AZ-204 certification: retired on 31 July 2026 — what it means now
The AZ-204 certification is retired. Microsoft retired the exam, Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate and its renewal assessment on 31 July 2026, so AZ-204 can no longer be taken or renewed. Microsoft names no direct replacement on the AZ-204 pages; an earned certification stays on your transcript.
- Status
- Retired on 31 July 2026 — exam can no longer be takenMicrosoft Learn, exam retirement list and AZ-204 study guide, checked 8 October 2026
- Certification
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate (retired)Microsoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Renewal
- Renewal assessment retired — no longer possibleMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Replacement
- None named by Microsoft on the AZ-204 pagesCertification page and study guide name no successor, checked 8 October 2026
- Passing score (when live)
- 700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000Microsoft AZ-204 study guide and exam scoring page, checked 8 October 2026
- Level
- IntermediateMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Skills measured (final version)
- Compute 25–30% · Storage 15–20% · Security 15–20% · Monitor and optimize 5–10% · Connect to services 20–25%Microsoft AZ-204 study guide, skills as of 14 January 2026, checked 8 October 2026
- Price and exam time
- No longer listed — the exam cannot be bookedMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Number of questions
- Not published by MicrosoftNeither the certification page nor the study guide states a count, checked 8 October 2026
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Why you can trust these AZ-204 questions
Is AZ-204 being retired?
It already has been. Microsoft’s retirement list shows AZ-204, Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate, with a retirement date of 31 July 2026, and the AZ-204 study guide states that the exam was retired that day at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time. Microsoft adds that retired exams can no longer be taken.
The certification page goes one step further: the certification and the renewal assessment are retired. So you can neither earn Azure Developer Associate nor extend it any more.
Microsoft does not name a direct replacement on the AZ-204 certification page or in the study guide. The retirement notice links to a Microsoft announcement about new AI-focused certifications, and that is all the AZ-204 pages say.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Exam and assessment lab retirement. Checked 8 October 2026.
What is the AZ-204 certification?
AZ-204 was the single exam behind Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate, an intermediate-level certification for developers who build end-to-end solutions on Azure. Microsoft described the role as covering all phases of development: requirements, design, development, deployment, security, maintenance, performance tuning and monitoring.
In the certification path it sat at associate level and fed into the expert tier: the DevOps Engineer Expert certification accepts Azure Developer Associate or Azure Administrator Associate as its prerequisite.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Developer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
I already have AZ-204 — is it still valid?
It stays on your record, but it will not stay current. Microsoft states that an already earned certification stays on the transcript in your Microsoft Learn profile. Associate certifications expire after one year, though, and with the renewal assessment retired there is no way to extend Azure Developer Associate.
Microsoft’s renewal FAQ says that an expired certification can only be earned again by passing the required exam — and AZ-204 can no longer be taken. Microsoft also says that if a certification’s retirement date comes before its expiry date, holders are told to renew before the retirement.
If you hold DevOps Engineer Expert on the strength of AZ-204, Microsoft’s FAQ is clear on that point: an expert certification does not automatically expire when its associate prerequisite expires. Each certification is renewed separately.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Renew your Microsoft Certification FAQ. Checked 8 October 2026.
How much did the AZ-204 certification cost?
The certification page no longer shows a price, because the exam can no longer be booked. We do not repeat a historical figure from memory or from third-party sites; Microsoft’s own page is the only source this page uses, and it states none today.
For Microsoft exams that are still live, the certification pages state only that the price is based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Developer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
What was the AZ-204 exam format and passing score?
Microsoft never published a question count for AZ-204 on the certification page or in the study guide, and the retired certification page no longer carries an exam time. The exam was offered in English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil) and Italian.
The AZ-204 passing score was 700: the study guide states that a score of 700 or greater was required to pass, on Microsoft’s scale of 1 to 1,000 for technical exams.
It is a scaled score. Microsoft says explicitly that 700 may not equal 70% of the points, because the cut reflects the difficulty of the questions a candidate receives. The same rule, and the absence of a penalty for guessing, applies to every current Microsoft technical exam — useful if you are moving on to another associate exam.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Exam scoring and score reports. Checked 8 October 2026.
What was on the AZ-204 exam?
