The Microsoft Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) is the essential certification for cloud developers. While the AZ-104 is about managing infrastructure, the AZ-204 is about coding against it.
If you're preparing for the 2026 exam, this deep-dive covers the critical SDK patterns, consistency models, and configuration "gotchas."
If you're looking for exam questions, do check Skillcertpro , their practice tests are so close to actual exam. You can expect 30-40 questions from here on your exam. Do practice all of the questions and carefully go through explanations to understand the topics.
https://skillcertpro.com/product/developing-solutions-for-microsoft-azure-az-204-practice-exam-test/
1. Develop Azure Compute Solutions (25-30%)
As a developer, you need to know how to host code without managing the underlying VM.
App Service (PaaS)
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Deployment Slots: (Standard tier+) Used for zero-downtime deployments.
- Sticky Settings: Mark as "Deployment slot setting" to prevent a setting (like a Dev DB string) from moving to Prod during a swap.
- CORS: Must be configured in the App Service portal to allow cross-origin JavaScript calls from your frontend.
Azure Functions (Serverless)
- Consumption Plan: Automatic scaling, pay-per-execution. 1.5GB RAM limit.
- Premium Plan: Eliminates cold starts, VNET integration, longer timeouts.
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Durable Functions: State management for serverless.
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Orchestrator: Defines the workflow. Must be deterministic (No
DateTime.NoworGuid.NewGuid). - Activity: The function that performs the actual task.
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Orchestrator: Defines the workflow. Must be deterministic (No
2. Develop for Azure Storage (15-20%)
Focus on how to interact with data via SDKs.
Azure Cosmos DB (SQL API)
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Consistency Levels: (The "Must-Know" for the exam)
- Strong: Highest consistency, highest latency.
- Bounded Staleness: Reads lag behind writes by a defined interval.
- Session: (Default) Consistent prefix within a single user session.
- Consistent Prefix: Updates appear in the correct order.
- Eventual: Fastest performance; no guarantee of order.
- Partition Key: Choose a property with high cardinality to avoid "Hot Partitions."
Blob Storage SDK
- Access Tiers: Hot (Frequent), Cool (>30 days), Archive (>180 days, requires rehydration).
- Lifecycle Management: Automate moves between tiers using JSON policies.
- SAS Tokens: Use User Delegation SAS for best security (backed by Entra ID).
3. Implement Azure Security (15-20%)
The exam heavily tests Zero Trust and secret-less communication.
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Managed Identities:
- System-Assigned: Tied to the lifecycle of the resource.
- User-Assigned: Standalone resource; can be shared across multiple resources.
- Azure Key Vault: Store Secrets (strings), Keys (encryption), and Certificates. Use RBAC for modern access control.
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Microsoft Graph: The API for interacting with Entra ID (Users, Groups). Requires
GraphServiceClient.
4. Connect to & Consume Azure Services (20-25%)
How to make microservices talk to each other.
| Service | Type | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Service Bus | Message | High reliability, transactions, FIFO. |
| Event Grid | Event | Reactive programming (e.g., "File uploaded -> Run Function"). |
| Event Hubs | Event | Big data streaming, telemetry (millions of events/sec). |
| Queue Storage | Message | Simple, massive scale, local to a storage account. |
API Management (APIM)
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Policies: XML snippets to change API behavior.
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<inbound>: Rate limits, JWT validation. -
<outbound>: Format conversion (XML to JSON).
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5. Monitor, Troubleshoot, & Optimize (5-10%)
- Application Insights: Use the SDK to track custom events, exceptions, and dependencies.
- Log Analytics: Search logs using KQL (Kusto Query Language).
- Availability Tests: Use "Ping" tests to ensure your endpoint is reachable globally.
Developer "Gotchas"
- Tags don't inherit: Tagging a Resource Group does NOT tag the resources inside.
- App Configuration: Used for centralized Feature Flags.
- Redis Cache: Implement the Cache-Aside Pattern.
- Instrumentation Key: Required to link your code to Application Insights.
Good luck with your AZ-204!
Top comments (1)
I passed the AZ-204 exam today, and I'm very pleased with my accomplishment. Azure Functions, Cosmos DB, Azure Storage, and App Service appeared frequently, so focusing on those topics was worth it. CertifyCerts helped me review important concepts and boosted my confidence before exam day.