Training plan
Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure (AZ-204)
Module 1: Explore Azure App Service
- Examine Azure App Service
- Examine Azure App Service plans
- Deploy to App Service
- Explore authentication and authorization in App Service
- Discover App Service networking features
Module 2: Configure web app settings
- Configure application settings
- Configure general settings
- Configure path mappings
- Enable diagnostic logging
- Configure security certificates
- Manage app features
Module 3: Scale apps in Azure App Service
- Examine autoscale factors
- Identify autoscale factors
- Enable autoscale in App Service
- Explore autoscale best practices
Module 4: Explore Azure App Service deployment slots
- Explore staging environments
- Examine slot swapping
- Swap deployment slots
- Route traffic in App Service
Module 5: Explore Azure Functions
- Discover Azure Functions
- Compare Azure Functions hosting options
- Scale Azure Functions
Module 6: Develop Azure Functions
- Explore Azure Functions development
- Create triggers and bindings
- Connect functions to Azure services
Module 7: Implement Durable Functions
- Explore Durable Functions app patterns
- Discover the four function types
- Explore task hubs
- Explore durable orchestrations
- Control timing in Durable Functions
- Send and wait for events
Module 8: Explore Azure Blob storage
- Explore Azure Blob storage
- Discover Azure Blob storage resource types
- Explore Azure Storage security features
- Evaluate Azure Storage redundancy options
Module 9: Manage the Azure Blob storage lifecycle
- Explore the Azure Blob storage lifecycle
- Discover Blob storage lifecycle policies
- Implement Blob storage lifecycle policies
- Rehydrate blob data from the archive tier
Module 10: Work with Azure Blob storage
- Explore Azure Blob storage client library
- Manage container properties and metadata by using .NET
- Set and retrieve properties and metadata for blob resources by using REST
Module 11: Explore Azure Cosmos DB
- Identify key benefits of Azure Cosmos DB
- Explore the resource hierarchy
- Explore consistency levels
- Choose the right consistency level
- Explore supported APIs
- Discover request units
Module 12: Implement partitioning in Azure Cosmos DB
- Explore partitions
- Choose a partition key
- Create a synthetic partition key
Module 13: Work with Azure Cosmos DB
- Explore Microsoft .NET SDK v3 for Azure Cosmos DB
- Create stored procedures
- Create triggers and user-defined functions
Module 14: Provision virtual machines in Azure
- Explore Azure virtual machines
- Compare virtual machine availability options
- Determine appropriate virtual machine size
Module 15: Create and deploy Azure Resource Manager templates
- Explore Azure Resource Manager
- Deploy multi-tiered solutions
- Explore conditional deployment
- Set the correct deployment mode
Module 16: Manage container images in Azure Container Registry
- Discover the Azure Container Registry
- Explore storage capabilities
- Build and manage containers with tasks
- Explore elements of a Dockerfile
Module 17: Run container images in Azure Container Instances
- Explore Azure Container Instances
- Run containerized tasks with restart policies
- Set environment variables in container instances
- Mount an Azure file share in Azure Container Instances
Module 18: Explore the Microsoft identity platform
- Explore the Microsoft identity platform
- Explore service principals
- Discover permissions and consent
- Discover conditional access
Module 19: Implement authentication by using the Microsoft Authentication Library
- Explore the Microsoft Authentication Library
- Initialize client applications
Module 20: Implement shared access signatures
- Discover shared access signatures
- Choose when to use shared access signatures
- Explore stored access policies
Module 21: Explore Microsoft Graph
- Discover Microsoft Graph
- Query Microsoft Graph by using REST
- Query Microsoft Graph by using SDKs
- Apply best practices to Microsoft Graph
Module 22: Implement Azure Key Vault
- Explore Azure Key Vault
- Discover Azure Key Vault best practices
- Authenticate to Azure Key Vault
Module 23: Implement managed identities
- Explore managed identities
- Discover the managed identities authentication flow
- Configure managed identities
- Acquire an access token
Module 24: Implement Azure App Configuration
- Explore the Azure App Configuration service
- Create paired keys and values
- Manage application features
- Secure app configuration data
Module 25: Explore API Management
- Discover the API Management service
- Explore API gateways
- Explore API Management policies
- Create advanced policies
- Secure APIs by using subscriptions
- Secure APIs by using certificates
Module 26: Explore Azure Event Grid
- Explore Azure Event Grid
- Discover event schemas
- Explore event delivery durability
- Control access to events
- Receive events by using webhooks
- Filter events
Module 27: Explore Azure Event Hubs
- Discover Azure Event Hubs
- Explore Event Hubs Capture
- Scale your processing application
- Control access to events
- Perform common operations with the
- Event Hubs client library
Module 28: Discover Azure message queues
- Choose a message queue solution
- Explore Azure Service Bus
- Discover Service Bus queues, topics, and subscriptions
- Explore Service Bus message payloads and serialization
- Explore Azure Queue Storage
- Create and manage Azure Queue Storage and messages by using .NET
Module 29: Monitor app performance
- Explore Azure Monitor
- Explore Application Insights
- Discover log-based metrics
- Instrument an app for monitoring
- Select an availability test
- Troubleshoot app performance by using Application Map
Module 30: Develop for Azure Cache for Redis
- Explore Azure Cache for Redis
- Configure Azure Cache for Redis
- Interact with Azure Cache for Redis by using .NET
Module 31: Develop for storage on CDNs
- Explore Azure Content Delivery Networks
- Control cache behavior on Azure Content Delivery Networks
- Interact with Azure Content Delivery Networks by using .NET
Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps solutions (AZ-400T00)
Module 1: Introduction to DevOps
- What is DevOps?
