80+ Hands-on Labs to prepare for your AZ-104 exam

Are you preparing for the AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator exam and wondering how to move beyond textbooks into real, practical cloud experience? Or are you a cloud professional looking to validate your Azure Administrator skills with a globally recognised certification, but unsure where to get meaningful practice?

You’re in the right place.

AZ-104 hands-on labs are the most effective way to close the gap between knowing Azure concepts and actually being able to perform Azure administration tasks under exam pressure and in real job environments. Unlike passive video learning, labs put you in a live Azure environment where you configure, deploy, and troubleshoot, exactly as the AZ-104 exam demands.

This guide covers everything: what the AZ-104 is, why lab-based preparation outperforms every other study method, and how Whizlabs AZ-104 practice labs give you an unbeatable edge, with no personal Azure subscription required.

What Is the Microsoft AZ-104 Certification?

The AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator certification is Microsoft’s benchmark credential for cloud administrators managing Azure environments. It validates your ability to implement, manage, and monitor an organisation’s Azure infrastructure across identity, governance, storage, compute, networking, and operations.

It’s one of the most in-demand certifications in cloud computing. According to Microsoft and independent salary surveys, certified Azure Administrators earn between $95,000 and $135,000+ annually in the US, and demand for the role is projected to grow significantly through 2026 as enterprises accelerate cloud migration.

The following are the main domains of the AZ 104 Exams

1. Handling and Managing Azure Identities and Governance
2. Implementing and managing Azure Storage Services
3. Deploying and managing Azure Compute Resources
4. Implementing and managing Azure Virtual Networking
5. Monitoring and maintaining Azure Resources

Also Read : Sample Questions on Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) exam

What is the AZ-104 Exam Test?

The exam evaluates five core skill domains:

AZ-104 Exam Format

2026 Note: Microsoft has increased the weight of scenario-based questions that require multi-step reasoning, exactly what Whizlabs’ AZ-104 exam simulation labs are designed to prepare you for.

Why Hands-on Labs Are Non-Negotiable for AZ-104 Success?

Reading documentation and watching videos builds familiarity. Azure Administrator training labs build competence. Here’s why the distinction matters:

Real Confidence for Real-World Azure Admin Scenarios

The AZ-104 doesn’t just ask you to define a concept; it drops you into realistic scenarios. “A storage account is returning 403 errors. What do you check first?” You can only answer that confidently if you’ve actually navigated the Azure Portal, set access policies, and debugged permission errors yourself. AZ-104 practical training through labs ingrains these instincts.

Zero External Setup Required

One of the biggest barriers to hands-on Azure practice is cost and setup friction. With Whizlabs’ Azure sandbox environment for exam prep, you get a pre-configured, live Azure infrastructure; no personal subscription, no credit card, no billing surprises. You can practice Azure Administrator tasks at home, on any device, and start within minutes.

Instant Validation and Progress Tracking

Whizlabs’ platform gives you real-time feedback after each lab task. You’ll know immediately whether your RBAC assignment was correct, whether your VNet was configured right, or whether your storage lifecycle rule will work as expected. This tight feedback loop accelerates learning faster than any flashcard or textbook review.

AZ-104 Exam 2026: What’s Changed and Why Labs Matter More Than Ever

Microsoft updated the AZ-104 exam blueprint to reflect how Azure administrators actually work in enterprises:

• Greater emphasis on Azure Policy and governance automation: Expect questions on policy initiatives, compliance dashboards, and management group hierarchies
• Entra ID (formerly Azure AD); This is a central ID across identity, RBAC, and conditional access scenarios.
• Azure Monitor and alerts: They are tested more deeply, including Log Analytics workspace queries.
• Cost management: It folds into governance, expect scenario questions on budgets and cost alerts.
• Bicep and ARM templates: They increasingly appear in compute deployment questions alongside the Portal.

Each of these areas maps directly to a hands-on lab you can practice on Whizlabs today.

