AZ-204 vs AZ-400: Which Developer Certification First?
Compare Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) and DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400). Choose the right path for your development career.
Table of Contents
Quick Comparison
Both certifications target developers but focus on different aspects of software delivery. Here's how they compare:
| Aspect | AZ-204 | AZ-400 |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Associate | Expert |
| Role Focus | Cloud Developer | DevOps Engineer |
| Primary Focus | Building apps on Azure | CI/CD & automation |
| Prerequisites | None (AZ-900 helpful) | AZ-104 or AZ-204 |
| Difficulty | Medium | Medium-High |
AZ-204: Developer Associate
The AZ-204 certification focuses on designing, building, testing, and maintaining cloud applications on Azure.
Best For:
- Software developers new to Azure
- Full-stack developers building cloud apps
- Developers migrating on-prem apps to Azure
- Backend developers working with Azure services
Key Skills:
- Azure App Service and Functions
- Azure Storage and Cosmos DB
- Azure AD authentication
- Container solutions (ACI, AKS)
AZ-400: DevOps Engineer Expert
The AZ-400 certification focuses on designing and implementing DevOps practices for Azure development.
Best For:
- DevOps engineers and SREs
- Release engineers
- Build/automation engineers
- Platform engineers
Key Skills:
- Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions
- CI/CD pipeline design
- Infrastructure as Code (Bicep, Terraform)
- Monitoring and feedback loops
Which Should You Take First?
Choose AZ-204 if:
- You're a developer learning Azure for the first time
- You build and deploy applications
- You want to understand Azure PaaS services
- You need a stepping stone to AZ-400
Choose AZ-400 if:
- You already have Azure development experience
- You work on CI/CD and automation
- You're responsible for release pipelines
- You already have AZ-104 or AZ-204
Recommended Path: Most developers should start with AZ-204, then progress to AZ-400. This provides a solid foundation in Azure development before tackling DevOps practices. AZ-400 requires a prerequisite certification (AZ-104 or AZ-204).
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