The final version of the skills outline, dated 14 January 2026, carried five areas with these weightings:
- Develop Azure compute solutions — 25–30%
- Develop for Azure storage — 15–20%
- Implement Azure security — 15–20%
- Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions — 5–10%
- Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services — 20–25%
Source: Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam AZ-204. Checked 8 October 2026.
AZ-204 prerequisites
Microsoft listed no required certification for AZ-204. It did state an experience profile: at least two years of programming experience, proficiency in programming with Azure SDKs, and proficiency with the Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell and other tools.
That profile is still useful as a self-check for any Azure developer exam, but for AZ-204 itself the question is moot — the exam can no longer be booked.
The current Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate page sets a comparable bar, asking for proficiency in Azure SDKs, Azure data management services, monitoring and troubleshooting, messaging and eventing, vector databases, Python and containerized applications on Azure.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Developer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
AZ-204 vs AI-200: what Microsoft lists for Azure developers now
Microsoft does not call AI-200 the AZ-204 replacement on any page checked for this article, so this page does not either. What can be stated is what Microsoft Learn currently lists: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate, earned with exam AI-200, at Intermediate level for the Developer role.
The overlap with AZ-204 is visible in the outlines. AI-200 assesses containerized solutions on Azure, AI solutions using Azure data management services, connecting to and consuming Azure services, and securing, monitoring and troubleshooting Azure solutions. Microsoft gives 120 minutes for it.
For the DevOps path, the other prerequisite option remains live: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) carries no retirement notice and renews every 12 months.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
AZ-204 study materials and training
Microsoft keeps the AZ-204 study guide online with its retirement notice, which is useful if you need to document what the certification you hold covered. It is no longer a plan for an exam you can sit.
For a live exam, start from that exam’s own study guide on Microsoft Learn — the skills list it publishes is what defines scope.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam AZ-204. Checked 8 October 2026.
AZ-204 practice questions
Certsqill’s AZ-204 practice questions explain every option and follow Microsoft’s official weighting. Keep the retirement in mind before you spend study time: practice for AZ-204 can no longer lead to the AZ-204 certification.
AZ-204 questions people ask
Is AZ-204 retired?
Yes. Microsoft retired the AZ-204 exam on 31 July 2026; the certification and its renewal assessment are retired too. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
Can I still take the AZ-204 exam?
No. Microsoft states that retired exams can no longer be taken. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
What replaces AZ-204?
Microsoft names no direct replacement on the AZ-204 pages. Microsoft Learn currently lists Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate (AI-200) as an intermediate developer certification, checked 8 October 2026.
Is my Azure Developer Associate certification still valid?
It stays on your transcript, but associate certifications expire after a year and the renewal assessment is retired, so it cannot be extended. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
Does my DevOps Engineer Expert expire with AZ-204?
Not automatically. Microsoft says an expert certification does not expire when its associate prerequisite does; each is renewed separately. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
What was the AZ-204 passing score?
700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000, a scaled score rather than a percentage. Source: Microsoft AZ-204 study guide, checked 8 October 2026.
How many questions did AZ-204 have?
Microsoft did not publish a question count for AZ-204, checked 8 October 2026.
Can AZ-204 still count towards AZ-400?
The DevOps Engineer Expert page still lists Azure Developer Associate as one of two prerequisite options. Azure Administrator Associate is the other. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
Looking for an Azure developer certification today?
If you came here to plan the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification, the plan has to change: it cannot be earned any more. Microsoft’s certification page still loads, but it now opens with the notice that “this certification and the renewal assessment are retired”.
The Azure developer certification Microsoft Learn lists at the same Intermediate level for the Developer role today is Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate, earned with exam AI-200. Its page states 120 minutes for the exam and a price “based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored”. Microsoft does not describe AI-200 as the successor to AZ-204 on either page, so treat it as the current option, not as a like-for-like swap.
One practical detail if you are switching: the AI-200 page says its practice assessment “is not currently available” and that practice assessments usually appear within eight weeks of an exam leaving beta. The exam sandbox demo, which shows the exam interface, is linked from the same page.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
What the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate certification still means
For people who passed it, the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate certification remains a record of what they achieved. Microsoft’s retirement page says that an earned certification “will stay on the transcript in your profile on Microsoft Learn”.