AZ-104 Lab Topics: What You’ll Actually Practice

Whizlabs gives you a comprehensive library of AZ-104 exam preparation labs structured across all five exam domains. Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll work through:

1. Identity and Governance Labs

• Create and manage Azure Entra ID (Azure AD) users and groups
• Configure role-based access control (RBAC) for Azure resources
• Implement Azure Policy and assign policy initiatives
• Set up Management Groups and subscription governance
• Configure Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for just-in-time access

2. Storage Labs

• Create and configure Azure Storage accounts
• Set blob access tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive) and lifecycle management policies
• Configure shared access signatures (SAS) and stored access policies
• Implement Azure File Shares and Azure File Sync
• Set up storage redundancy (LRS, GRS, ZRS, GZRS)

3. Compute Labs (Azure VM Lab Exercises)

• Deploy and configure Azure Virtual Machines from the Portal and CLI
• Set up VM Scale Sets and Availability Sets
• Configure Azure Bastion for secure VM access
• Create and apply Azure VM extensions and custom script extensions
• Deploy ARM templates and Bicep files

4. Networking Labs

• Create and peer Azure Virtual Networks (VNet peering)
• Configure Network Security Groups (NSGs) and Application Security Groups
• Set up Azure Load Balancer and Application Gateway
• Implement Azure DNS: public and private zones
• Configure VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute concepts
• Set up Private Endpoints and Service Endpoints

5. Monitoring and Backup Labs

• Configure Azure Monitor, alerts, and action groups
• Create and query Log Analytics workspaces
• Set up Azure Backup for VMs and Azure SQL
• Configure Azure Site Recovery for disaster recovery scenarios
• Implement diagnostic settings and resource logs

This is cloud hands-on labs for Azure certification done right, each lab mirrors the real-world Azure admin scenarios you’ll face both in the exam and on the job.

Prerequisites for the AZ-104 Exam

Before sitting the AZ-104, Microsoft recommends at least six months of hands-on Azure experience. Practically, you should be comfortable with:

• Azure Portal, Azure CLI, and PowerShell for resource management
• Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, VPN, firewalls
• Virtualisation: VMs, virtual hard disks, virtual networking
• Identity concepts: Azure Entra ID, RBAC, MFA
• Backup, disaster recovery, and compliance fundamentals

If you’re new to Azure, Whizlabs’ Azure hands-on practice for beginners pathway lets you build these foundations before tackling the full AZ-104 lab suite.

Skills You’ll Gain from AZ-104 Azure Administrator Training Labs

By the time you complete your AZ-104 lab preparation, you’ll have demonstrable, hands-on experience in:

• Azure Entra ID (Azure AD) – Creating objects, managing groups, and configuring SSO
• RBAC – Designing and assigning role-based access at subscription, resource group, and resource scope
• Azure Storage – Scaling, securing, and optimising storage accounts for enterprise workloads
• Azure networking – Designing VNets, configuring NSGs, setting up load balancing and DNS
• Azure monitoring – Setting up comprehensive observability with Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights
• Backup and recovery – Implementing Azure Backup vaults and Site Recovery plans

These aren’t just exam skills; they’re the exact capabilities that Azure Administrator job descriptions list as requirements.

How to Access Whizlabs AZ-104 Hands-on Labs

Getting started with AZ-104 practice labs online takes less than five minutes:

1. Go to the Hands-on Labs Library
2. Sign in (or create a free Whizlabs account)
3. Select “Get Started”
4. Choose “Azure” from the category filter or select “AZ-104” from the certification filter.
5. Browse labs, click any lab, and start practising immediately.

No Azure subscription. No credit card for the sandbox. No setup time wasted.

You can also explore the Azure Cloud Sandbox for open-ended, free-form experimentation across Azure services, ideal for practising scenarios that go beyond structured lab tasks.

Whizlabs Azure Hands-On Labs you need to check out.

With Whizlabs, you don’t get just one or two hands-on labs. For AZ-104 preparation, you get a complete package of hands-on labs. These are finely-tuned demo Azure infrastructure that allows you to apply your theoretical knowledge and learn the inside out of Azure cloud administration.
>>> Beginner’s Guide to Hands-on-Labs

1. Creating an Azure Virtual Machine via Windows 2025 datacenter image

• Introducing the Lab Environment
• Making a virtual machine on Azure.
• Recognise RDP in the Virtual Machine deployment.
  
