Azure Administrator Associate

cloud Associate Updated: 2025-04-10 Methodology

The Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification validates skills in managing Azure identities, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks. It's Microsoft's most popular cloud certification.

$125K
Avg Salary
68%
Pass Rate
35.0K
Job Listings
100h
Study Time
$165
Exam Cost

Exam Details

Exam CodeAZ-104
Exam Cost$165 USD
Duration120 minutes
Questions55
Passing Score700/1000
ProviderMicrosoft
Difficulty6/10

Salary Data

Professionals holding the Azure Administrator Associate certification earn between $90,000 and $165,000 annually, with an average of $125,000.

Job market demand trend: Growing (+12% YoY)

Prerequisites

  • 6+ months hands-on Azure experience
  • Understanding of core Azure services, workloads, security, and governance
  • Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) recommended

Skills Covered

Azure Active DirectoryVirtual NetworksStorage AccountsAzure ComputeGovernance & ComplianceMonitor & BackupARM TemplatesAzure PolicyLoad Balancing

Best Study Resources

Official

Microsoft Learn — AZ-104 Path

 Free Course

John Savill — Free YouTube Series

 Practice Exams

Whizlabs Practice Exams

Comparisons Featuring Azure Administrator Associate

AWS SAA vs Azure Administrator

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Azure AZ-104 vs AZ-305

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Career Paths With Azure Administrator Associate

Cloud Architect

Cloud architects design and oversee an organization's cloud computing strategy, including cloud adop...

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Cloud Engineer

Cloud engineers build, deploy, and maintain cloud-based systems and services. They work hands-on wit...

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is AZ-104 harder than AWS SAA?
They're comparable in difficulty (both around 6/10). AZ-104 is more hands-on with Azure-specific tools, while AWS SAA focuses more on architecture decisions. Your cloud platform experience matters most.
How long to prepare for AZ-104?
Most candidates need 2-3 months with about 100 hours of study time. Those with existing Azure experience may need less.
Is Azure Administrator worth it in 2025?
Yes. Microsoft Azure holds approximately 24% of the cloud market share, and AZ-104 is the most requested Azure certification in job listings with over 35,000 active postings.

Data Sources

  • Salary data — Aggregated from job postings and salary surveys (US median)
  • Job listings — Active postings across major job boards
  • Pass rates — Community-reported estimates (not official vendor data)
  • Exam details — Microsoft official documentation