AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals certification and exam guide
What the certification validates, who it is for, and the cloud, Azure services, management, and governance topics it covers.
Aligned with the official Microsoft skills outline available on July 28, 2026
By João Ricardo Dutra••Complete guide
What is the AZ-900 certification?
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals is a foundational credential for people who want to demonstrate knowledge of cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and Azure management and governance. AZ-900 is commonly used as a starting point for an Azure learning journey, but it is not a prerequisite for role-based or specialty certifications.
The exam focuses on understanding what Azure offers and when its main service categories are appropriate. It does not expect the depth of an Azure administrator, architect, developer, or security engineer certification.
Who is it for?
AZ-900 is intended for technology professionals, students, career changers, sales and purchasing professionals, managers, and anyone who works with cloud projects and needs a reliable Azure vocabulary. Basic familiarity with IT concepts is useful, but hands-on administration experience is not required.
Beginners who want a structured introduction to Microsoft Azure.
Business and technical stakeholders who participate in cloud decisions.
Professionals preparing to continue into an Azure role-based certification.
People who need to understand cloud value, shared responsibility, cost, governance, and service options.
Skills measured by the exam
The official Microsoft study guide groups the exam into three domains. Percentages indicate the approximate portion of scored content and may change when Microsoft updates the exam.
AZ-900 skills measured
Domain
Weight
Describe cloud concepts
25–30%
Describe Azure architecture and services
35–40%
Describe Azure management and governance
30–35%
Cloud models and service types: public, private and hybrid cloud; IaaS, PaaS and SaaS; consumption-based pricing; availability, scalability, reliability, predictability, security, governance and manageability.
Azure architecture: regions, availability zones, datacenters, subscriptions, management groups and resource groups.
Core services: compute, networking, storage, identity, access and security.
Management and governance: cost management, tags, , resource locks, , Azure portal, Cloud Shell, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, and .
What you will be able to discuss
After preparing for AZ-900, you should be able to compare cloud models, choose a suitable Azure service category for a scenario, explain the hierarchy of Azure resources, and recognize the tools used to control identity, security, cost, compliance and deployment.
The credential validates conceptual fluency. Practical exploration in an Azure subscription strengthens that knowledge, especially when you create resources, review pricing, navigate , and inspect governance controls.
How to use this learning path
Read this overview first, compare your knowledge with the official skills outline, and then take the timed practice tests. Use each explained answer as a study pointer: review weak domains in Microsoft Learn before attempting another test.