  

2. Using Blob Storage

• Establish a Storage Account
• Build a Container
• Send a Blob item in
  
  

3. Create Linux VM  through Ubuntu Server updated with “22.04 or 24.04 LTS” – Gen 2 image

• Register for the Azure Portal.
• Make a Linux VM on Azure
• How to SSH into a VM
• Test the virtual machine you constructed.
• Modify the access level.
  
  

4. Create Storage Account

• Recognise the tiers of performance, redundancy, and access.
• Establish a Storage Account
• Deploy a Container
• Send a Blob item in
• Share and upload a File
  
  

5. Use CLI to add data disks to VM

• Use the Azure CLI to create an Azure Virtual Machine.
• Disk Attachment to the New Virtual Machine
• Enter the virtual machine through RDP.
• Configuring the Disk

6. Use the Custom Script extension to install the NGINX web server

• Make a Linux virtual machine on Azure.
• Installing Nginx using unique script extensions
• Test the newly created virtual machine by opening Port 80.
  
  

7. Implementing Azure functions and running them by retrieving their URL

• Establish an Azure App Service.
• Browse the Function app.
• Establish the HTTP-Triggered Function.
• Run the Azure Function

8. Network Security Group rules and apply NSG principles through the Azure Portal.

• Permit RDP traffic using the NSG rules
• Using NSG rules, allow HTTP traffic

9. Host portfolio using Azure App Service

• Windows Virtual Machine installation
• Software Deployment Using VM Extensions
• RDP to a Windows VM
• Deployment’s verification

10. Build a basic load balancer through the Azure Portal and route the traffic to VMs

• Building a Virtual Network
• Establish virtual machines
• In both virtual machines, install IIS.
• Construct a load balancer.
• Run a load balancer test.
  
  

11. Delve into database services like CosmosDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL provided by Azure

• Using SQL, create a CosmosDB account.
• Make a MySQL Azure Database
• Create a PostgreSQL Azure Database.

12. Deploy software using VM extensions

• Software Deployment Using VM Extensions
• RDP to a Windows virtual machine
• Deployment’s verification

13. Install NGINX server on Linux Virtual Machine via Cloud-Init

• Build a virtual machine.
• Permit RDP traffic using the NSG rules
• Establish a data disc.
• Connect a data disk to a VM

14. Work using resource tags

• Introducing the Lab Environment
• Build a virtual machine.
• Generate tags

15. Add a disk through the console

• Permit RDP traffic using the NSG rules
• Establish a data disc.
• Connect a data disk to a VM.

16. Work using custom images

• Setup IIS
• Make Your Custom Image
• Making a VM with a Custom Image

17. Create, assign and manage Azure Policies

• Create a policy assignment for Allowed Locations.
• Test the assignment of the Allowed Locations policy.

18. Work with Azure File shares

• Establish a File Share
• Publish a File
• Join the file share

19. Understand Azure Blob Storage Tiers

• Establish a Storage Account (Cool Tier)
• Establish a Storage Account (Hot Tier)
• Establish a Storage Account  (Cold Tier)
• Establish a Storage Account (Archive Tier)
• Establish a Storage Account (Smart Tier)

20. Create Azure Resource Locks and prevent accidental deletes

• How to Make a Delete Lock
• How to Create a Read-Only Lock
• Removal of the Locks
• The Virtual Machine is being deleted

21. Resize Azure Virtual Machine

• VM sizing using the portal
• VM sizing through CLI

22. Using Alerts on resources

• Configuring Alerts
• Check alerts

23. Understand Azure Backup services and enable data backup for files in VMs.

• Deploy a VM
• Create an Azure Backup

24. Adding a network interface to a virtual machine

• Build a virtual machine.
• Establish a network interface.
• Extend the virtual machine’s network interface.

25. Work with Application Insights to improve the performance of the Web app

• Build a web application
• Create a resource for application insights.
• Inspect the Application Insights resources.

