AZ-204 Study Guide: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure

If you are preparing for AZ 204 exam, this study material helps to take the exam confidently. Developing solution for Azure exam (AZ 204) is a bit tougher than the Azure fundamentals exam(AZ 900). I have taken the exam AZ 204 mid of 2020 and scored 90%. Questions focused on Azure components and solutions which are used to build apps in Azure cloud. I prepared the AZ 204 exam using the Microsoft document links and really helped to clear the exam.

Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:

• Exam AZ-400 : Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions Exam Study Guide
• Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam Study Guide

Official exam site	Microsoft
Practice Tests	Udemy
Labs	Microsoft Learning
Book	Pearson
The Developer's Guide to Azure	eBook from Microsoft

Here is my AZ-204 Study Guide

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Develop Azure compute solutions (25-30%)

Implement IaaS solutions

• • provision VMs
    • Quickstart: Create a Windows virtual machine in the Azure portal
    • Tutorial: Create and Manage Windows VMs with Azure PowerShell
  • configure VMs for remote access
    • How to use SSH keys with Windows on Azure
    • Secure your management ports with just-in-time access
  • create ARM templates
    • What are ARM templates?
    • Tutorial: Create and deploy your first ARM template
    • Understand the structure and syntax of ARM templates
    • Build Azure Resource Manager templates (Microsoft Learn)
  • create container images for solutions by using Docker
    • Tutorial: Create a container image for deployment to Azure Container Instances
    • Tutorial: Create an Azure container registry and push a container image
    • Quickstart: Build and run a container image using Azure Container Registry Tasks
    • Build and store container images with Azure Container Registry (Microsoft Learn)
  • publish an image to the Azure Container Registry
    • Deploy to Azure Container Instances from Azure Container Registry
    • Push your first image to a private Docker container registry using the Docker CLI
  • run containers by using Azure Container Instance
    • What is Azure Container Instances?
    • Quickstart: Deploy a container instance in Azure using Azure PowerShell
    • Run Docker containers with Azure Container Instances (Microsoft Learn)

Create Azure App Service Web Apps

• • create an Azure App Service Web App
    • Quickstart: Create an ASP.NET Core web app in Azure
    • Tutorial: Build an ASP.NET Core and SQL Database app in Azure App Service
  • enable diagnostics logging
    • Enable diagnostics logging for apps in Azure App Service
    • Capture Web Application Logs with App Service Diagnostics Logging (Microsoft Learn)
  • deploy code to a web app
    • Deploy an Azure Web App
    • Continuous deployment to Azure App Service
    • Deploy your app to Azure App Service with a ZIP or WAR file
    • Deploy a website to Azure with Azure App Service (Microsoft Learn)
  • configure web app settings including SSL, API, and connection strings
    • Add a TLS/SSL certificate in Azure App Service
    • Secure a custom DNS name with a TLS/SSL binding in Azure App Service
    • Configure an App Service app in the Azure portal
    • az webapp config (Microsoft Reference)
  • implement autoscaling rules, including scheduled autoscaling, and scaling by operational or system metrics
    • Get started with Autoscale in Azure
    • Scale up an app in Azure App Service

Implement Azure functions

• • implement input and output bindings for a function
    • Azure Functions triggers and bindings concepts
    • Azure Functions trigger and binding example
    • Chain Azure Functions together using input and output bindings (Microsoft Learn)
  • implement function triggers by using data operations, timers, and webhooks
    • Azure Functions HTTP trigger
    • Azure Functions custom handlers (preview)
    • Create a function in Azure that is triggered by a timer
    • Timer trigger for Azure Functions
  • implement Azure Durable Functions
    • What are Durable Functions?
    • Create your first durable function in C#
    • Function chaining in Durable Functions - Hello sequence sample

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Develop for Azure storage (10-15%)

Develop solutions that use Cosmos DB storage

• • select the appropriate API for your solution
    • Welcome to Azure Cosmos DB
    • Choose the appropriate API for Azure Cosmos DB (Microsoft Learn)
  • implement partitioning schemes
    • Partitioning in Azure Cosmos DB
    • Partitioning and horizontal scaling in Azure Cosmos DB
  • interact with data using the appropriate SDK
    • Tutorial: Build a .NET console app to manage data in Azure Cosmos DB SQL API account
    • Quickstart: Build a .NET web app using Azure Cosmos DB's API for MongoDB
    • Quickstart: Build a Table API app with .NET SDK and Azure Cosmos DB
    • Quickstart: Build a Cassandra app with .NET SDK and Azure Cosmos DB
  • set the appropriate consistency level for operations
    • Consistency, availability, and performance tradeoffs
    • Consistency levels in Azure Cosmos DB
    • Choose the right consistency level
  • create Cosmos DB containers
    • Create an Azure Cosmos container
    • Work with databases, containers, and items in Azure Cosmos DB
  • implement scaling (partitions, containers)
    • Create an Azure Cosmos DB database built to scale (Microsoft Learn)
    • Create Azure Cosmos containers and databases with autoscale throughput
  • implement server-side programming including stored procedures, triggers, and change feed notifications
    • How to write stored procedures, triggers, and user-defined functions in Azure Cosmos DB