- Explore the DevOps journey
- Identify transformation teams
- Explore shared goals and define timelines
Module 2: Choose the right project
- Explore greenfield and brownfield projects
- Decide when to use greenfield and brownfield projects
- Decide when to use systems of record versus systems of engagement
- Identify groups to minimize initial resistance
- Identify project metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs)
Module 3: Describe team structures
- Explore agile development practices
- Explore principles of agile development
- Define organization structure for agile practices
- Explore ideal DevOps team members
- Enable in-team and cross-team collaboration
- Select tools and processes for agile practices
Module 4: Choose the DevOps tools
- What is Azure DevOps?
- What is GitHub?
- Explore an authorization and access strategy
- Migrate or integrate existing work management tools
- Migrate or integrate existing test management tools
- Design a license management strategy
Module 5: Plan Agile with GitHub Projects and Azure Boards
- Introduction to GitHub Projects and Project boards
- Introduction to Azure Boards
- Link GitHub to Azure Boards
- Configure GitHub Projects
- Manage work with GitHub Project boards
- Customize Project views
- Collaborate using team discussions
- Agile plan and portfolio management with Azure Boards
Module 6: Introduction to source control
- Explore DevOps foundational practices
- What is source control?
- Explore benefits of source control
- Explore best practices for source control
Module 7: Describe types of source control systems
- Understand centralized source control
- Understand distributed source control
- Explore Git and Team Foundation Version Control
- Examine and choose Git
- Understand objections to using Git
- Describe working with Git locally
Module 8: Work with Azure Repos and GitHub
- Introduction to Azure Repos
- Introduction to GitHub
- Migrate from TFVC to Git
- Use GIT-TFS
- Develop online with GitHub Codespaces
- Version Control with Git in Azure Repos
Module 9: Structure your Git Repo
- Explore monorepo versus multiple repos
- Implement a change log
Module 10: Manage Git branches and workflows
- Explore branch workflow types
- Explore feature branch workflow
- Explore Git branch model for continuous delivery
- Explore GitHub flow
- Explore fork workflow
- Version control with Git in Azure repos
Module 11: Collaborate with pull requests in Azure Repos
- Collaborate with pull requests
- Examine GitHub mobile for pull request approvals
Module 12: Identify technical debt
- Examine code quality
- Examine complexity and quality metrics
- Introduction to technical debt
- Measure and manage technical debt
- Integrate other code quality tools
- Plan effective code reviews
Module 13: Explore Git hooks
- Introduction to Git hooks
- Implement Git hooks
Module 14: Plan foster inner source
- Explore foster inner source
- Implement the fork workflow
- Describe inner source with forks
Module 15: Manage Git repositories
- Work with large repositories
- Purge repository data
- Manage releases with GitHub Repos
- Automate release notes with GitHub
Module 16: Explore Azure Pipelines
- Explore the concept of pipelines in DevOps
- Describe Azure Pipelines
- Understand Azure Pipelines key terms
Module 17: Manage Azure Pipeline agents and pools
- Choose between Microsoft-hosted versus self-hosted agents
- Explore job types
- Introduction to agent pools
- Explore predefined agent pool
- Understand typical situations for agent pools
- Communicate with Azure Pipelines
- Communicate to deploy to target servers
- Examine other considerations
- Describe security of agent pools
- Configure agent pools and understanding pipeline styles
Module 18: Describe pipelines and concurrency
- Understand parallel jobs
- Estimate parallel jobs
- Describe Azure Pipelines and open-source projects
- Explore Azure Pipelines and Visual Designer
- Describe Azure Pipelines and YAML
Module 19: Explore continuous integration
- Introduction to continuous integration
- Learn the four pillars of continuous integration
- Explore benefits of continuous integration
- Describe build properties
- Enable Continuous Integration with Azure Pipelines
Module 20: Implement a pipeline strategy
- Configure agent demands
- Implement multi-agent builds
- Explore source control types supported by Azure Pipelines
Module 21: Integrate with Azure Pipelines
- Describe the anatomy of a pipeline
- Understand the pipeline structure
- Detail templates
- Explore YAML resources
- Use multiple repositories in your pipeline
- Integrate external source control with Azure Pipelines
Module 22: Introduction to GitHub Actions
- What are Actions?
