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Microsoft · DevOps & Automation · Expert

Microsoft DevOps Engineer Expert exam guide

Exam AZ-400

AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions earns Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert. It validates designing and implementing source control, CI/CD pipelines, security and compliance, and instrumentation using both GitHub and Azure DevOps.

QuestionsSee official page
Time limit100 minutes
Passing score700 (1-1000 scale)
Exam fee$165 USD
Valid for1 years
DeliveryPearson VUE test center or online proctored

Format: Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, hot area, build list and case studies; may include labs (120 minutes if labs are included). Fee note: US price; varies by country. Student and Microsoft Learn challenge discounts sometimes available.

Who it's for

Developers or infrastructure administrators with DevOps expertise who already administer or develop on Azure and run GitHub or Azure DevOps pipelines.

What the exam covers

Design and implement processes and communications (10-15%)—
Design and implement a source control strategy (10-15%)—
Design and implement build and release pipelines (50-55%)—
Develop a security and compliance plan (10-15%)—
Implement an instrumentation strategy (5-10%)—

A dash means the vendor does not publish a weight for that domain.

Eligibility & prerequisites

Required: To earn DevOps Engineer Expert you must also hold Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204). Microsoft has indicated the AZ-204 successor (AI-200) will be added; confirm on the certification page.

Recommended: Experience administering and developing in Azure with strong skills in at least one, plus implementing both GitHub and Azure DevOps solutions.

Keeping it active

Role-based certifications are valid 1 year. Renew free by passing an unproctored online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn in the 180 days before expiry; no fee and no retest required.

Skills & careers

Skills it validates

  • YAML multi-stage pipelines in Azure Pipelines and GitHub Actions
  • Branching strategies, pull request policies and repo management
  • Package management with Azure Artifacts and GitHub Packages
  • Deployment strategies (blue/green, canary, feature flags)
  • Pipeline security: secrets, service connections, GitHub Advanced Security, dependency scanning
  • Instrumentation with Azure Monitor and Application Insights
  • Infrastructure as code with Bicep/ARM and Terraform in pipelines

Job roles

DevOps EngineerAzure DevOps EngineerPlatform EngineerRelease ManagerBuild and Release EngineerSite Reliability Engineer

Where it fits in your path

Planning a degree too? See how this cert earns college credit in the College Credit Navigator.

Build my study plan

  1. Week 1: Read the AZ-400 study guide; confirm you hold or are scheduling the prerequisite associate cert
  2. Week 2-3: Build and release pipelines (50-55%) - YAML templates, stages, environments, approvals, agents, GitHub Actions workflows and reusable workflows
  3. Week 4: Source control and processes - Git branching, PR policies, work tracking, dashboards, GitHub Projects
  4. Week 5: Security and compliance - Key Vault in pipelines, workload identity federation, GitHub Advanced Security, license and dependency scanning
  5. Week 6: Instrumentation and IaC - Application Insights, KQL basics, Bicep/Terraform deployments
  6. Week 7: Practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator, sandbox, and targeted labs

Make it yours: pick your exam date and weekly hours. We'll split your time by domain weight and give you a printable plan.

Exam-day tips

  • Half the exam is pipelines - be fluent reading YAML for both Azure Pipelines and GitHub Actions
  • Know when to use deployment groups, environments and approvals/checks
  • Expect questions comparing GitHub and Azure DevOps features for the same task
  • Use Microsoft Learn access during the exam sparingly, for exact YAML keywords
  • Case studies are common on expert exams; read the requirements section first

Key terms for this exam

All 153 terms Study with thinQcards™

Commonly confused on this exam

Frequently asked questions

What are the prerequisites for DevOps Engineer Expert?

Pass AZ-400 and hold Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate. Check Microsoft's page for when AI-200 is accepted.

How much is AZ-400?

$165 USD in the United States.

Is AZ-400 hard?

It is an expert-level exam; people with daily pipeline experience usually need 4-8 weeks of focused study.

Is AZ-400 being retired?

No retirement is announced on the AZ-400 study guide as of November 2026.

AZ-400 vs AWS DevOps Engineer Professional?

Both are senior DevOps credentials. AZ-400 emphasizes GitHub and Azure DevOps tooling; AWS DOP emphasizes AWS-native operations. Choose the cloud your employer runs.

Official page: learn.microsoft.com. Reviewed November 2026. Vendors change fees and objectives, so confirm with the vendor before you book. Spot something out of date? Tell us.