Develop solutions that use blob storage

• • move items in Blob storage between storage accounts or containers
    • Transfer data with AzCopy and Blob storage
    • Copy and move blobs from one container or storage account to another from the command line and in code (Microsoft Learn)
  • set and retrieve properties and metadata
    • Manage container properties and metadata with .NET
    • Organize Azure storage blobs with properties and metadata (Microsoft Learn)
  • interact with data using the appropriate SDK
    • Quickstart: Azure Blob storage client library v12 for .NET
    • Quickstart: Manage blobs with JavaScript v12 SDK in Node.js
  • implement data archiving and retention
    • Azure Blob storage: hot, cool, and archive access tiers
    • Rehydrate blob data from the archive tier
    • Manage the Azure Blob storage lifecycle
  • implement hot, cool, and archive storage
    • Azure Blob storage: hot, cool, and archive access tiers

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Implement Azure security (15-20%)

Implement user authentication and authorization

• • implement OAuth2 authentication
    • Authorize access to REST APIs with OAuth 2.0
    • Microsoft identity platform and OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow
  • create and implement shared access signatures
    • Delegate access with a shared access signature
    • Grant limited access to Azure Storage resources using shared access signatures (SAS)
  • register apps and use Azure Active Directory to authenticate users
    • Configure your App Service or Azure Functions app to use Azure AD login
    • Quickstart: Register an application with the Microsoft identity platform
  • control access to resources by using role-based access controls (RBAC)
    • What is Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC)
    • Classic subscription administrator roles, Azure roles, and Azure AD roles

Implement secure cloud solutions

• • secure app configuration data by using the App Configuration and KeyVault API
    • Tutorial: Use a managed identity to connect Key Vault to an Azure Web App with .NET
    • Azure Key Vault Configuration Provider in ASP.NET Core
  • manage keys, secrets, and certificates by using the KeyVault API
    • About keys, secrets, and certificates
    • Secure access to a key vault
    • Configure and manage secrets in Azure Key Vault (Microsoft Learn)
  • implement Managed Identities for Azure resources
    • What are managed identities for Azure resources?
    • How to use managed identities for App Service and Azure Functions

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Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (10-15%)

Integrate caching and content delivery within solutions

• • develop code to implement CDNs in solutions
    • What is a content delivery network on Azure?
    • Quickstart: Create an Azure CDN profile and endpoint - ARM template
    • Tutorial: Add Azure CDN to an Azure App Service web app
    • Optimize Azure CDN for the type of content delivery
  • configure cache and expiration policies for FrontDoor, CDNs, or Redis caches 
    • Caching with Azure Front Door
    • Azure Front Door Rules Engine Actions
    • Manage expiration of web content in Azure CDN
    • How to configure Azure Cache for Redis
  • Store and retrieve data in Azure Redis cache
    • Quickstart: Use Azure Cache for Redis with an ASP.NET web app
    • ASP. NET Session State Provider for Azure Cache for Redis

Instrument solutions to support monitoring and logging

• • configure instrumentation in an app or service by using Application Insights
    • Application Insights for Azure cloud services
    • Start monitoring your ASP.NET Web Application
  • analyze log data and troubleshoot solutions by using Azure Monitor
    • Azure Monitor overview
    • Logs in Azure Monitor
    • Tutorial: Troubleshoot an App Service app with Azure Monitor
  • implement Application Insights Web Test and Alerts
    • Monitor the availability of any website
    • Multi-step web tests
    • Availability alerts
  • implement code that handles transient faults
    • Transient fault handling
    • Transient Fault Handling (Building Real-World Cloud Apps with Azure)

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Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services (25-30%)

Develop an App Service Logic App

• • create a Logic App
    • Overview - What is Azure Logic Apps?
    • Introduction to Azure Logic Apps (Microsoft Learn)
    • Quickstart: Create your first automated integration workflow by using Azure Logic Apps - Azure portal
    • Tutorial: Create automated, schedule-based, recurring workflows by using Azure Logic Apps
  • create a custom connector for Logic Apps
    • Connectors for Azure Logic Apps
    • Call an API from a Logic Apps workflow using a custom connector (Microsoft Learn)
  • create a custom template for Logic Apps
    • Create logic app workflows from prebuilt templates

Implement API Management

• • create an APIM instance
    • Create a new Azure API Management service instance by using PowerShell
  • configure authentication for APIs
    • API Management authentication policies
    • Secure an Azure API Management API with Azure AD B2C
  • define policies for APIs
    • API Management policies
    • How to set or edit Azure API Management policies
    • API Management advanced policies

Develop event-based solutions

• • implement solutions that use Azure Event Grid
    • What is Azure Event Grid?
    • Quickstart: Route custom events to an Azure Function with Event Grid
    • Tutorial: Stream big data into a data warehouse
  • implement solutions that use Azure Notification Hubs
    • What is Azure Notification Hubs?
    • Tutorial: Send notifications to specific users by using Azure Notification Hubs
  • implement solutions that use Azure Event Hub
    • Azure Event Hubs — A big data streaming platform and event ingestion service
    • Quickstart: Create an event hub using Azure CLI
    • Send events to and receive events from Azure Event Hubs - .NET 

Develop message-based solutions

• • implement solutions that use Azure Service Bus
    • What is Azure Service Bus?
    • Get started with Service Bus topics
    • Use the Azure CLI to create a Service Bus namespace and a queue
  • implement solutions that use Azure Queue Storage queues
    • What are Azure queues?
    • Get started with Azure Queue storage using .NET
    • Tutorial: Work with Azure storage queues in .NET

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I hope you enjoyed all the Microsoft Docs for AZ-204 Study Guide. I recommend you to take practice tests before appearing for official exam, so that you will be confident in the actual exam.

• AZ-204:Developing Solutions for Azure- Prc Test:UPDATED 2020

If you feel I missed any links or any recommended AZ-204 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study resources? Please let know me in the comments.