AZ-204 Study Guide

To get the Microsoft Azure Developer Certification, you need to pass the AZ-204 exam. I’ve put together a list of resources I used to prepare for and pass the AZ-204 exam. These resources consist of Microsoft Learn modules, Microsoft documentation, Pluralsight courses and some blog posts. I’d also recommend doing the official practice test. For an alternative study guide, check out Thomas Maurer’s study guide which was the inspiration for this one.

1. Develop Azure Compute Solutions

1.1. Implement IaaS solutions

• Provision VMs
  • Three ways to provision a VM (blog post)
  • Intro to Azure Virtual Machines (MS Learn module)
  • Create Windows Virtual Machines (MS Learn module)
  • Create Linux Virtual Machines (MS Learn module)
• Configure VMs for remote access
  • Remote Access for Windows Virtual Machines (MS Learn module section)
  • Remote Access for Linux Virtual Machines (MS Learn module section)
• Create ARM templates
  • Deploy infrastructure using ARM templates (MS Learn module)
  • ARM Template Beginner Tutorials (Microsoft Docs)
  • ARM Templates with Dependent Resources (Microsoft Docs)
• Create container images for solutions using docker
  • Intro to Docker (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Containerize a .NET Core app, Upload to ACR and deploy to ACI (blog post)
• Publish an image to azure container registry
  • Build and Store Images with ACR (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Run containers by using azure container instance
  • Run Containers with ACI (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Azure Container Instance groups (Microsoft Docs)

1.2. Create Azure App Service Web Apps

• Create an azure app service web app
  • Host an app in Azure App Service (MS Learn Module)
  • Run a containerized app in Azure App Service (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Enable diagnostics logging
  • App Service Diagnostics Logging (MS Learn Module)
  • Enable and steam diagnostic logs using the Azure CLI (MS Docs)
• Deploy code to a web app
  • How to use Azure App Service deployment slots (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Publish a web app with Visual Studio (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Deploy to Azure App Service with Zip file (Microsoft Docs)
  • Deploy to Azure App Service from local git repo (Microsoft Docs)
• Configure web app settings including SSL, API and connection strings
  • Configure App settings (Microsoft Docs)
  • Manage SSL certificates (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement autoscaling rules including scheduled autoscaling and scaling by system/operational metrics
  • Auto-scaling with Azure app service (Microsoft Learn Module)

1.3. Implement Azure Functions

• Implement input and output bindings for a function
  • Creating Azure functions apps (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Azure functions bindings (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Implement function triggers by using data operations, timers and webhooks
  • Azure functions triggers (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Implement azure durable functions
  • Implementing Durable functions (MS Learn Module)
  • Durable Functions application patterns (Microsoft Docs)
  • Durable Functions Fundamentals (Pluralsight course)

2. Develop for azure storage

2.1. Develop solutions that use cosmos db storage

• Select the appropriate API for your solution
  • Selecting the right API (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Implement partitioning schemes
  • Using Partitioning in CosmosDB (Microosft Learn Module)
  • Partitioning in document databases (Blog)
• Interact with data using the appropriate sdk
  • Building a .NET Core app with CosmosDb (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Querying data in CosmosDb (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Set the appropriate consistency level for operations
  • Choose a consistency Level (Microsoft Learn Module section)
• Create Cosmos Db containers
  • Create a container in Cosmos Db (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement scaling (partitions, containers)
  • Scaling with Cosmos Db (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Distributing data globally (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Implement change feed notifications, stored procedures and triggers
  • Stored procedures, triggers and UDFs (Microsoft Docs)
  • Change Feed Overview (Microsoft Docs)
  • Consuming Change Feed with Azure functions (Microsoft Docs)

