Is the AZ-104 certification worth it? What job ads and Reddit say
1.4% of cloud engineer job ads in the United States name the AZ-104 (105 of 7,726, Adzuna, October 2026)
AZ-104 (Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate) is worth it if you run servers in Azure or plan to, whether as a system administrator moving to the cloud or as a cloud engineer on an Azure team. In our October 2026 count (Adzuna), the phrase az-104 appeared in 105 of the 7,726 of 7,726 US cloud-engineer ads.
Reddit posters ask practical questions about it: how long to study, what the labs are like and whether to pair it with the CCNA. People who posted their preparation time report a median of 5.5 weeks (21 statements). The exam typically costs US$165, according to the Microsoft certification FAQ, and renewal is free each year. How we count job ads.
Jump to: verdict · job ads · exam format · study time · cost · next exam
Show the numbers
| Item | Ads | Share of ads |
|---|---|---|
| Terraform | 1,519 | 20% |
| Kubernetes | 1,121 | 15% |
| AWS | 297 | 3.8% |
| AWS Solutions Architect Associate | 242 | 3.1% |
| Microsoft Azure certifications | 178 | 2.3% |
| Google Associate Cloud Engineer | 167 | 2.2% |
| AZ-305 | 117 | 1.5% |
| AZ-104 | 105 | 1.4% |
Is AZ-104 worth it for you?
Instant answer from October 2026 job ads. No email needed.
Rarely named
1.4% of cloud engineer job ads in the United States name AZ-104 (105 of 7,726 ads).
- Most-named alternative
- AWS 3.8%
- Skill asked for most
- Terraform 20%
Source: Adzuna job ads, October 2026.
On this page
- Is AZ-104 worth it?
- How often do job ads name AZ-104?
- Is AZ-104 worth it? What Reddit posters say
- How hard is AZ-104?
- What is the AZ-104 exam like?
- How long does it take to get AZ-104?
- How much does AZ-104 cost?
- Does AZ-104 expire?
- AZ-104 or CCNA: which should you take?
- What comes after AZ-104?
- What is the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator salary?
- Sources
Is AZ-104 worth it?
Yes for two groups: system administrators whose servers are in Azure or moving there, and cloud engineers who work on Azure. If you work on a help desk and have not managed servers yet, build basic server and networking skills first, then return to AZ-104.
That verdict is our judgment from what the exam covers and who Microsoft says it is for. Our ad counts do not show that holding AZ-104 raises pay or brings more interviews.
AZ-104 is the exam for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft's Associate-level certification for administering Azure. Microsoft lists no formal prerequisite, so AZ-900 is optional. Microsoft expects familiarity with operating systems, networking, servers and virtualization, and experience with PowerShell, the Azure CLI and the Azure portal. That list matches a system administrator's daily work, so the exam suits people who already do that work.
It fits:
- A system administrator moving workloads to Azure. The exam tests identities and governance, storage, compute, virtual networking and monitoring in Azure. Our system-administrator page shows what those job ads name.
- A cloud engineer, or someone aiming for that job, at an employer that runs Azure. Microsoft requires AZ-104, plus a pass on AZ-305, to earn Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
Skip it, or wait, if:
- Your employer, or the employers you apply to, run AWS. The counterpart there is AWS's operations exam.
- You have never administered a server or a network. You can still take AZ-104, but expect a steeper climb. Build basic operating-system and networking skills first, or read the AZ-104 vs AZ-900 comparison, which covers Microsoft's entry-level exam.
- You want a security or developer credential. AZ-500 and AZ-204 are retired, so look at Microsoft's current security and developer certifications instead; see what comes after AZ-104.
Our Azure certifications overview compares every Azure level, with the full roadmap and the list of retired exams.
How often do job ads name AZ-104?
In October 2026, the phrase az-104 appeared in 105 of the 7,726 of the 7,726 US cloud-engineer ads we counted on Adzuna.
In the UK, AZ-104 appeared in 3% of the ads for cloud engineers in October 2026 (Adzuna). The UK sample is small, at 475 cloud-engineer ads, so the share can move from one month to the next.
In India, AZ-104 appeared in 1.5% of the ads for cloud engineers in October 2026 (Adzuna). The Indian sample held 1,150 cloud-engineer ads. We leave out Brazil and Mexico, where too few cloud-engineer ads came in to give a figure.
