The AZ-900 exam tests your knowledge of Microsoft Azure services, especially with regards to compute, networking and storage services. The requirements of the AZ-900 are checked every two months and the exam is updated as required. This article is based on the January 2024 update (and was updated in May 2025).
The AZ-900 exam requirements fall under the following skills:
- Describe cloud concepts.
- Describe Azure architecture and services.
- Describe Azure management and governance.
Microsoft does not publish a definitive list of all of the possible subjects within each skill. However, it does publish a suggested list of topics, which is useful for preparing for the AZ-900 exam. For more information on these topics, click the hyperlink (where available). These subjects are as follows:
Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
Describe cloud computing
Describe the shared responsibility model
Define cloud models, including public, private, and hybrid
Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
Describe the consumption-based model
Describe the benefits of using cloud services
Describe the benefits of high availability and scalability in the cloud
Describe the benefits of reliability and predictability in the cloud
Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud
Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud
Describe cloud service types
Describe infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
Describe platform as a service (PaaS)
Describe software as a service (SaaS)
Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud service type (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS)
Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)
Describe the core architectural components of Azure
Describe Azure regions, region pairs, and sovereign regions
Describe Azure resources and resource groups
Describe subscriptions
Describe management groups
Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups
Describe Azure compute and networking services
Compare compute types, including containers, virtual machines, and functions
Describe virtual machine options, including Azure virtual machines, Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, availability sets, and Azure Virtual Desktop
Describe the resources required for virtual machines
Describe application hosting options, including web apps, containers, and virtual machines
Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure virtual networks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway, and ExpressRoute
Define public and private endpoints
Describe Azure storage services
Compare Azure Storage services
Describe storage tiers
Describe redundancy options
Describe storage account options and storage types
Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync
Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box
Describe Azure identity, access, and security
Describe directory services in Azure, including Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Entra Domain Services
Describe authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and passwordless
Describe external identities in Azure, including business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C)
Describe Microsoft Entra Conditional Access
Describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC)
Describe the concept of Zero Trust
Describe the purpose of the defense-in-depth model
Describe the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)
Describe cost management in Azure
Describe factors that can affect costs in Azure
Compare the pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator
Describe cost management capabilities in Azure
Describe the purpose of tags
Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance
Describe the purpose of Microsoft Purview in Azure
Describe the purpose of Azure Policy
Describe the purpose of resource locks
Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources
Describe the Azure portal
Describe Azure Cloud Shell, including Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) and Azure PowerShell
Describe the purpose of Azure Arc
Describe infrastructure as code (IaC)
Describe Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and ARM templates
Describe monitoring tools in Azure
Describe the purpose of Azure Advisor
Describe Azure Service Health
Describe Azure Monitor, including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts, and Application Insights
How to learn these skills
To learn the skills for the AZ-900 exam, look at our AZ-900 course, which covers all of the suggested topics.
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Related blog articles
- AZ-900: Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups
- AZ-900: Describe Azure Subscriptions
- AZ-900: Describe Azure Resources
- AZ-900: Describe Azure Resource Groups
- AZ-900: Describe Azure Datacenters
- AZ-900: Availability Zones
- AZ-900: Describe Azure Regions, Region Pairs, and Sovereign Regions
- AZ-900: Identify Appropriate Use Cases for Each Cloud Service Type (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
- AZ-900: Describe software as a service (SaaS)
- AZ-900: Describe platform as a service (PaaS)
- AZ-900: Describe Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
- AZ-900: Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud
- AZ-900: Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud
- AZ-900: Describe the Benefits of Reliability and Predictability in the Cloud
- AZ-900: Describe the Benefits of High Availability and Scalability in the Cloud
- AZ-900: Describe serverless computing
- AZ-900: Compare cloud pricing models (Capital Expenditure vs. Operational Expenditure)
- AZ-900: Describe the Consumption-Based Model
- AZ-900: Define Cloud Models: Public, Private, and Hybrid Clouds, and Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
- AZ-900: Describe the Shared Responsibility Model
- AZ-900: Define Cloud computing
- Microsoft’s AZ-900 Azure Exam: Everything You Need to Know
- What is the Microsoft AZ-900 exam?
- Microsoft AZ-900 exam – detailed requirements