2.2. Develop solutions that use blob storage

• Move items in blob storage between storage accounts or containers
  • Moving blobs (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Set and retreive properties and metadata
  • Blob properties and metadata (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Interact with data using the appropriate sdk
  • Implementing blob storage (Pluralsight course)
  • Store data with blob storage (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Implement data archiving and retention
  • Manage blob lifecycle (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement hot, cool and archive storage
  • Access Tiers (Microsoft Docs)
  • Rehydrate from archive (Microsoft Docs)

3. Implement Azure Security

3.1 Implement user authentication and authorization

• Implement oauth2 authentication
  • OAuth2 for a single page application (Microsoft Docs)
  • OAuth2 for webapp which signs in users (Microsoft Docs)
  • OAuth2 for protected API (Microsoft Docs)
• Create and implement shared access signatures
  • Access control with SAS (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Register apps and use azure ad to authenticate users
  • Register applications with Azure AD (Microsoft Docs)
• Control access to resources using role based access controls (RBAC)
  • Secure resources using RBAC (Microsoft Learn Module)

3.2 Implement Secure Cloud Solutions

• Secure app configuration by using the app configuration and key vault APIs
  • Manage secrets with KeyVault (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Manage keys, secrets and certificates using the key vault API
  • Configure and manage secrets with KeyVault (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Implement managed identities for azure resources
  • Managed Identities Overview (Microsoft Docs)
  • Configure Managed Identities on Azure VM using CLI (Microsoft Docs)
  • Authenticate using managed identities (Microsoft Learn Module)

4. Monitor, Troubleshoot and optimize azure solutions

4.1 Integrate caching and content delivery within solutions

• Develop code to implement cdns in solutions
  • Implementing Azure CDN (Pluralsight course)
  • Create a CDN (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Configure cache and expiration policies for FrontDoor, CDNs and Redis caches
  • Work with mutable data in Azure Redis cache (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Caching with Azure front FrontDoor (Microsoft Docs)
• Store and retrieve data in the azure redis cache
  • Use Azure redis cache in applications (Microsoft Learn Module)

4.2 Instrument solutions to support monitoring and logging

• Configure instrumentation in an app or service using application insights
  • Configure application insights to view load-times (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Instrument application insights for server-side code (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Analyze log data and troubleshoot solutions using azure monitor
  • Log queries tutorial (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement application insights web test and alerts
  • Creating availability tests (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement code that handles transient faults
  • Guidelines for retry logic (Microsoft Docs)

5. Connect to and consume azure services and third-party services

5.1 Develop an app service logic app

• Create a logic app
  • Logic apps intro (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Create a logic app (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Use webhooks with logic apps (Microsoft Docs)
• Create a custom connector for logic apps
  • Creating customer connectors (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Create a custom template for logic apps
  • Using templates for Logic Apps (Microsoft Learn Module)

5.2 Implement API management

• Create an APIM instance
  • Managing APIs with APIM (Microsoft Learn Module)
• Configure authentication for APIs
  • Control authentication with APIM (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Protect APIs with APIM (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Access Restriction Policies (Microsoft Docs)
• Define policies for APIs
  • Using caching policies (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Request throttling (Microsoft Docs)

5.3 Develop event-based solutions

• Implement solutions that use azure event grid
  • Respond to changes with Azure event grid (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Event handlers for event grid (Microsoft Docs)
  • Azure functions event handler (Microsoft Docs)
  • Custom endpoint event handler (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement solutions that use azure notification hub
  • Notification hub overview (Microsoft Docs)
  • Create a notification hub using azure CLI (Microsoft Docs)
  • Send Cross-Platform notifications (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement solutions that use azure event hub
  • Implement event hubs (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Event Hub event grid handler (Microsoft Docs)

5.4 Develop message-based solutions

• Implement solutions that use azure service bus
  • Service bus overview and features (Microsoft Docs)
  • Implement Service bus (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Service bus event grid handler (Microsoft Docs)
• Implement solutions that use azure queue storage queues
  • Implement Azure storage queues (Microsoft Learn Module)
  • Storage queue event grid handler (Microsoft Docs)