Three limits apply:
- We count AZ-104 only in cloud-engineer ads. In system-administrator ads we count only the general phrase
azure certification, which our Azure overview reports. - An ad can name the exam in other words, such as "Azure Administrator Associate" without the code. Our phrase match misses those ads, so read each figure as a minimum.
- A count shows how employers word their ads. It does not show whether a recruiter prefers a candidate who holds the exam.
Cloud-engineer ads name tools as well as certificates. Of the 7,726 US cloud-engineer ads we counted in October 2026 (Adzuna), Terraform appeared in 20% and Kubernetes in 15%. Our cloud-engineer page shows which certificates and tools those ads name in each country.
Is AZ-104 worth it? What Reddit posters say
Reddit posters ask three things about AZ-104: whether to pair it with the CCNA, how long to study and what the exam format is like. Each is answered below, with the posts linked. Two questions about the exam screen are answered only in part, and we say where.
One poster moving from sales into cloud work listed AZ-104, the CCNA, Linux, Terraform and Azure projects as a plan, and asked: "Is AZ-104 + CCNA a good combination?" (r/AWSCertifications). A field technician in Greece asked whether the CCNA or AZ-104 gives a better chance of a fully remote job within 12 months. Both questions are answered in AZ-104 or CCNA.
Another poster, who had three other Microsoft certifications, asked how good AZ-104 is and which role it targets. Microsoft builds AZ-104 for the Azure administrator role; we count it in cloud-engineer ads. A backend developer who had just passed AZ-900 asked whether to take AZ-204 or AZ-104 next. AZ-204 is retired, so AZ-104 is the one that can still be earned.
Other threads ask about study time and the exam format. Posters asked whether AZ-104 can be passed in five weeks, how long others studied, whether labs and case studies come down to luck, and whether the exam screen shows how many questions are left. The answers are under study time and the exam format.
Show the numbers
| Country | AZ-104 | Ads | Share of ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 15 | 475 | 3% |
| India | 17 | 1,150 | 1.5% |
| United States | 105 | 7,726 | 1.4% |
How hard is AZ-104?
Harder if you have not run servers or networks, judging by what Microsoft expects candidates to know. Microsoft publishes no pass rate, so we cannot measure difficulty directly.
The scope is wide. The study guide lists five skill areas, each a set of administration tasks, and Microsoft's own weights show where the points are:
| Skill area | Weight on the exam |
|---|---|
| Manage Azure identities and governance | 20–25% |
| Implement and manage storage | 15–20% |
| Deploy and manage Azure compute resources | 20–25% |
| Implement and manage virtual networking | 15–20% |
| Monitor and maintain Azure resources | 10–15% |
Source: Microsoft Learn, AZ-104 study guide, skills measured as of April 17, 2026; checked October 5, 2026.
Expect hands-on tasks rather than definitions. The study guide lists tasks such as managing Microsoft Entra users and groups, creating storage accounts and virtual machines, and deploying resources with Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates or Bicep files.
In Microsoft's study guide, the identity and compute areas each carry a 20–25% weight on the exam, so study time spent there covers the biggest share of points. According to Microsoft's change log for the April 17, 2026, version, the five areas were not restructured; only the wording inside them changed. If you use a course made for the earlier version, compare its outline with that change log before you rely on it.
A poster who started with the Microsoft Learn course said it is "so boring and dry I just can't focus" (r/AzureCertification). Our reading: pair the course with practice in an Azure account, because the skill areas are tasks you carry out.
Show the numbers
| Item | AZ-104 |
|---|---|
| Exam time | 100 minutes (1 h 40 min) |
| Passing score | 700 (scaled score) |
| Format | Proctored; may include interactive components |
| Languages | 10 languages |
| Where you take it | test center · online, proctored |
What is the AZ-104 exam like?
A 100-minute exam taken with a supervisor watching (Microsoft calls it proctored). You need a score of 700 or more to pass. Microsoft reports scores on a scale from 1 to 1,000, and because the score is scaled, 700 does not mean 70% of the points.
Microsoft's AZ-104 page says you "may have interactive components to complete" and does not name labs or case studies for this exam.
