Is AZ-104 worth it in 2026? (an honest take)

Short answer: yes, if you administer Azure or want to. AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator) is a role-based certification, the Azure cert employers actually name in admin job postings, and it's the natural step toward AZ-305, the architect exam. It costs $165 and renews yearly with a free online assessment. What it isn't is a good fit for people who don't do, or don't want to do, hands-on admin work.

We sell AZ-104 prep, so discount our enthusiasm. We'd rather you take it for the right reasons (or pick a better-fitting exam) than spend $165 and several weeks on a cert that doesn't match the job you want.

What AZ-104 is

AZ-104 is Microsoft's associate-level exam for the people who run Azure day to day. Passing it earns Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate. Where AZ-900 asks you to describe services, AZ-104 asks you to configure and troubleshoot them: create Microsoft Entra users and groups, assign Azure RBAC roles at the right scope, apply Azure Policy and resource locks, secure storage accounts with SAS and firewalls, deploy VMs and Bicep files, build VNets with NSGs, peering and load balancers, and set up monitoring, backup and Site Recovery. Questions are mostly short scenarios ("You need to… What should you do?"), and the best way to prepare is to practice reading the things an admin reads: NSG rule lists, route tables, KQL queries and az commands.

The exam at a glance

What it does (and doesn't do) for your career

AZ-104 is a role-based certification: it maps to a real job title, and that's why it shows up in job ads in a way fundamentals certs don't. Where it pays off:

• Employers name it. CertDemand's count of US job postings on November 1, 2026 found AZ-104 named in about 1,000 active postings, up 27% over the previous 14 weeks. That came after a 36% dip in the first half of 2026, so demand has been recovering rather than climbing in a straight line.
• It tests doing, not describing. To pass, you need to know which setting, scope or command does the job, which is the same knowledge an interviewer probes when they ask how you'd lock down a subnet or grant least-privilege access.
• It leads to AZ-305. The architect exam is the next step for most Azure admins, and in the same CertDemand count AZ-305 was named in about 1,954 postings. AZ-104 is the groundwork for it.
• It stays current. Because it renews every year with a free online assessment, the credential on your resume reflects recent knowledge, not something you crammed years ago.

What it won't do: replace experience. A cert plus "I've built this in a real subscription" is a much stronger story than the cert alone.

About salary numbers

You'll see blogs attach salary figures to AZ-104. We're not going to quote any, because we haven't seen salary data for a single cert that we trust. The job-posting counts above are the one demand number we're confident in. The honest version: the cert gets your resume past the filter for Azure admin roles; what you can do in Azure gets you the offer.

Who it's worth it for

• Working Azure administrators. If you already manage subscriptions, VNets, storage accounts and RBAC, AZ-104 turns that experience into a credential employers recognize, and the study fills in the corners you don't touch every day (Site Recovery, lifecycle management, Network Watcher).
• Sysadmins and infrastructure engineers moving to Azure. Windows/Linux admins, network engineers and storage people already know the concepts; AZ-104 maps them to Azure's way of doing things.
• AZ-900 holders ready for the next step. If AZ-900 gave you the vocabulary, AZ-104 is where you learn to configure what you described.
• AWS associate-level cert holders adding Azure. The ideas transfer; the names, scopes and tools are what you're learning.
• Anyone aiming at AZ-305. AZ-104 is the path most people take toward the architect exam.

Who should skip it

• Non-admin roles. If you work around Azure (sales, project or product management, finance, procurement) but won't configure it, AZ-104 is more depth than you need. AZ-900 covers the vocabulary for a lot less time and money.
• Pure developers. If your job is writing code that runs on Azure rather than running the platform, look at the developer-focused exams, such as AI-200 or AI-103, instead.
• People whose world runs on another cloud. If your employer and the jobs you want are AWS or Google Cloud shops, that cloud's associate-level cert is the closer match.
• Anyone hoping to pass on reading alone. AZ-104 rewards hands-on time in a real subscription. If you can't put in that time right now, wait until you can.

What it costs

You can prepare largely for free: Microsoft Learn's AZ-104 learning path covers every skill area, and Microsoft's free official practice assessment (the new version is on AI Skills Navigator) shows you the question style. Paid practice tests add more scenario questions and timed mocks; the options range from CertCrush (a different company with a similar name) at $9.99 one-time and Tutorials Dojo at $14.99 list, to Microsoft's official MeasureUp test at a $99 list price. Our rundown of the best AZ-104 practice tests compares them, including the free ones.

AZ-104 vs the alternatives

The outline is from 2023 — does that matter?

The current AZ-104 study guide is "skills measured as of October 26, 2023," and as of November 2026 it's still the current outline, with no newer version and no retirement announced. That's a long time for a Microsoft outline, so a refresh is possible. If one comes, the skills you build won't go to waste; we'll update the CrushCert bank when Microsoft refreshes the outline.

Azure itself has moved on since 2023, so study the current platform, not old screenshots: Microsoft Entra ID is the identity service's name; Basic SKU Load Balancer and public IP addresses were retired on September 30, 2025 (use Standard); the legacy Log Analytics agent was replaced by the Azure Monitor Agent with data collection rules; and new NSG flow logs can no longer be created, with VNet flow logs as the replacement.

How hard is it, and how long does it take?

It's a real step up from AZ-900: five skill areas, about 100 minutes, possible case studies, and questions that expect you to know the exact setting or command. Typical part-time study is about 4–6 weeks at roughly 6–8 hours a week if you already work with Azure or hold AZ-900 or an AWS associate cert, and about 8–12 weeks if you're new to Azure administration. We break that down by background and skill area in how long to study for AZ-104, and there's a week-by-week AZ-104 study plan with 6-week and 10-week tracks.

How to pass it on the first try

• Get hands-on in a real subscription. Build a VNet, lock down a subnet, create a storage account and a SAS, deploy and resize a VM, back it up and restore a file. Hands-on time matters more for AZ-104 than for any fundamentals exam.
• Learn the az commands, not just the portal. Knowing which command and flag does a task proves you understand the setting behind it, and typing them builds the recall that recognition doesn't.
• Drill the lookalikes. Service endpoint vs private endpoint, user delegation vs service vs account SAS, Recovery Services vault vs Backup vault, Azure Policy vs RBAC vs resource locks, IP flow verify vs Next hop vs Connection troubleshoot.
• Practice reading rule lists. Given an NSG with five rules, can you say which one wins for a packet and why? Priorities and evaluation order are guaranteed points if you've practiced them.
• Use Microsoft's free practice assessment as an official check on question style.
• Take a timed mock. 100 minutes sounds like plenty until a case study eats twenty of them.

So — is it worth it?

Yes, if Azure administration is your job or the job you want. For $165, a free yearly renewal and a few weeks of part-time study, you get the role-based Azure cert that employers name in their postings and a running start on AZ-305. If you work around Azure rather than in it, or you write code rather than run the platform, a different exam will serve you better.

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