Try 12 Microsoft Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) sample questions and practice-test preview prompts on Azure compute, storage, security, API integration, messaging, monitoring, and developer implementation scope.
AZ-204 is Microsoft’s Azure Developer certification for candidates who need strong implementation judgment across App Service, Functions, containers, storage, identity, Key Vault, monitoring, and integration services. Microsoft lists AZ-204 as scheduled to retire on July 31, 2026.
IT Mastery coverage for AZ-204 is under review. Use this page to compare the older Azure Developer route with newer AI-driven Azure developer pages such as AI-200, try 12 original sample questions, and review related live Azure practice options.
Practice option: Sample questions available
Start with the 12 sample questions on this page. Dedicated practice for AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure is not currently included as a full web-app practice page; enter your email to get updates when full practice becomes available or expands for this exam.
Need live practice now? See currently available IT Mastery exam pages.
AZ-204 questions usually reward the option that uses the right managed Azure service, secures access correctly, and keeps the implementation path clean rather than overcomplicating the architecture.
Use AZ-204 if your target date is before the retirement window and your requirement still names Azure Developer Associate. Use AI-200 if your target is the newer Azure AI cloud developer lane focused on AI-driven applications, compute, events, data services, security, and observability.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Develop Azure compute solutions | 25-30% |
| Develop for Azure storage | 15-20% |
| Implement Azure security | 15-20% |
| Monitor and troubleshoot Azure solutions | 5-10% |
| Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services | 20-25% |
Try these 12 original sample questions for Microsoft AZ-204. They are designed for self-assessment and are not official exam questions.
Topic: Azure compute choice
An API has steady traffic, needs built-in deployment slots, and should scale without managing servers. Which Azure compute option is the most natural fit?
Best answer: A
Explanation: App Service is a managed platform for web apps and APIs with deployment slots and scaling features. It avoids VM management for this scenario.
What this tests: Choosing an Azure compute service for app hosting.
Topic: serverless triggers
A process should run when a message lands in a queue and should scale down when no messages exist. Which approach fits best?
Best answer: B
Explanation: Queue-triggered Azure Functions are designed for event-driven processing and scale with demand. This is a common AZ-204 pattern.
What this tests: Matching event-driven requirements to Azure Functions.
Topic: secure secrets
A developer needs an app to read a database password without storing it in source control. What should they use?
Best answer: C
Explanation: Key Vault stores secrets centrally, and managed identity can let the app access secrets without embedded credentials.
What this tests: Secret management for Azure applications.
Topic: storage choice
An application stores user-uploaded images and serves them through URLs. Which storage service is usually the best fit?
Best answer: D
Explanation: Blob Storage is suited for unstructured objects such as images, documents, and media files. Queues and monitoring tools solve different problems.
What this tests: Selecting Azure storage by data type.
Topic: managed identity
A web app must call another Azure service without managing client secrets. What identity feature should the developer prefer?
Best answer: A
Explanation: Managed identities allow Azure resources to authenticate to supported services without storing secrets in code or configuration.
What this tests: Identity-based service access.
Topic: API integration
An app must expose an API to partners with subscription keys, quotas, and central policy enforcement. Which service is most relevant?
Best answer: B
Explanation: API Management supports API publishing, subscription keys, throttling, policies, and partner-facing API governance.
What this tests: Choosing a service for API gateway and policy needs.
Topic: troubleshooting telemetry
A deployed app has intermittent failures after a new release. What should the developer inspect first?
Best answer: C
Explanation: AZ-204 troubleshooting should start from useful telemetry and recent changes. Deployment history and logs can quickly identify regressions.
What this tests: Using observability for application troubleshooting.
Topic: messaging pattern
A purchase workflow must publish an event so inventory and email services can react independently. Which pattern is strongest?
Best answer: D
Explanation: Event-driven integration decouples producers from consumers. Azure developers should recognize when messaging or event services reduce coupling.
What this tests: Selecting event-driven integration patterns.
Topic: container deployment
A team packages an API as a container and wants managed orchestration without maintaining VM hosts directly. Which direction is reasonable?
Best answer: A
Explanation: Managed container platforms host containerized apps and reduce direct VM host management. The choice depends on orchestration needs.
What this tests: Matching container workloads to Azure hosting options.
Topic: retry and resilience
A client app calls a transiently unavailable service. What should the developer implement?
Best answer: B
Explanation: Cloud applications should handle transient faults with controlled retries, backoff, timeouts, and idempotency where needed.
What this tests: Resilient Azure application design.
Topic: configuration management
A staging slot and production slot need different settings without code changes. What should the developer use?
Best answer: C
Explanation: Azure apps should separate configuration from code. Slot settings and configuration services support environment-specific values safely.
What this tests: Managing app configuration across environments.
Topic: route transition
A learner targets Azure development after the AZ-204 retirement window and wants more AI-driven app work. Which page should they compare?
Best answer: D
Explanation: AZ-204 remains useful for Azure developer concepts, but candidates should compare AI-200 when their target is newer AI-oriented Azure development.
What this tests: Choosing the right Microsoft developer route.
Use this map to connect the sample questions to the decision pattern Microsoft usually tests for this route.
flowchart LR
S1["Application requirement"] --> S2
S2["Choose compute service"] --> S3
S3["Connect storage and data"] --> S4
S4["Integrate messaging and APIs"] --> S5
S5["Secure identity and secrets"] --> S6
S6["Monitor and troubleshoot"]
| Cue | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Compute | Know when App Service, Functions, containers, or VMs fit the workload. |
| Data | Match blobs, queues, tables, Cosmos DB, and SQL services to application access patterns. |
| Integration | Use API Management, Event Grid, Service Bus, and queues for clear service boundaries. |
| Security | Use managed identity, Key Vault, OAuth flows, and least privilege instead of hard-coded secrets. |
| Monitoring | Instrument code paths, dependencies, logs, traces, and alerts before production troubleshooting. |
Use this page to review AZ-204 sample questions and use the Notify me form for updates. The related pages below help you compare adjacent IT Mastery Azure developer practice options before choosing what to study next.
If you want concept-first reading before heavier simulator work, use the companion guide at TechExamLexicon.com .