When you describe it on a CV, use the full name and the exam code — Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) — and the date you earned it. Anyone checking can match that against your Microsoft Learn transcript. What you should not claim is that it is current: associate certifications expire after a year, and the renewal assessment is retired.
Microsoft also notes, for its partner programme, that eligible certifications earned before retirement continue to count towards partner requirements for one year after the retirement date. If your employer is a Microsoft partner, that is the window in which the Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) certification still counts for them.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Exam and assessment lab retirement. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is AZ-204 worth it now?
As a new goal, no — not because of its content, but because the exam can no longer be taken, so studying for it cannot end in the certification. Your time is better spent on an exam that is live.
The skills are a different question. The AZ-204 syllabus — Microsoft calls it “skills measured” — covered compute, storage, security, monitoring and connecting to Azure services, and much of that reappears in the AI-200 outline: containerised solutions, connecting to and consuming Azure services, and securing, monitoring and troubleshooting Azure solutions. Knowledge built for AZ-204 is not wasted; the certificate just is no longer available.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam AZ-204. Checked 8 October 2026.
AZ-204 exam preparation material after the retirement
Most AZ-204 exam preparation material is now useful only for revision. Microsoft keeps the study guide online with its retirement notice, and when we checked on 9 October 2026 the retired certification page still listed the “Exam AZ-204 prep videos” and a link to the free practice assessment.
An AZ-204 course or AZ-204 training you have already paid for can still teach Azure development, but check what it actually covers before you continue. Compare its modules with the skills list in the AI-200 study guide, which is the document that defines the scope of the current exam.
If you are choosing a new Azure developer course, start from that AI-200 study guide rather than from anything labelled AZ-204, and ask the provider which outline the course was written against.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Developer Associate certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
AZ-204 practice test and practice exam
An AZ-204 practice test can still show you which Azure development topics you are weak in, but no AZ-204 practice exam can prepare you for a sitting — there is no sitting left to book. Certsqill’s AZ-204 practice questions are expert-developed, and every question explains each answer option.
AZ-204 dumps
Sites still offering AZ-204 dumps are selling content for an exam that no longer exists. Apart from that, a dump is a collection of questions claimed to come from the live exam, and Microsoft’s certification program agreement classes exam questions and answers as confidential and forbids candidates to “distribute, copy, display, publish, summarize, photograph, record, download, transmit or post” them.
Microsoft states in the same agreement that it may invalidate exam results, bar candidates from further exams and decertify them when the agreement is breached. That applies to every Microsoft exam you take next, not only to AZ-204.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Certification Program Agreement. Checked 9 October 2026.
Holding an unused AZ-204 voucher
Microsoft’s retirement page and its voucher page, both checked on 9 October 2026, say nothing about vouchers bought for AZ-204. Microsoft’s instructions are that a voucher is redeemed at Pearson VUE when you schedule an exam, under “Add Voucher or Promo Code” on the payment screen.
Whether an unused voucher can be applied to another exam depends on its own terms, so ask whoever issued it — your employer, a training provider or an event — before it expires.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Redeem discounts and vouchers. Checked 9 October 2026.
Azure developer salary
Microsoft publishes no Azure developer salary figure on the AZ-204 or AI-200 certification pages, and we do not quote estimates from elsewhere. Pay depends on the role, the region and your experience far more than on one retired certificate.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Developer Associate certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
More AZ-204 questions
Can I still earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification?
No. Microsoft retired the certification, the AZ-204 exam and the renewal assessment on 31 July 2026. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 9 October 2026.
Which Azure developer certification is current?
Microsoft Learn lists Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate (exam AI-200) at Intermediate level for developers. Microsoft does not call it the AZ-204 replacement. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is the AZ-204 certification worth it if I already hold it?
It stays on your Microsoft Learn transcript as proof of what you passed, but it cannot be renewed, so list it with the date you earned it.
What happens to my AZ-204 voucher?
Microsoft’s pages do not say. Check the voucher’s terms with whoever issued it; vouchers are redeemed at Pearson VUE when scheduling an exam.
Should I still take an AZ-204 course?
Only for the skills. Check its content against the AI-200 study guide if you want it to count towards a live exam.
