Azure AZ-204 Exam-Step by Step guide

Quick answer: The AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure exam was retired on July 31, 2026, and can no longer be taken. Microsoft has replaced the Azure Developer Associate certification path with the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate certification, earned through AI-200: Developing AI Cloud Solutions on Azure. If you are looking for a current Azure developer certification, use the AI-200 resources below rather than the old AZ-204 study plan.

Important update: AZ-204 and the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification are retired. Microsoft Learn confirms that AZ-204 retired on July 31, 2026. The old exam can no longer be scheduled or renewed. See Microsoft’s retired exams list.

What Replaced AZ-204?

The current replacement certification is Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate. It uses AI-200: Developing AI Cloud Solutions on Azure. Microsoft describes the certification as focused on implementing AI solutions on Azure, with an emphasis on back-end services, scalable architectures, and the development lifecycle.

AI-200 is not simply a renamed AZ-204 exam. Its objectives place greater emphasis on AI-oriented data services, vector databases, containerized applications, messaging, serverless development, security, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

AI-200 Exam at a Glance

• Exam: AI-200: Developing AI Cloud Solutions on Azure
• Certification: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate
• Exam duration: 120 minutes
• Passing score: 700 or greater
• Delivery: Proctored exam through Pearson VUE
• Languages: English plus several localized languages listed by Microsoft

AI-200 Skills to Study

• Develop containerized solutions on Azure (20–25%) — Azure Container Registry, Azure App Service, Azure Container Apps, KEDA, and AKS.
• Develop AI solutions using Azure data management services (25–30%) — Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, vector search, embeddings, and Azure Managed Redis.
• Connect to and consume Azure services (20–25%) — Azure Service Bus, Event Grid, and Azure Functions.
• Secure, monitor, and troubleshoot Azure solutions (20–25%) — Azure Key Vault, Azure App Configuration, OpenTelemetry, and KQL.

Microsoft Learn Resources

Start with the official AI-200 study guide. Microsoft also provides a dedicated Develop AI cloud solutions on Azure training course.

• Practice Azure container deployment with App Service, Container Apps, and AKS.
• Learn how vector search and embeddings work with Azure data services.
• Practice Azure Functions, Event Grid, and Service Bus.
• Use Key Vault and App Configuration for application secrets and configuration.
• Practice monitoring with OpenTelemetry and KQL.

What About the Old AZ-204 Material?

The original AZ-204 material on this page is now retained only as historical reference. Topics such as Azure App Service, Azure Functions, storage, identity, APIs, and monitoring remain useful Azure development skills, but the old AZ-204 exam objectives should not be used as the current certification study plan.

If you are specifically looking for the retired AZ-204 skills outline, Microsoft continues to provide the retired AZ-204 study guide for reference.

Pro tips:
1. Do not use old AZ-204 practice tests as your primary preparation material for AI-200; the exam objectives are different.
2. Prioritize hands-on work with containers, Azure data services, vector search, Functions, messaging, security, and observability.
3. Check the official Microsoft Learn study guide before booking the exam because certification objectives can change.

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Srirang Netake

Been working with Microsoft Tech stack for more than 12 years. Aspiring Software Architect, cloud enthusiast. idea of fun is a good book or a good movie and good food.