- Explore Actions flow
- Understand workflows
- Describe standard workflow syntax elements
- Explore events
- Explore jobs
- Explore runners
- Examine release and test an action
Module 23: Learn continuous integration with GitHub Actions
- Describe continuous integration with actions
- Examine environment variables
Share artifacts between jobs - Examine Workflow badges
- Describe best practices for creating actions
- Mark releases with Git tags
- Create encrypted secrets
- Use secrets in a workflow
- Implement GitHub Actions For CI/CD
Module 24: Design a container build strategy
- Examine structure of containers
- Work with Docker containers
- Understand Dockerfile core concepts
- Examine multi-stage Dockerfiles
- Examine considerations for multiple stage builds
- Explore Azure container-related services
- Deploy Docker containers to Azure App Service web apps
Module 25: Introduction to continuous delivery
- Explore traditional IT development cycle
- What is continuous delivery?
- Move to continuous delivery
- Understand releases and deployments
- Understand release process versus release
Module 26: Create a release pipeline
- Describe Azure DevOps release pipeline capabilities
- Explore release pipelines
- Explore artifact sources
- Choose the appropriate artifact source
- Examine considerations for deployment to stages
- Explore build and release tasks
- Explore custom build and release tasks
Module 27: Explore release recommendations
- Understand the delivery cadence and three types of triggers
- Explore release approvals
- Explore release gates
- Use release gates to protect quality
- Control deployments using release gates
Module 28: Provision and test environments
- Provision and configure target environments
- Configure automated integration and functional test automation
- Understand Shift-left
- Set up and run availability tests
- Explore Azure Load Testing
- Set up and run functional tests
Module 29: Manage and modularize tasks and templates
- Examine task groups
- Explore variables in release pipelines
- Understand variable groups
Module 30: Automate inspection of health
- Automate inspection of health
- Explore events and notifications
- Explore service hooks
- Configure Azure DevOps notifications
- Configure GitHub notifications
- Explore how to measure quality of your release process
- Examine release notes and documentation
- Examine considerations for choosing release management tools
- Explore common release management tools
- Create a release dashboard
Module 31: Introduction to deployment patterns
- Explore microservices architecture
- Examine classical deployment patterns
- Understand modern deployment patterns
Module 32: Implement blue-green deployment and feature toggles
- What is blue-green deployment?
- Explore deployment slots
- Introduction to feature toggles
- Describe feature toggle maintenance
Module 33: Implement canary releases and dark launching
- Explore canary releases
- Examine Traffic Manager
- Understand dark launching
Module 34: Implement A/B testing and progressive exposure deployment
- What is A/B testing?
- Explore CI-CD with deployment rings
Module 35: Integrate with identity management systems
- Integrate GitHub with single sign-on (SSO)
- Explore service principals
- Explore Managed Identity
Module 36: Manage application configuration data
- Rethink application configuration data
- Explore separation of concerns
- Understand external configuration store patterns
- Introduction to Azure App Configuration
- Examine Key-value pairs
- Examine App configuration feature management
- Integrate Azure Key Vault with Azure Pipelines
- Manage secrets, tokens and certificates
- Examine DevOps inner and outer loop
- Integrate Azure Key Vault with Azure DevOps
- Enable Dynamic Configuration Feature Flags
Module 37: Explore infrastructure as code and configuration management
- Explore environment deployment
- Examine environment configuration
- Understand imperative versus declarative configuration
- Understand idempotent configuration
Module 38: Create Azure resources using Azure Resource Manager templates
- Why use Azure Resource Manager templates?
- Explore template components
- Manage dependencies
- Modularize templates
- Manage secrets in templates
- Azure deployments using Resource
- Manager templates
Module 39: Create Azure resources by using Azure CLI
- What is Azure CLI?
