, Load Balancer, App Service, containers
- •Entra ID users/groups/SSPR, RBAC role assignments in effect, Azure Policy enforcement, resource locks
- •Backup / Recovery Services vault, Site Recovery, Azure Monitor alerts & insights end-to-end
Skill map — where to practice each thing
the workspace| Skill | Practice with | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Identity, RBAC & governance concepts | Domain 1 deck | ready |
| Storage data-plane (blob/queue/table) | Azurite lab | built |
| Infrastructure as code (Bicep / Terraform) | Bicep + Terraform labs (learn + break-fix) | built |
| Azure CLI fluency | Azure CLI drills lab | built |
| Monitor & log queries (KQL) | KQL drills | planned |
| Live provisioning (VMs/VNets/Entra/Policy) | MS Learn Sandbox (free real Azure) | external |
| Exam-format recall | AZ-104 Practice Exam (127-Q pool) | ready |
A study routine
- 1.Drill the domain decks daily — recall out loud before revealing, mark the hard ones. ~15 min.
- 2.Once a domain's deck feels solid, sit its practice exam; review every miss with its explanation.
- 3.One hands-on session a week: an IaC/Azurite lab here, plus a free Microsoft Learn module (real Azure sandbox) for the provisioning topics.
- 4.Watch one segment of John Savill's Study Cram each week, then turn its key idea into a card.
Curated resources — free-first
verifiedEvery link was checked live (July 2026). Free picks lead; paid options are labeled. Prices/versions shift, so treat costs as “as seen.”