Five years of professional development. C#, .NET, some Python. Deployed plenty of apps to Azure. Used App Service, Functions, Cosmos DB — the works.
Scored 735 on my first AZ-204 attempt. Passing is 700. I survived by 35 points.
The problem wasn't that I couldn't develop. The problem was that I couldn't develop the way Microsoft wanted me to answer questions about developing.
The AZ-204 Is Not a Coding Exam
The AZ-204 tests your knowledge of Azure services, their configurations, and when to use which one. It's a services exam wearing a developer costume.
Azure App Service (heavy focus):
- Deployment slots and slot swapping
- WebJobs vs Azure Functions
- Custom domains, SSL binding, scaling rules
Azure Functions (heavier than expected):
- Durable Functions — orchestrator, activity, entity functions
- Trigger bindings — HTTP, timer, queue, blob
Cosmos DB (the exam loves this):
- Partitioning strategies
- Consistency levels — strong, bounded staleness, session, consistent prefix, eventual
Security (where I almost died):
- Azure Key Vault
- Managed identities — system-assigned vs user-assigned
- MSAL
Topics That Caught Me Off Guard
Durable Functions
Fan-out/fan-in patterns, function chaining, human interaction patterns. Not surface-level.
API Management (APIM)
Got 3-4 questions. Policies, products, subscriptions, rate limiting. Don't skip APIM.
Azure Cache for Redis
Cache-aside pattern, connection multiplexing, data expiration.
What I'd Do Differently
Week 1-2: Microsoft Learn's AZ-204 learning path (free)
Week 3: Deep dive — App Service, Azure Functions (Durable), Cosmos DB (40% of exam)
Week 4: Security — Key Vault, Managed Identities, MSAL, Storage, Redis
Week 5: APIM, Event Grid, Service Bus, Azure CDN
Week 6: Practice exams
ExamCert's AZ-204 questions saved my second attempt. Scenario-based, $4.99 lifetime access.
Code Snippets in Questions
The AZ-204 includes code snippets. You'll see C# or Python and need to identify what's wrong. Know:
- C# syntax (HttpClient, async/await)
- Azure SDK patterns (DefaultAzureCredential, BlobServiceClient)
- Configuration patterns in appsettings.json
The Honest Truth
The AZ-204 is harder than most expect. Even experienced devs need structured study. Get the practice questions, build a plan, and don't skip Durable Functions.
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