- Work with Azure CLI
Module 40: Explore Azure Automation with DevOps
- Create automation accounts
- What is a runbook?
- Understand automation shared resources
- Explore runbook gallery
- Examine webhooks
- Explore source control integration
- Explore PowerShell workflows
- Create a workflow
- Examine checkpoint and parallel processing
Module 41: Implement Desired State Configuration (DSC)
- Understand configuration drift
- Explore Desired State Configuration (DSC)
- Explore Azure Automation State configuration (DSC)
- Examine DSC configuration file
- Explore hybrid management
- Implement DSC and Linux Automation on Azure
Module 42: Implement Bicep
- What is Bicep?
- Install Bicep
- Understand Bicep file structure and syntax
Module 43: Introduction to Secure DevOps
- Describe SQL injection attack
- Understand DevSecOps
- Explore Secure DevOps Pipeline
- Explore key validation points
- Explore continuous security validation
- Understand threat modeling
Module 44: Implement open-source software
- Explore how software is built
- What is open-source software
- Explore corporate concerns with open-source software components
- Introduction to open-source licenses
- Explore common open-source licenses
- Examine license implications and ratings
Module 45: Software Composition Analysis
- Inspect and validate code bases for compliance
- Explore software composition analysis
- Integrate WhiteSource with Azure DevOps pipeline
- Implement GitHub Dependabot alerts and security updates
- Integrate software composition analysis checks into pipelines
- Examine tools for assess package security and license rate
- Interpret alerts from scanner tools
- Implement Security and Compliance in an Azure Pipeline
Module 46: Static analyzers
- Explore SonarCloud
- Explore CodeQL in GitHub
- Manage technical debt with SonarCloud and Azure DevOps,
Module 47: OWASP and Dynamic Analyzers
- Plan Implement OWASP Secure Coding Practices
- Explore OWASP ZAP penetration test
- Explore OWASP ZAP results and bugs
Module 48: Security Monitoring and Governance
- Implement pipeline security
- Explore Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- Examine Microsoft Defender for Cloud usage scenarios
- Explore Azure Policy
- Understand policies
- Explore initiatives
- Explore resource locks
- Explore Azure Blueprints
- Understand Microsoft Defender for Identity
Module 49: Explore package dependencies
- What is dependency management?
- Describe elements of a dependency management strategy
- Identify dependencies
- Understand source and package componentization
- Decompose your system
- Scan your codebase for dependencies
Module 50: Understand package management
- Explore packages
- Understand package feeds
- Explore package feed managers
- Explore common public package sources
- Explore self-hosted and SaaS based package sources
- Consume packages
- Introduction to Azure Artifacts
- Publish packages
- Package Management with Azure Artifacts
Module 51: Migrate consolidating and secure artifacts
- Identify existing artifact repositories
- Migrate and integrating artifact repositories
- Secure access to package feeds
- Examine roles
- Examine permissions
- Examine authentication
Module 52: Implement a versioning strategy
- Understand versioning of artifacts
- Explore semantic versioning
- Examine release views
- Promote packages
- Explore best practices for versioning
Module 53: Introduction to GitHub Packages
- Publish packages
- Install a package
- Delete and restore a package
- Explore package access control and visibility
Module 54: Implement tools to track usage and flow
- Understand the inner loop
- Introduction to continuous monitoring
- Explore Azure Monitor and Log Analytics
- Examine Kusto Query Language (KQL)
- Explore Application Insights
- Implement Application Insights
- Monitor application performance with Application Insights
Module 55: Develop monitor and status dashboards
- Explore Azure Dashboards
- Examine view designer in Azure Monitor
- Explore Azure Monitor workbooks
- Explore Power BI
- Build your own custom application
Module 56: Share knowledge within teams
- Share acquired knowledge within development teams
- Introduction to Azure DevOps project wikis
- Integrate with Azure Boards
- Integrate Azure DevOps and Teams
- Share team knowledge using Azure Project Wiki
Module 57: Design processes to automate application analytics
- Explore rapid responses and augmented search
- Integrate telemetry
- Examine monitoring tools and technologies
Module 58: Manage alerts, blameless retrospectives and a just culture
- Examine when get a notification
- Explore how to fix it
- Explore smart detection notifications
- Improve performance
- Understand server response time degradation
- Reduce meaningless and non-actionable alerts
- Examine blameless retrospective
- Develop a just culture
Recommended Prerequisite Knowledge
- Students should have 1-2 years professional development experience and experience with Microsoft Azure. They must be able to program in an Azure Supported Language.
