AZ-104 Prerequisites: What You Need First
Here is the good news up front: the AZ-104 has no formal prerequisites. Anyone can book and sit it — no required cert, no degree, no checked experience. What Microsoft does recommend is roughly 6 months of hands-on Azure admin plus a working grasp of core services. This guide separates what is truly required (nothing) from the foundations that actually make the difference on exam day.
01 The short answer
This is the opposite of a credential like the PMP, where eligibility is audited before you can apply. With the AZ-104 there is no application, no experience verification and no waiting room — you pay the fee and schedule the exam. The catch is that the AZ-104 is a hands-on associate exam: it tests whether you can actually deploy and manage Azure resources, not whether you can recite definitions. So while nothing is required to book it, the recommended foundations below are what separate a comfortable pass from an expensive resit.
About 6 months of hands-on Azure admin Recommended
Microsoft's headline recommendation. Time spent actually deploying VMs, networks, storage and identities in a live Azure environment — not just reading about them.
Working knowledge of core Azure services Recommended
Comfort with Azure compute, storage, networking, identity, security and governance — the five domains the exam is built around.
Basic PowerShell, Azure CLI and ARM templates Recommended
The exam expects you to recognise and reason about CLI/PowerShell commands and ARM/Bicep template snippets, not just point-and-click in the portal.
02 The knowledge Microsoft recommends
Although nothing is enforced, Microsoft's study guide is explicit about the background that makes the AZ-104 manageable. It maps almost one-to-one onto the exam's five skill areas, so treat this table as both a prerequisite checklist and a syllabus preview.
| Area to know going in | What that means in practice | Exam weight |
|---|---|---|
| Identity & governance | Microsoft Entra ID users and groups, roles and RBAC, subscriptions, management groups, policies and tags. | 20–25% |
| Storage | Storage accounts, blob containers, file shares, access tiers, and securing access with keys and SAS. | 15–20% |
| Compute | Virtual machines, availability and scale sets, App Service, and containers. | 20–25% |
| Virtual networking | VNets and subnets, NSGs, peering, DNS, load balancing and network security — the heaviest topic. | 15–20% |
| Monitoring & tooling | Azure Monitor, backup and recovery, plus the portal, Azure CLI, PowerShell and ARM/Bicep templates. | 10–15% |
03 The stepping-stone path
Because the AZ-104 assumes hands-on familiarity, most successful candidates do not start cold. There is a well-trodden run-up that turns the recommendations above into real readiness — and every step of it is optional.
AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Optional
Builds the core cloud vocabulary and Azure concepts the AZ-104 takes for granted. Worth doing if you are new to cloud; safe to skip if you already have Azure or IT background.
A free Azure account & real practice Recommended
The most valuable foundation of all. A free account lets you spin up VMs, VNets and storage at no cost — this is how you accumulate the recommended hands-on months.
Microsoft Learn AZ-104 path Optional
The free official learning path mirrors the exam domains and pairs reading with guided sandbox exercises — a structured way to cover gaps.
Then the AZ-104 itself When ready
Once you can deploy and manage the five domains without hand-holding, book the exam. There is no waiting period and no eligibility check.
04 From zero to AZ-104, in four steps
If you are starting from little or no Azure background, here is the sensible sequence. Steps 1 and 2 are optional shortcuts to confidence; steps 3 and 4 are where readiness is really built.
Learn cloud & Azure basics
Grasp core cloud concepts and the Azure portal — what subscriptions, resources and regions are.
(Optional) pass AZ-900
If you are new to cloud, AZ-900 locks in the vocabulary the AZ-104 assumes. Skip it if you already have a base.
Get ~6 months hands-on
In a free Azure account, deploy and manage VMs, VNets, storage and identities until it feels routine.
Sit the AZ-104
Book it directly — no application or audit. Pair Microsoft Learn with timed practice questions, then schedule.
05 Are you ready for the AZ-104 yet?
Since you are allowed to book it regardless, the real question is not eligibility but readiness. Here is an honest split.
You're ready for the AZ-104
- You have some IT or Azure background and a few months of hands-on time
- You can deploy and manage VMs, VNets, storage and identities yourself
- You can read a PowerShell or Azure CLI snippet and predict what it does
- You want the associate-level credential that signals real admin skill
Start with AZ-900 first
- You are brand new to Azure or to cloud computing generally
- Terms like subscription, resource group or NSG are unfamiliar
- You have never deployed a resource in the Azure portal
- AZ-900 builds the foundation cheaply — then come back to the AZ-104
06 FAQ
What are the prerequisites for the AZ-104 exam?
There are no formal prerequisites for the AZ-104 — no required certification, degree or minimum experience, so anyone can book and sit it. Microsoft does, however, recommend that candidates have roughly six months of hands-on Azure administration experience, a working knowledge of core Azure services across identity, governance, networking, storage and compute, and familiarity with the Azure portal plus basic PowerShell, Azure CLI and ARM templates. These are recommendations, not gatekeepers.
Do you need AZ-900 before AZ-104?
No. AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) is not a prerequisite for the AZ-104 and Microsoft does not require it. It is a helpful stepping stone if you are brand new to cloud or to Azure, because it builds the vocabulary and core concepts the AZ-104 assumes. If you already have some Azure or IT background, you can go straight to the AZ-104 and skip AZ-900 entirely.
How much experience do you need for the AZ-104?
Microsoft recommends about six months of hands-on Azure administration experience before sitting the AZ-104. This is a guideline rather than a hard rule — it is not checked and nobody verifies it. What matters is that you can confidently deploy and manage virtual machines, virtual networks, storage and identities in a real Azure environment, because the exam tests practical administration rather than theory.
Can a beginner take the AZ-104?
Yes, a complete beginner is allowed to book the AZ-104 because there are no eligibility requirements. In practice, though, it is an associate-level exam that assumes hands-on familiarity with Azure, so a true beginner will find it much easier after first doing AZ-900 and spending a few months building and managing resources in a free Azure account. Beginners pass it — they just need the hands-on foundation first.
