AZ-400 DevOps Engineer Expert: the prerequisite it needs and who it suits

By Alexander Shick · Updated November 5, 2026

What the DevOps Engineer Expert shows

Microsoft describes the DevOps engineer as a developer or infrastructure administrator who delivers continuous security, integration, testing, delivery, deployment, monitoring and feedback, and who designs the flow of work, source control and automation. It expects experience both administering and developing in Azure, with strong skills in at least one, plus hands-on work with both GitHub and Azure DevOps. It is an expert-level certification, so it sits after an associate one rather than in place of it.

The prerequisite rule, eligibility and the AZ-400 exam

What Microsoft says. "To become a Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert, you must earn at least one of the following: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification." Microsoft's page, read November 5, 2026, still lists exactly those two options.

What it means after AZ-204. The Azure Developer Associate retired with AZ-204 on July 31, 2026, so nobody can earn it now. Its replacement, AI-200 for the Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate, does not appear on the DevOps Engineer Expert page as a prerequisite. A new candidate's working route is therefore the Azure Administrator Associate through AZ-104. If you already earned the Azure Developer Associate, Microsoft says retirement does not revoke earned certifications, but the page does not say whether one that lapses later still counts; ask Microsoft Credentials support before relying on it.

Recommended experience. Administering and developing in Azure, and implementing GitHub and Azure DevOps solutions. Microsoft sets no years-of-experience rule.

Sitting the exam. Microsoft's page lists no eligibility rule for booking AZ-400 itself; the associate certification is a condition for the expert title, not for the exam appointment.

The exam. AZ-400, Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions, needs a score of 700 to pass. Microsoft lists no retirement date. The July 27, 2026 revision added dependency versioning, including SemVer and CalVer, and versioning for pipeline artifacts. The study guide weights five areas:

Preparing for AZ-400

Free official training. Microsoft Learn publishes the AZ-400T00 course as self-paced learning paths, from enterprise DevOps planning to CI with Azure Pipelines and GitHub Actions, release strategy and infrastructure as code. Microsoft also offers a Practice Assessment on AI Skills Navigator, which needs a sign-in; the legacy version on Microsoft Learn is no longer updated. This route suits engineers who can build pipelines in a sandbox Azure DevOps organization and a GitHub repository.

Practice exams. Tutorials Dojo sells an AZ-400 set of 140+ questions. It shows which pipeline and source-control topics you have not yet built yourself; it does not replace building them.

The official instructor-led course. Microsoft's course is AZ-400T00, Design and Implement Microsoft DevOps solutions, listed at four days. ONLC and Global Knowledge both list four-day versions. Pay for one when you want an instructor to walk through release strategies and secrets management, or when your company covers the fee.

AZ-400 first-attempt costs

Beyond the table. The prerequisite: if you hold no Azure associate certification, AZ-104 is another $165 exam plus its preparation. A failed AZ-400 attempt costs $165 again; Microsoft makes you wait 24 hours before the first retake and 14 days between later ones, with at most five attempts in 12 months. Practising in Azure also bills for any resources your pipelines deploy, so tear them down after each session.

Picking an AZ-400 class

• Which skills revision it teaches. Microsoft revised AZ-400 as of July 27, 2026. Ask whether the course covers dependency and artifact versioning from that revision.
• Voucher terms. ONLC says its free Exam Pak includes a voucher once you score 85% on its practice exam and a second voucher if you fail, ordered by phone at registration only. Global Knowledge lists the voucher as a separate product.
• Both toolsets. Microsoft expects GitHub and Azure DevOps. Ask whether labs use both, and whether you keep lab access after the four days.
• Whether the class will run. Of the listed AZ-400 dates, only Global Knowledge's December 7–10, 2026 virtual class carries a guaranteed-to-run mark; ask about any other date before booking time off.
• The prerequisite. No AZ-400 class awards the expert title on its own; budget for AZ-104 if you need it.

Keeping the expert certification

Microsoft expert certifications expire each year. Renewal is free: pass an open-book, unproctored online assessment on Microsoft Learn during the six months before expiry, and the certification extends one year from its expiration date. Microsoft sets no limit on renewal retries before expiry.

For platform and DevOps teams

If you are planning AZ-400 for a team, count who already holds AZ-104. Anyone who planned to qualify through AZ-204 now needs AZ-104 instead, so budget two exams for them. Renewal costs nothing, so the ongoing cost is study time each year.

AZ-400 questions

Can I take AZ-400 without AZ-104?

Yes. Microsoft sets no eligibility rule for the exam itself, but the expert title is only awarded once you also hold the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104), or an Azure Developer Associate earned before AZ-204 retired.

Does AI-200 count as the AZ-400 prerequisite?

Microsoft's DevOps Engineer Expert page, read November 5, 2026, lists only the Azure Administrator Associate and Azure Developer Associate. AI-200 is not on it.

How much is AZ-400?

$165 in the US as of November 2026.

Is AZ-400 retiring?

No. Microsoft lists its retirement date as none.

Next step

Send your current certifications and pipeline experience and we will suggest a route through AZ-104 and AZ-400.

Ask for help choosing AZ-400 training