Microsoft's general certification FAQ says that exams may include additional question types, multiple case studies and labs. It does not say that every AZ-104 candidate gets the same mix, so we cannot confirm or rule out what one poster asked: whether some people get labs and others case studies. The same poster asked whether the exam screen shows how many questions are left and whether a case study or lab is still ahead. We found no Microsoft statement on that either.
We also found no Microsoft figure for the number of questions, and no Microsoft guidance on how to split your time between question types, which other posters asked about. Two free Microsoft tools help here. The exam sandbox lets you try the question types in the same screen you will use on exam day, so test it before you book. The free practice assessment on the study guide page tests your knowledge with sample questions.
The exam is offered in 10 languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese (Brazil) and Italian. If the exam is not available in your preferred language, Microsoft lets you request an additional 30 minutes.
How long does it take to get AZ-104?
People who posted about their AZ-104 preparation on Reddit report a median of 5.5 weeks of study, across 21 statements in the Reddit posts and comments we collected in 2026, mainly from r/AzureCertification. Those who gave their time in months report a median of two months; the middle half took between one and three months (13 statements).
So a five-week plan is close to what these posters report, not a short one. One poster needed to pass within a month because an employer required it, failed after about four days of preparation, and asked for study resources.
Treat both figures as self-reported. They come from people who chose to post, and people who gave up may not post at all. We also do not know each poster's starting experience, so a working admin and a first-time cloud learner look alike in these figures.
Posters also asked which practice tests to buy. We cannot answer that, because we do not test or rate third-party products. Microsoft's free study guide, practice assessment and exam sandbox are the official starting points; check any course against the five skill areas in the study guide.
How much does AZ-104 cost?
Microsoft's certification FAQ says Associate and Expert exams, AZ-104 included, typically cost US$165, priced by the currency of each country or region. The AZ-104 exam page itself gives no figure: the price depends on the country or region where you take the exam, and taxes may apply.
When we checked the UK and India versions of the AZ-104 page on October 5, 2026, neither gave a pound or rupee figure, so check the price for your country before you book.
After a first failed attempt, you wait 24 hours before a retake, then 14 days between later attempts, and you can take the exam no more than five times in 12 months from the first attempt (Microsoft retake policy). Our Azure overview covers prices across the other Azure exams.
For a first attempt, plan on about US$165 plus the study weeks above. Each failed attempt adds the fee again.
Show the numbers
| Country | AZ-104 | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1.4% | 3.8% |
| United Kingdom | 3% | 2% |
| India | 1.5% | 2.5% |
Does AZ-104 expire?
Yes, every 12 months, and renewal is free. Microsoft opens a six-month window before the expiration date, during which you pass an online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
The renewal assessment is unproctored (no one supervises you) and open book. Microsoft lets you retake it, but you must pass before the certification expires. Passing extends the certification by one year from the expiration date. You pay nothing, so the yearly cost of keeping AZ-104 is your time.
AZ-104 or CCNA: which should you take?
Take the one that matches the job you want: AZ-104 for Azure administration and cloud work, the CCNA for network-engineer work. Our counts cannot rank the two, because we count them in different job ads.
We count AZ-104 in cloud-engineer ads and the CCNA in network-engineer ads. In October 2026, the phrase ccna appeared in 16% of the ads for US network engineers (Adzuna). Each figure describes its own job market, so neither tells you which exam brings more interviews.
Our reading for the field technician who works with routing, VLANs and access points: the CCNA builds on what the job already involves, and AZ-104 is a switch toward cloud administration. Our ad counts do not record whether a job is remote, so we cannot say which path leads to remote work faster. The poster who planned AZ-104 plus the CCNA had a reason to combine them: Azure virtual networking is one of the five AZ-104 skill areas, weighted at 15% to 20%, and networking basics help there.
What comes after AZ-104?
Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) or DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400). Azure Solutions Architect Expert needs both AZ-104 and a pass on AZ-305, and AZ-104 is one of the two certifications that qualify you for DevOps Engineer Expert.
Two other Associate certifications, Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) and Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500), were retired in July and August 2026. Our Azure overview lists the retired exams. The AZ-104 vs AZ-204 and AZ-104 vs AZ-500 comparisons and the AZ-204 and AZ-500 pages cover what each retirement means.
