AZ-104 · Objectives effective 2026-04-17
AZ-104: Deploy and manage
Organizes official domains from an Azure Administrator lens. The 18 lessons are introductory mappings, not exam readiness.
20–25% · Exam weight
Manage Azure identities and governance
Mapped intro lessons
- VM basics: responsibility boundaries, identity, and observability
- Azure Files: shared files and identity boundaries
Known gaps / todo coverage
Dedicated Entra ID, RBAC, Policy, and subscription governance hands-on modules are missing.
15–20% · Exam weight
Implement and manage storage
Mapped intro lessons
- Blob lifecycle: tiers, access, and retention
- Azure Files: shared files and identity boundaries
- Backup and continuity: work backward from recovery targets
Known gaps / todo coverage
Intro coverage includes Blob, Files, and recovery concepts, but not full migration, SAS, or enterprise operations tasks.
20–25% · Exam weight
Deploy and manage Azure compute resources
Mapped intro lessons
- VM basics: responsibility boundaries, identity, and observability
- Container Apps: revisions, scaling, and a smaller platform surface
Known gaps / todo coverage
Full ARM/Bicep, VM scale sets, App Service slots, and container operations are missing; the Functions note is extended learning.
15–20% · Exam weight
Implement and manage virtual networking
Mapped intro lessons
- VNet segmentation: subnets, routes, and minimal exposure
- Private Link and DNS: private access is more than one endpoint
Known gaps / todo coverage
Full peering, routing, security groups, Bastion, DNS, and load balancing operations are missing; advanced hybrid networking primarily belongs to AZ-700.
10–15% · Exam weight
Monitor and maintain Azure resources
Mapped intro lessons
- VM basics: responsibility boundaries, identity, and observability
- Backup and continuity: work backward from recovery targets
Known gaps / todo coverage
Azure Monitor metrics, log queries, alerts, Network Watcher, Azure Backup, and Site Recovery operations are missing.
Architecture decision questions
- Ask first: who owns identity and change approval?
- Are storage recovery objectives validated by drills?
- Can monitoring alerts trigger maintenance actions, not just dashboards?