Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) Practice Plan¶
Overview¶
Exam: AZ-204 - Microsoft Azure Developer Associate Timeline: 10-12 weeks Study Time: 12-15 hours per week Difficulty: Associate level Prerequisites: 1-2 years development experience, Azure fundamentals
Study Resources¶
- Official Microsoft Learn AZ-204 Path (FREE)
- Azure Developer Documentation
- Complete Azure Study Resources
- README.md in this directory
Week-by-Week Breakdown¶
Week 1-2: Azure Compute Solutions¶
Focus: IaaS, App Service, Azure Functions
Hands-on Labs: - [ ] Provision VMs and configure networking - [ ] Deploy ARM/Bicep templates - [ ] Build and publish container images to ACR - [ ] Run containers in Azure Container Instance - [ ] Create and deploy App Service web apps - [ ] Configure app settings, SSL, connection strings - [ ] Implement autoscaling rules - [ ] Create Azure Functions with various triggers - [ ] Implement Durable Functions - [ ] Configure function bindings
Practice: 50-60 questions
Week 3-4: Azure Storage Solutions¶
Focus: Cosmos DB, Blob Storage
Hands-on Labs: - [ ] Create Cosmos DB with different APIs - [ ] Implement partitioning schemes - [ ] Perform CRUD operations with SDK - [ ] Set consistency levels - [ ] Implement change feed - [ ] Move blobs between containers - [ ] Set blob properties and metadata - [ ] Implement storage policies - [ ] Configure lifecycle management - [ ] Use Azure.Storage.Blobs SDK
Practice: 40-50 questions
Week 5-6: Implement Azure Security¶
Focus: Authentication, Authorization, Key Vault
Hands-on Labs: - [ ] Implement Azure AD authentication - [ ] Configure app registrations - [ ] Create and use SAS tokens - [ ] Integrate with Microsoft Graph - [ ] Store secrets in Key Vault - [ ] Use managed identities - [ ] Implement App Configuration - [ ] Secure connection strings - [ ] Configure CORS policies
Practice: 50-60 questions
Week 7-8: Monitor and Optimize¶
Focus: Caching, CDN, Application Insights
Hands-on Labs: - [ ] Configure Azure Redis Cache - [ ] Implement cache patterns - [ ] Set up Azure CDN - [ ] Configure Application Insights - [ ] Implement custom telemetry - [ ] Create web tests and alerts - [ ] Analyze application performance - [ ] Optimize queries and operations
Practice: 40-50 questions
Week 9-10: Connect to Azure Services¶
Focus: API Management, Event-based solutions
Hands-on Labs: - [ ] Create APIM instance - [ ] Configure API authentication - [ ] Define and apply policies - [ ] Implement Event Grid solutions - [ ] Build Event Hubs applications - [ ] Create Service Bus solutions - [ ] Implement message-based patterns - [ ] Handle dead-letter queues
Practice: 50-60 questions
Week 11-12: Final Practice¶
Activities: - [ ] Complete 5-6 full practice exams - [ ] Build complete multi-tier application - [ ] Review weak areas - [ ] Practice coding scenarios - [ ] Final comprehensive review
Scores: Exam 1: % | Exam 2: % | Exam 3: % | Exam 4: % | Exam 5: ___%
Key Topics Checklist¶
Develop Azure Compute (25-30%)¶
- VM provisioning and configuration
- ARM/Bicep template deployment
- Container images and ACR
- Azure Container Instance
- App Service creation and deployment
- App Service configuration
- Autoscaling implementation
- Azure Functions development
- Function triggers and bindings
- Durable Functions patterns
Azure Storage (15-20%)¶
- Cosmos DB API selection
- Partitioning strategies
- Cosmos DB operations
- Consistency levels
- Change feed implementation
- Blob storage operations
- Storage lifecycle management
- SAS tokens
Implement Security (20-25%)¶
- Azure AD authentication
- OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect
- Microsoft Graph integration
- SAS creation and management
- Key Vault operations
- Managed identities
- App Configuration service
- Secure configuration data
Monitor and Optimize (15-20%)¶
- Redis Cache configuration
- Cache patterns implementation
- CDN setup and management
- Application Insights integration
- Custom telemetry
- Web tests and alerts
- Performance troubleshooting
Connect to Services (15-20%)¶
- APIM instance creation
- API authentication
- Policy definitions
- Event Grid implementation
- Event Hubs solutions
- Service Bus patterns
- Queue Storage operations
- Message handling
Critical Development Skills¶
Programming Languages¶
- C# (.NET 6+) or Python or Java or Node.js
- Async/await patterns
- LINQ and collections
- Error handling
- Dependency injection
SDK Mastery¶
- Azure.Storage.Blobs
- Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos
- Azure.Messaging.ServiceBus
- Microsoft.Identity.Web
- Azure.Security.KeyVault
Development Tools¶
- Visual Studio / VS Code
- Azure CLI
- Azure Functions Core Tools
- Docker
- Git
Hands-on Projects¶
- E-commerce API: App Service + Cosmos DB + Redis + APIM
- Serverless Processing: Functions + Event Grid + Blob Storage
- Secure Web App: App Service + Azure AD + Key Vault + App Insights
- Event-Driven System: Event Hubs + Functions + Cosmos DB
- Microservices: AKS + Service Bus + API Management
Exam Tips¶
- Expect SDK code questions
- Know when to use different services
- Understand async programming patterns
- Practice with Azure portal
- Know service limits and quotas
- Understand troubleshooting approaches
Additional Resources¶
Success Strategy: Build real applications using Azure SDKs. Focus on hands-on coding and service integration.