--- og_image: "/images/guides/best-azure-courses-2026.webp" title: "Best Azure Courses 2026" description: "Best Microsoft Azure courses in 2026: top options for AZ-900, AZ-104, AZ-204, and Azure DevOps certifications from Udemy, Microsoft Learn, and Pluralsight." date: "2026-03-26" author: "CourseFacts Team" tags: ["azure", "microsoft", "cloud", "certification", "courses", "2026"] --- 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](https://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](/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](/guides/best-aws-courses-2026) for comparison with Amazon's certification path, or our [best DevOps courses guide](/guides/best-devops-courses-2026) for Azure DevOps integration.