Pass AZ-104 and Actually Understand Azure
The AZ-104 Azure Administrator certification is one of the most in-demand cloud credentials in the UK. But passing the exam is not the same as understanding the platform.
From the field: I have been through the AZ-104 course material more than once and have been working with Azure in enterprise environments for years. This series is not a regurgitation of Microsoft docs — it is the practical knowledge I wish I had when I started, with the real-world context the official material leaves out.
This series covers the four core AZ-104 domains with the depth you need to pass the exam AND work confidently in production Azure environments. Every guide includes hands-on examples, real-world context, and the interview scenarios that come up after you get certified.
Written by an infrastructure architect who has designed and migrated Azure platforms for UK businesses – not someone who just passed the exam yesterday.
The Series
Follow in order for structured AZ-104 preparation, or jump to the domain you need to revise.
Exam Preparation
Core Domains
Who This Series Is For
- Career changers targeting cloud roles (Azure admins earn 45-70k+ in the UK)
- Windows sysadmins moving to cloud infrastructure
- On-prem engineers leading Azure migrations
- AZ-104 candidates who want to understand, not just memorise
- Homelab users bridging the gap between self-hosting and enterprise cloud
The Enterprise Bridge
ReadTheManual bridges two worlds: enterprise infrastructure and the homelab. Azure is the enterprise side of that bridge.
The same engineer who runs Proxmox clusters and Docker stacks at home can design Azure landing zones at work. These guides help you translate homelab skills into cloud career opportunities – because the networking, identity, and storage concepts are the same. Only the interface changes.
Coming Next
This series will expand to cover the remaining AZ-104 domains:
- Azure Compute – VMs, App Service, Container Instances, Azure Kubernetes Service
- Azure Monitoring – Azure Monitor, alerts, Log Analytics, Application Insights
- Azure Backup and Recovery – Recovery Services vaults, backup policies, disaster recovery
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Study Path
The AZ-104 covers a lot of ground. Here is the order I recommend, based on how the topics build on each other:
- Identity and Governance — start here. Everything in Azure depends on identity.
- Virtual Networks — networking is the second pillar. Understand VNets before deploying anything.
- Storage — blobs, tables, queues, file shares. Know when to use which.
Supporting Resources
Why This Matters for Your Career
Azure skills are in high demand, but the market is saturated with people who can click through a portal. What sets you apart is understanding the fundamentals underneath — networking, identity, security principles. That is what this series focuses on, and it is what interviewers actually test for at senior levels.
Pair this with a homelab and you have both the cloud credentials and the hands-on infrastructure experience that makes you genuinely versatile. Read more about that approach in Why Your Homelab Makes You a Better Cloud Architect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AZ-104 worth getting in 2026?
Yes. AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate) remains one of the most in-demand cloud certifications. UK salaries for Azure administrators with AZ-104 typically range from 45,000 to 70,000 pounds depending on experience and location. It validates practical skills in managing Azure identity, storage, compute, and networking that employers actively recruit for.
Do I need AZ-900 before taking AZ-104?
Not if you already have IT experience. AZ-900 is a fundamentals exam covering basic cloud concepts at a very introductory level. If you understand networking, storage, and identity concepts from on-premises work or homelabbing, skip AZ-900 and go straight to AZ-104. Your time is better spent on the practical, career-advancing content.
How long does it take to study for AZ-104?
With existing IT experience, expect 4-8 weeks of focused study. Without cloud experience, allow 8-12 weeks. The exam covers five domains: identity and governance, storage, compute, networking, and monitoring. Hands-on practice in an Azure free tier subscription is essential as the exam tests practical scenarios, not just theory.
What are the AZ-104 exam domains?
AZ-104 covers five domains: 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 (20-25%), and Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources (10-15%). The pass mark is 700 out of 1000.
Can homelab experience help with AZ-104?
Absolutely. Networking concepts (subnets, DNS, firewalls, load balancing), identity management (Active Directory maps to Entra ID), storage (NAS/block storage maps to Azure Storage), and monitoring (Grafana/Prometheus maps to Azure Monitor) all transfer directly. The concepts are the same – only the interface and scale change.
ReadTheManual is run, written and curated by Eric Lonsdale.
Eric has over 20 years of professional experience in IT infrastructure, cloud architecture, and cybersecurity, but started with PCs long before that.
He built his first machine from parts bought off tables at the local college campus, hoping they worked. He learned on BBC Micros and Atari units in the early 90s, and has built almost every PC he’s used between 1995 and now.
From helpdesk to infrastructure architect, Eric has worked across enterprise datacentres, Azure environments, and security operations. He’s managed teams, trained engineers, and spent two decades solving the problems this site teaches you to solve.
ReadTheManual exists because Eric believes the best way to learn IT is to build things, break things, and actually read the manual. Every guide on this site runs on infrastructure he owns and maintains.
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