Study guide for Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
Purpose of this document
This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.
| Useful links | Description |
|---|---|
| Review the skills measured as of January 23, 2024 | This list represents the skills measured AFTER the date provided. Study this list if you plan to take the exam AFTER that date. |
| Review the skills measured prior to January 23, 2024 | Study this list of skills if you take your exam PRIOR to the date provided. |
| Change log | You can go directly to the change log if you want to see the changes that will be made on the date provided. |
| How to earn the certification | Some certifications only require passing one exam, while others require passing multiple exams. |
| Your Microsoft Learn profile | Connecting your certification profile to Microsoft Learn allows you to schedule and renew exams and share and print certificates. |
| Exam scoring and score reports | A score of 700 or greater is required to pass. |
| Exam sandbox | You can explore the exam environment by visiting our exam sandbox. |
| Request accommodations | If you use assistive devices, require extra time, or need modification to any part of the exam experience, you can request an accommodation. |
| Take a free Practice Assessment | Test your skills with practice questions to help you prepare for the exam. |
Updates to the exam
Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.
We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. Although Microsoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted, there may be times when the localized versions of an exam are not updated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.
Note
The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.
Note
Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.
Skills measured as of January 23, 2024
Audience profile
As a candidate for this exam, you’re a technology professional who wants to demonstrate foundational knowledge of cloud concepts in general and Microsoft Azure in particular. This exam is a common starting point in a journey towards a career in Azure.
You can describe Azure architectural components and Azure services, such as:
Compute
Networking
Storage
You can also describe features and tools to secure, govern, and administer Azure.
You should have skills and experience working with an area of IT, such as:
Infrastructure management
Database management
Software development
Skills at a glance
Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)
Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)
Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
Describe cloud computing
Define 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
Compare cloud pricing models
Describe serverless
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 availability zones
Describe Azure datacenters
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
Study resources
We recommend that you train and get hands-on experience before you take the exam. We offer self-study options and classroom training as well as links to documentation, community sites, and videos.
| Study resources | Links to learning and documentation |
|---|---|
| Get trained | Choose from self-paced learning paths and modules or take an instructor-led course |
| Find documentation | Azure on Microsoft Learn Azure documentation Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure Accelerate cloud adoption with the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure |
| Ask a question | Microsoft Q&A | Microsoft Docs |
| Get community support | Azure Community Support |
| Follow Microsoft Learn | Microsoft Learn - Microsoft Tech Community |
| Find a video | Exam Readiness Zone Azure Fridays Browse other Microsoft Learn shows |
Change log
Key to understanding the table: The topic groups (also known as functional groups) are in bold typeface followed by the objectives within each group. The table is a comparison between the two versions of the exam skills measured and the third column describes the extent of the changes.
| Skill area prior to January 23, 2024 | Skill area as of January 23, 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Audience profile | No change | |
| Describe cloud concepts | Describe cloud concepts | No change |
| Describe cloud computing | Describe cloud computing | No change |
| Describe the benefits of using cloud services | Describe the benefits of using cloud services | No change |
| Describe cloud service types | Describe cloud service types | Minor |
| Describe Azure architecture and services | Describe Azure architecture and services | No change |
| Describe the core architectural components of Azure | Describe the core architectural components of Azure | No change |
| Describe Azure compute and networking services | Describe Azure compute and networking services | No change |
| Describe Azure storage services | Describe Azure storage services | No change |
| Describe Azure identity, access, and security | Describe Azure identity, access, and security | Minor |
| Describe Azure management and governance | Describe Azure management and governance | No change |
| Describe cost management in Azure | Describe cost management in Azure | No change |
| Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance | Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance | No change |
| Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources | Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources | No change |
| Describe monitoring tools in Azure | Describe monitoring tools in Azure | No change |
Skills measured prior to January 23, 2024
Audience profile
Candidates for this exam are technology professionals who want to demonstrate foundational knowledge of cloud concepts in general and Azure in particular. This certification is a common starting point in a journey towards a career in Azure.
These professionals can describe Azure architectural components and Azure services, such as compute, networking, and storage. They can also describe features and tools to secure, govern, and administer Azure.
Candidates for this exam have skills and experience working with an area of information technology (IT), such as infrastructure management, database management, or software development.
Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)
Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)
Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
Describe cloud computing
Define 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
Compare cloud pricing models
Describe serverless
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 (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 availability zones
Describe Azure datacenters
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 Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra and Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS)
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 Conditional Access in Azure AD
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