Microsoft Azure is the second-largest cloud platform by market share, behind AWS but ahead of GCP. Azure dominates in enterprise environments — companies using Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and the broader Microsoft ecosystem often default to Azure for cloud infrastructure.
Azure certifications follow a structured path from Fundamentals (AZ-900) through Associate (AZ-104, AZ-204) to Expert (AZ-305). Here are the best courses for each level.
Quick Picks
| Certification / Goal | Best Course |
|---|---|
| AZ-900 Fundamentals | AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (Udemy, Scott Duffy) |
| AZ-104 Administrator | AZ-104 Exam Prep (Udemy, Alan Rodrigues) |
| AZ-204 Developer | AZ-204 Azure Developer Associate (Udemy) |
| Best free option | Microsoft Learn (learn.microsoft.com) |
| Enterprise/DevOps | Azure DevOps courses on Pluralsight |
Azure Certification Path
Microsoft's Azure certification structure:
Fundamentals:
- AZ-900 — Azure Fundamentals (entry, no experience required)
- AI-900 — Azure AI Fundamentals
- DP-900 — Azure Data Fundamentals
Associate:
- AZ-104 — Azure Administrator Associate (infrastructure management)
- AZ-204 — Azure Developer Associate (application development)
- AZ-500 — Azure Security Engineer Associate
- AZ-700 — Azure Network Engineer Associate
Expert:
- AZ-305 — Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- AZ-400 — Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
Specialty:
- Various specialty certifications (Cosmos DB, SAP, IoT)
Azure vs. AWS Certification: Which to Pursue?
| Factor | Azure | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Market share | ~23% cloud market | ~33% cloud market |
| Enterprise adoption | Dominant (Microsoft shops) | Broader/tech-forward companies |
| Job postings | Strong, enterprise-focused | More total postings |
| Cert recognition | AZ-900 widely recognized | AWS certs considered gold standard |
| Hybrid cloud | Strong (Azure Arc, AD integration) | Growing (Outposts) |
Choose Azure if: You work in or target enterprise environments using Microsoft products, or you're in industries (healthcare, government, finance) where Microsoft technology is prevalent.
Choose AWS if: You work at tech companies, startups, or organizations that are cloud-first and platform-agnostic.
Best Azure Courses by Certification
AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals
AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals — Scott Duffy (Udemy) Rating: 4.7/5 from 100,000+ reviews Duration: ~9 hours Cost: $11–15 (sale)
Scott Duffy's AZ-900 course is the most popular Azure fundamentals prep on Udemy. It covers:
- Cloud concepts (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
- Azure core services: compute, networking, storage, databases
- Azure management tools
- Governance and compliance
- Pricing and support
The AZ-900 is an entry-level exam appropriate for non-technical professionals who work with Azure (sales, management, business analysts) as well as technical beginners.
Practice exams: The AZ-900 requires practice questions. Scott Duffy's Udemy course includes practice tests, or buy John Savill's standalone practice exam sets on Udemy.
AZ-104: Azure Administrator Associate
AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator — Alan Rodrigues (Udemy) Rating: 4.6/5 from 25,000+ reviews Duration: ~22 hours Cost: $11–15 (sale)
The AZ-104 is the primary certification for Azure administrators managing infrastructure. Topics:
- Azure Active Directory and identity management
- Virtual machines, networking, and storage
- Azure Resource Manager and ARM templates
- Monitoring and backup
- Governance: policies, RBAC, management groups
Best for: System administrators, IT professionals, and DevOps engineers who manage or plan to manage Azure infrastructure.
AZ-204: Azure Developer Associate
The AZ-204 targets developers building applications on Azure:
- Azure Functions and event-driven architecture
- Azure Container Apps and AKS
- Azure Storage and Cosmos DB development
- Authentication with Azure AD
- API Management
- Azure Key Vault
Recommended course: Multiple Udemy courses exist; search by AZ-204 and filter by review count. The official Microsoft Learn path is also comprehensive for this exam.
Microsoft Learn (Free Official Training)
Website: learn.microsoft.com Cost: Free
Microsoft provides free, self-paced learning paths for every Azure certification on Microsoft Learn. The content is official, well-structured, and includes sandbox labs for hands-on practice with Azure resources.
The Microsoft Learn approach:
- Each certification has an official learning path
- Modules include videos, readings, and hands-on exercises
- Sandbox labs let you practice without an Azure subscription
- Free certification practice assessments
Best for: Self-directed learners who prefer official documentation, or those who want to supplement paid courses with hands-on lab practice.
Pluralsight Azure Paths
Platform: Pluralsight Level: Beginner to Advanced
Pluralsight's Azure learning paths align to Microsoft's role-based certifications with structured skill assessment:
- Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
- Azure Administrator (AZ-104)
- Azure Developer (AZ-204)
- Azure Solutions Architect (AZ-305)
Best for: Pluralsight subscribers who want Azure integrated into broader DevOps and cloud skill development.
Azure Certification Exam Details
| Certification | Cost | Passing Score | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ-900 | $165 | 700/1000 | Annual free assessment |
| AZ-104 | $165 | 700/1000 | Annual free assessment |
| AZ-204 | $165 | 700/1000 | Annual free assessment |
| AZ-305 | $165 | 700/1000 | Annual free assessment |
Microsoft's free renewal: Microsoft Azure certifications (except Fundamentals) can be renewed free with an annual online assessment — no re-exam cost if you stay current.
Essential Azure Services to Understand
Regardless of certification target:
Compute: Azure Virtual Machines, Azure App Service, Azure Functions, AKS (Kubernetes)
Networking: Virtual Networks, Network Security Groups, Azure Load Balancer, Azure DNS
Storage: Azure Blob Storage, Azure Files, Azure Queue Storage
Databases: Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Database for PostgreSQL
Identity: Azure Active Directory (Entra ID), RBAC, Managed Identities
DevOps: Azure DevOps (Pipelines, Repos, Boards), GitHub Actions with Azure
Learning Path: Azure Administrator (6 Months)
Month 1: AZ-900 study + exam Month 2: Azure fundamentals hands-on practice (free tier account) Month 3–4: AZ-104 course + Microsoft Learn labs Month 5: Practice exams, weak area review Month 6: AZ-104 exam
Bottom Line
For AZ-900: Scott Duffy's Udemy course is the best structured paid option; Microsoft Learn provides equivalent free content.
For AZ-104: Alan Rodrigues' Udemy course plus Microsoft Learn hands-on labs is the standard community recommendation.
For all levels: Microsoft Learn's free official content is excellent and should be used alongside or instead of paid courses. The sandbox labs provide hands-on practice that passive video courses don't.
Azure certifications are increasingly valued in enterprise environments — particularly AZ-104 for administrators and AZ-305 for solution architects.
See our best AWS courses guide for comparison with Amazon's certification path, or our best DevOps courses guide for Azure DevOps integration.