Show the numbers
| Item | |
|---|---|
| 1. Exam | 100 minutes |
| 2. Certified | valid for 1 year |
| 3. Renewal | every year |
AZ-104 vs AZ-400
AZ-104 comes before AZ-400. As of October 2026, Microsoft's DevOps Engineer Expert page lists Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate as the prerequisite. With the developer certification retired, a new candidate reaches AZ-400 through AZ-104. The page does not say whether a developer certification earned before the retirement still counts.
Is AZ-305 the next step after AZ-104?
Yes, if you want the architect path. Microsoft awards Azure Solutions Architect Expert to people who hold Azure Administrator Associate and pass AZ-305. You can take the AZ-305 exam on its own, but the Expert certification needs both. See the AZ-305 page and the AZ-104 vs AZ-305 comparison. For the order of every Azure exam, use the roadmap in our Azure certifications overview. The cloud and DevOps field page lists the other cloud credentials we track.
What is the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator salary?
We do not publish an AZ-104 salary figure. We found no source that measures what the certification adds to pay, and people who hold it work in different jobs and countries.
Pay follows the job title and the country. Look up the job you want, not the certificate: our system-administrator page and cloud-engineer page cover the two jobs AZ-104 leads to, and the AZ-900 page covers the entry-level exam for people who are not there yet.
Sources
- Adzuna job-ad counts for the phrase
az-104in cloud-engineer ads (US, UK, India), October 2026; analysis: CertWorthIt. How we count. - Microsoft Learn, checked October 5, 2026:
- Azure Administrator Associate certification and AZ-104 exam page (duration, languages, price statement, sandbox, renewal frequency), plus the UK version
- AZ-104 study guide (skills measured as of April 17, 2026, tasks, passing score, practice assessment)
- Exam scoring (score scale)
- Certification FAQ (exam prices, question types)
- Renewal
- Retake policy
- Retired certifications
- Azure Solutions Architect Expert and DevOps Engineer Expert
- Study-time statements and questions from the Reddit posts and comments we collected in 2026 (mainly r/AzureCertification), linked in the text; self-reported.
Edited by Elena Marsh · Data checked October 5, 2026
Questions people ask
Is the AZ-104 certification worth it?
AZ-104 (Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate) is worth it for a system administrator moving servers to Azure and for a cloud engineer on an Azure team. In October 2026, the phrase az-104 appeared in 105 of the 7,726 of 7,726 US cloud-engineer ads we counted (Adzuna). Microsoft also requires it for Azure Solutions Architect Expert, which you earn by adding a pass on AZ-305, and renewing it each year is free.
Is AZ-104 difficult?
AZ-104 is an Associate-level exam for people who already work with servers. Microsoft lists no formal prerequisite but expects familiarity with operating systems, networking, servers and virtualization, plus experience with PowerShell, the Azure CLI and the Azure portal. The exam lasts 100 minutes, a scaled score of 700 out of 1,000 passes, and it may include interactive components (Microsoft Learn, checked October 2026). Microsoft publishes no pass rate.
How long does it take to get AZ-104?
People who posted about their AZ-104 preparation on Reddit report a median of 5.5 weeks of study (21 statements, mainly r/AzureCertification, collected in 2026). Those who gave their time in months report a median of two months, with the middle half between one and three months (13 statements). These figures are self-reported by people who chose to post, so treat them as a rough guide, not a plan.
What does the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification cost?
Microsoft says its Associate exams, including AZ-104, typically cost US$165 and are priced by the country or region where the exam is proctored; taxes may apply. When we checked Microsoft Learn in October 2026, the UK and India versions of the AZ-104 page gave no pound or rupee figure. A retake costs the full fee again, and renewal each year is free.
What is the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator salary?
We do not publish an AZ-104 salary, because we found no source that measures what the certification adds to pay. Pay follows the job title, the country and your experience. For the jobs AZ-104 leads to, see our system-administrator and cloud-engineer role pages.
Should I take AZ-104 or AZ-400?
AZ-104 first. To earn Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert with exam AZ-400, Microsoft requires Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or Azure Developer Associate. Microsoft retired Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) on July 31, 2026, so a new candidate reaches AZ-400 through AZ-104 (Microsoft Learn, checked October 2026).
Does the AZ-104 certification expire?
Yes. Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) must be renewed every 12 months. Microsoft's renewal is a free, unproctored, open-book online assessment that you can take during a six-month window before the expiration date, and passing it extends the certification by one year (Microsoft Learn, checked October 2026).