- Welcome to the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Guide!
- Perfect for beginners, DevOps engineers, and middleware administrators.
- Start your Azure journey the right way with this comprehensive guide.
- Includes real-world IT and DevOps examples you can actually use.
📘 Table of Contents
🧭 Introduction
- Cloud computing skills are among the most in-demand worldwide — and Microsoft Azure is one of the top platforms leading that growth.
- From startups to global enterprises, Azure powers critical workloads, web apps, and automation pipelines across industries.
- If you work in DevOps, Middleware, or IT Infrastructure, mastering Azure is now an essential part of your toolkit.
💡 Who Should Take AZ-104?
System administrators, DevOps engineers, cloud professionals, and anyone managing on-prem or hybrid servers who wants to transition into cloud operations.
System administrators, DevOps engineers, cloud professionals, and anyone managing on-prem or hybrid servers who wants to transition into cloud operations.
☁️ What is Microsoft Azure?
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that enables organizations to deploy, manage, and scale infrastructure and applications globally, without managing physical hardware.
- Run Virtual Machines (VMs) for workloads like Jenkins, Tomcat, or WebSphere.
- Deploy web apps using Azure App Service or containers with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
- Store data securely in Blob Storage or Azure Files.
- Manage user identities using Azure Active Directory (AD).
- Configure secure Virtual Networks (VNets) using Network Security Groups (NSGs).
Available Azure Regions
- Central India – Pune
- South India – Chennai
- West India – Mumbai
- Hyderabad – New Azure region for enterprise workloads
🧩 AZ-900 Basics (Before AZ-104)
AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals is the best first step into the Azure ecosystem. It introduces cloud principles, pricing models, and governance before tackling complex admin tasks in AZ-104.
1️⃣ Cloud Deployment Models
- Public Cloud: Shared infrastructure managed by Microsoft.
- Private Cloud: Dedicated cloud infrastructure for one organization.
- Hybrid Cloud: A mix of on-premises and public cloud (common for enterprises).
2️⃣ Cloud Service Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
| Model | Managed By | Example |
|---|---|---|
| IaaS | You manage OS, runtime, and apps | Azure Virtual Machines |
| PaaS | Microsoft manages platform and runtime | Azure App Service, Azure SQL |
| SaaS | Fully managed by provider | Microsoft 365 |
3️⃣ Core Azure Services Overview
- Compute: VMs, App Service, AKS
- Networking: VNets, Load Balancer, VPN Gateway
- Storage: Blob, File, Table, Queue
- Database: Azure SQL, Cosmos DB
- Identity: Azure Active Directory, MFA
4️⃣ Azure Resource Hierarchy
- Management Groups → Subscriptions → Resource Groups → Resources
- This hierarchy helps organize workloads, control access, and manage billing efficiently.
5️⃣ Pricing, SLA, and Cost Management
- Pay-As-You-Go: Pay only for what you use.
- Reserved Instances: Save up to 72% on long-term commitments.
- Spot Pricing: Utilize unused capacity at discounted rates.
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Guarantees 99.9%+ uptime.
- Azure Pricing Calculator: Estimate costs before deployment.
6️⃣ Security & Governance
- Azure Policy: Enforce rules across resources.
- Key Vault: Securely store secrets and keys.
- Defender for Cloud: Protect workloads from threats.
- RBAC: Assign access permissions to users or groups.
7️⃣ AZ-900 Exam Overview (2025)
Duration: 60 minutes
Passing Score: 700 / 1000
Cost: ₹4,000 INR (approx)
Question Count: 40–50 (multiple-choice)
Level: Beginner
🎓 Tip: AZ-900 is not mandatory for AZ-104, but highly recommended. It builds your foundation and confidence before you move into hands-on admin work.
🎯 Why Learn AZ-104
The AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification validates your ability to manage compute, networking, storage, and identity services within Azure.
- Manage Virtual Machines and storage
- Configure Networking and firewalls
- Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Monitor using Azure Monitor and Log Analytics
- Automate tasks via CLI and PowerShell
💼 Career Benefits:
Certified Azure Administrators earn on average ₹6–12 LPA, with increasing demand across cloud, DevOps, and managed services roles.
Certified Azure Administrators earn on average ₹6–12 LPA, with increasing demand across cloud, DevOps, and managed services roles.
🧾 AZ-104 Exam Overview (2025)
| Exam Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Manage Identities & Governance | 15–20% |
| Implement & Manage Storage | 15–20% |
| Deploy & Manage Compute | 20–25% |
| Configure & Manage Networking | 25–30% |
| Monitor & Maintain Resources | 10–15% |
Duration: 120 minutes
Passing Score: 700 / 1000
Cost: ₹4,865 INR (approx)
Mode: Online (proctored) or Pearson VUE Test Center
Level: Intermediate
⚙️ Tools You’ll Use
- Azure Portal: GUI for managing cloud resources
- Azure CLI: Command-line tool for automation
- PowerShell: Scripting automation in Windows
- Cloud Shell: Pre-installed CLI in Azure Portal
- Visual Studio Code: Lightweight IDE for scripts and IaC
💸 Create Free Azure Account
New users get $200 USD (≈ ₹16,000–₹17,000) free credit valid for 30 days. Selected services remain free for 12 months even after the trial.
- Visit azure.microsoft.com/free
- Sign in with your Microsoft or Gmail account
- Verify with phone and debit/credit card (₹2 refundable hold)
- Start exploring Virtual Machines, Storage, and Databases
Always-Free Services
- 1 B1s Virtual Machine (Linux)
- 5 GB Blob Storage
- 1 Million Function Executions/month
- 5-user Azure DevOps access with private repos
🧑💻 Hands-On Lab – Deploy Tomcat on Azure
- Create a Virtual Machine
- Image: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Size: B1s (Free Tier eligible)
- Region: Central India (Pune)
- Authentication: SSH Key
- Connect to VM
ssh azureuser@<public-ip> - Install Tomcat
sudo apt update sudo apt install tomcat9 -y - Test Application
Open browser →
http://<public-ip>:8080✅ Tomcat homepage should appear. - Clean Up
az group delete --name <resource-group-name> --yes --no-wait
📦 Real-World Example – Jenkins on Azure
- Jenkins Master: Hosted on Azure VM
- Build Artifacts: Stored in Azure Blob Storage
- Backups: Managed via Recovery Services Vault
- Monitoring: Done using Azure Monitor
- Secrets: Stored in Azure Key Vault
- CI/CD: Integrated with Azure DevOps Pipelines
🧠 AZ-104 Course Roadmap
| Part | Topic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1️⃣ | Azure Fundamentals + AZ-900 | Understand basics and setup |
| 2️⃣ | Virtual Machines | Creation, sizing, scaling |
| 3️⃣ | Storage | Blob, Disk, File storage |
| 4️⃣ | Networking | VNets, NSGs, VPNs |
| 5️⃣ | IAM & RBAC | Identity management and access control |
| 6️⃣ | Backup & Recovery | Vaults, snapshots |
| 7️⃣ | Monitoring | Metrics, Alerts, Dashboards |
| 8️⃣ | Automation | Runbooks, CLI scripts |
| 9️⃣ | Security | Defender, Key Vault |
| 🔟 | Final Project | End-to-End Azure Setup |
✅ Key Takeaways
- AZ-900 builds your foundation; AZ-104 makes you hands-on.
- KodeKloud is great for practice when Azure credits expire.
- Always clean up unused resources to control cost.
- Documentation and repetition are key to mastery.
- Keep practicing — one small lab every day!
⏭️ Coming Next
Part 2 – Azure Virtual Machines Explained: Learn how to create, size, and connect like a pro.
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