Review Microsoft Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) compute, storage, identity, Key Vault, messaging, APIs, monitoring, troubleshooting, and retirement guidance before using the AZ-204 practice page.
AZ-204 is an Azure developer implementation route. Use this cheat sheet to review service-selection, identity, storage, integration, monitoring, and transition decisions before trying the AZ-204 sample questions.
Use this with practice. Review the Azure developer checklist, then open the AZ-204 page for sample questions, retirement guidance, and related live IT Mastery practice paths.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Microsoft |
| Official exam name | Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure |
| Exam code | AZ-204 |
| Route focus | Azure application development |
| Status in IT Mastery | Sample questions with Notify me form |
| Domain | Weight | What to know | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure compute solutions | 25-30% | App Service, Functions, containers, deployment, scaling, and runtime behavior | Choosing a VM when a managed compute service fits better |
| Azure storage | 15-20% | Blob, files, queues, tables, Cosmos DB awareness, SDKs, and access patterns | Picking storage by name instead of data shape and access need |
| Azure security | 15-20% | Managed identities, Microsoft Entra, Key Vault, tokens, and least privilege | Storing secrets in code or app settings without Key Vault controls |
| Monitoring and troubleshooting | 5-10% | Application Insights, logs, metrics, traces, alerts, and failure isolation | Debugging code before checking telemetry and configuration |
| Service integration | 20-25% | APIs, events, queues, messaging, third-party services, and resilient communication | Making every workflow synchronous when event-driven design fits |
| Distinction | How to decide |
|---|---|
| App Service vs Functions | App Service fits hosted web apps and APIs; Functions fits event-driven units of work. |
| Queue vs event | Queues buffer work for processing; events notify that something happened. |
| Managed identity vs client secret | Managed identity avoids stored credentials for Azure-to-Azure access. |
| Key Vault secret vs app setting | Key Vault protects and manages secrets; app settings configure runtime values. |
| Blob vs table vs queue storage | Blob stores objects; tables store key-value entities; queues decouple work. |
| Authentication vs authorization | Authentication proves identity; authorization controls allowed actions. |
| Logging vs tracing vs metrics | Logs record events; traces follow requests; metrics quantify system behavior. |
Use the AZ-204 page to tag misses as compute, storage, security, monitoring, or integration. If your study plan points to a newer AI developer route, compare AZ-204 with AI-200 before investing heavily in older exam preparation.