Microsoft DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
The AZ-400 exam is designed for professionals who implement and configure Azure. It validates your ability to design and implement processes and communications, design and implement a source control strategy, design and implement build and release pipelines, develop a security and compliance plan, and implement an instrumentation strategy.
Exam details
- Certification
- Microsoft DevOps Engineer Expert
- Application
- Azure
- Exam code
- AZ-400
- Level
- Expert
- Duration
- Approximately 100 minutes
- Questions
- Typically 40–60 questions
- Passing score
- 700 out of 1000
- Cost
- USD $165 — typical price; the exact fee varies by country/region and currency, and local taxes may apply.
- Prerequisites
- Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) certification
- Languages
- English (also available in Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Traditional) and Italian)
- Delivered by
- Pearson VUE
- Renewal
- Free online assessment, every 12 months
Skills measured
Design and implement processes and communications (10–15%)
- Design work flow, feedback, GitHub Issues, Azure Boards, and source or quality traceability.
- Design dashboards and metrics for planning, development, testing, security, and operations.
- Configure wikis, release notes, webhooks, and Teams or Azure Boards integrations.
Design and implement a source control strategy (10–15%)
- Design branching, pull requests, branch policies, and merge restrictions.
- Configure repository permissions, large files, tags, and recovery of Git data.
Design and implement build and release pipelines (50–55%)
- Design package feeds, versioning, quality gates, and pipeline testing.
- Implement YAML pipelines, GitHub Actions or Azure Pipelines, deployments, and IaC.
- Maintain pipeline health, cost, concurrency, artefact retention, and classic-to-YAML migration.
Develop a security and compliance plan (10–15%)
- Design authentication, permissions, service connections, and managed identities.
- Manage secrets in Key Vault, GitHub Actions, and Azure Pipelines without leakage.
- Automate security scanning with Defender for Cloud, GitHub Advanced Security, and Dependabot.
Implement an instrumentation strategy (5–10%)
- Configure Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and GitHub monitoring and alerts.
- Analyse infrastructure, application, tracing, and KQL log metrics.
Study Resources
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Frequently asked questions
Who should take AZ-400?
AZ-400 is for developers or infrastructure administrators who design and implement DevOps processes, including continuous integration, delivery, security, and monitoring. To earn the DevOps Engineer Expert certification, you must also hold Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate. The AZ-204 exam for Azure Developer Associate has retired, so AZ-104 is the current route for new candidates who need the prerequisite.
What is the average salary for a DevOps Engineer?
For Azure DevOps Engineer roles, ZipRecruiter reports an average U.S. salary of about $125,908. In the UK, IT Jobs Watch reports a £75,000 median advertised salary. Pay varies by experience and location.
How should I prepare for AZ-400?
Access the free AZ-400T00 Course on Microsoft Learn. Then use Microsoft's free Practice Assessment and the official MeasureUp AZ-400 practice test to check your readiness.
Avoid exam dumps: using them can invalidate your score, revoke certifications you already hold, and bar you from future exams.
You can also search the Microsoft Training Services Partners directory for instructor-led options. Current U.S. listings for the four-day AZ-400T00 course range from $2,375 at TechSherpas 365 to $2,495 at New Horizons. Prices vary by provider and format.
Does the exam include official labs I can use to practice?
The exam does not include hand-on labs exercises, and the self-paced AZ-400T00 course on Microsoft Learn may include some tasks using a lab.
If you purchase Instructor-led training, Microsoft Training Partners usually provide access to official labs for about 90 days. Always checks the labs are from Microsoft Partners like Skillable.
Depending on the exam, you could get a trial licence which could include demo data you can use to practice, but that is not always guaranteed and Microsoft often changes policies about free trials with demo data. If you prefer hand-on learning using labs, contact a Microsoft Training Services Partner for Instructor-led training.