- Fundamental knowledge about Azure, version control, Agile software development, and core software development principles. It would be helpful to have experience in an organization that delivers software.
Credentials and certification
Exams features
- Codes: AZ-204 and AZ-400
- Titles: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure and Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions
- Duration: 120 minutes for AZ-204 and 150 minutes for AZ-400
- Number of Questions: 40 to 60
- Question Format: Multiple choice, multiple response, scenario-based
- Passing Score: 700 out of 1000
- Cost: $0 (included in your training)
Exams topics
- Develop Azure compute solutions
- Develop for Azure storage
- Implement Azure security
- Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions
- Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services
- Configure processes and communications
- Design and implement source control
- Design and implement build and release pipelines
- Develop a security and compliance plan
- Implement an instrumentation strategy
Eccentrix Corner article/publication
AZ-204: Building Solutions for Microsoft Azure
The AZ-204 certification caters to developers looking to harness Azure services for building robust applications. Its curriculum covers a spectrum of critical areas such as Azure compute, storage, security, and integration. Through AZ-204, candidates gain proficiency in creating scalable, secure applications on the Azure platform.
Topics within AZ-204 include Azure Functions, Azure App Service, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Logic Apps, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Candidates learn application development, deployment, authentication, optimization of Azure services, and more.
AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions
On the other hand, AZ-400 targets professionals engaged in DevOps practices. This certification focuses on fostering collaboration between development and operations teams, automating deployment processes, and ensuring continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
AZ-400’s syllabus covers Azure DevOps services, infrastructure as code (IaC) principles, application infrastructure, and continuous feedback mechanisms. Candidates acquire skills in designing secure development processes, configuring release management, and implementing robust monitoring and feedback systems.
Benefits of Pursuing AZ-204 and AZ-400 Certifications
Pursuing AZ-204 and AZ-400 certifications offers numerous advantages:
- Industry Recognition – These certifications are globally recognized, enhancing career prospects, and validating expertise in Azure technologies.
- Practical Learning – Both certifications emphasize practical application through hands-on labs, enabling candidates to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.
- Skill Enhancement – AZ-204 focuses on development skills while AZ-400 targets DevOps practices, allowing individuals to specialize in their preferred domain within Azure.
- Employability – Acquiring these certifications showcases dedication to staying updated with cutting-edge Azure technologies, making individuals more attractive to employers seeking Azure-certified professionals.
Preparation and Resources for AZ-204 and AZ-400 Exams
Microsoft offers various resources for exam preparation, including official Microsoft Learn modules, practice tests, hands-on experience through Azure’s free tier, and third-party study guides curated by industry experts. Utilizing these resources aids in comprehensively preparing for both AZ-204 and AZ-400 exams.
Conclusion
In conclusion, AZ-204 and AZ-400 certifications from Microsoft Azure pave the way for individuals to establish themselves in cloud development and DevOps domains. Mastering these certifications not only validates expertise but also equips professionals with the skills to thrive in cloud computing and DevOps practices.
Investing time and effort in mastering AZ-204 and AZ-400 opens doors to a multitude of career opportunities and contributes significantly to the ever-evolving landscape of technology. Embrace the journey toward Azure proficiency and witness the vast potential it offers in shaping the future of cloud computing and DevOps methodologies.
Common Questions About AZ-204 and AZ-400 Microsoft Certifications (FAQ)
Do you need AZ-204 for AZ-400?
While AZ-204 isn’t a strict prerequisite for AZ-400 in terms of knowledge but having a foundational understanding of Azure development from AZ-204 can be advantageous. It provides a solid base for comprehending Azure services and applications when pursuing AZ-400. However, it is a prerequisite for certification.
Is AZ-204 enough to get a job?
AZ-204 certification showcases proficiency in developing solutions on Microsoft Azure, enhancing job prospects in cloud development roles. However, employers consider various factors such as experience and additional skills alongside certifications.
How hard are these AZ-204 and AZ-400 exams?
The difficulty of the certification exams can vary depending on your level of experience and preparation. These exams assess Azure development skills, and it is recommended to have a solid understanding of key concepts, actively practice with Azure services, and undergo appropriate training. With adequate preparation, candidates can approach the exam with confidence.
Is the Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert certification worth it?
Obtaining this advanced certification is valuable for professionals in DevOps practices or aspiring to specialize in implementing DevOps solutions on Azure and building on existing Azure developer knowledge. It validates expertise in designing and implementing DevOps strategies using Microsoft Azure technologies, potentially boosting career opportunities.