26. Create Availability sets

• How to create an availability set
• Making a Virtual Machine Available in the Set
• Install the second VM within the same Availability Set.

27. Implement Virtual Networking peering and launch a VM in all virtual networks

• Virtual Networks Peer
• Virtual Machine Creation
• Build Communication between Virtual Machines
  
  

28. Network Access to storage accounts and limit access to private endpoints

• Make a storage account using a private endpoint.
• Establish a virtual machine.
• Access the virtual machine’s storage account.

29. Create Application Gateway using the Azure portal

• In both virtual machines, install IIS.
• Establish a gateway for applications.
• Application Gateway evaluation

30. Create Azure Firewall

• Firewall and policy deployment
• Establish a Default Route
• Create a rule for the application
• Establish a network rule
• Create a DNAT rule.
• Change the Srv-work virtual machine’s primary and backup DNS addresses.
• Change the Srv-work virtual machine’s primary and backup DNS addresses.
• Firewall testing
  
  

31. Build an SQL Database by setting the SQL server

• Make a SQL database on Azure.
• Make an IP firewall rule at the server level.
• Link to the database
• In the database, create tables.

32. Build an Azure VM of Windows Server 2025 Datacenter image with CLI

• Utilise the Azure CLI to create an Azure Virtual Machine.
• Knowledge of deployment specifics
• Enter the virtual machine through RDP.
• Test the virtual machine you constructed.

33. Use Azure CLI to create a Web App and ensure it runs on Docker images

• Using the Azure CLI, create a Web app.
• Obtain the URL for the deployed app.
• From the browser, test the deployment.

AZ-104 Preparation Strategy: How to Use Labs Effectively

AZ-104 lab practice without an Azure subscription is most effective when combined with a structured study plan. Here’s a proven approach:

• Week 1–2: Video course: Build conceptual understanding of all five domains
• Week 3–5: Domain-by-domain lab practice: Work through labs in the same order as the exam domains
• Week 6: Practice tests: Identify weak spots using Whizlabs’ AZ-104 mock tests with detailed explanations.
• Week 7: Targeted lab: re-runs on weak areas + scenario-based question practice
• Week 8: Final mock exam simulation under timed conditions

This combination of Azure practical learning for AZ-104 – labs, video, and practice tests, the fastest path to a passing score.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the best way to practice Azure Administrator tasks at home?
The most effective method is using a cloud sandbox environment like Whizlabs’ AZ-104 hands-on labs. You get a live Azure environment without needing your own subscription or incurring any Azure costs. This lets you practice real Azure admin tasks at home, on your own schedule.

2. Are Whizlabs AZ-104 hands-on labs free?
Whizlabs offers a selection of free AZ-104 hands-on labs to get started. The full library of AZ-104 exam preparation labs is available through a Whizlabs subscription or individual purchase, and includes the Azure sandbox environment.

3. How many labs do I need to complete to pass AZ-104?
There’s no fixed number, but covering at least one lab per major topic across all five exam domains gives solid coverage. Prioritise labs in the highest-weighted domains: identity/governance and compute (each 20–25% of the exam).

4. Can I practice AZ-104 labs without an Azure subscription?
Yes. Whizlabs’ Azure sandbox environment for exam prep provides a fully live Azure environment without requiring your own Microsoft Azure subscription. This is Whizlabs’ biggest practical advantage over self-study.

5. How long does it take to prepare for AZ-104 with hands-on labs?
Most candidates who combine video courses, hands-on labs, and practice tests are exam-ready in 6–10 weeks. Lab-focused preparation significantly reduces the time spent re-reading theory, because hands-on practice builds retention faster.

Final Thoughts

The AZ-104 exam rewards practical knowledge, not memorisation. If you can configure a VNet, set RBAC correctly, troubleshoot a storage access issue, and build a monitoring alert, you’ll pass. And the only way to truly build those skills is through Azure Administrator hands-on labs in a real environment.

Whizlabs gives you hands-on labs, a cloud sandbox, practice tests, and video courses, everything you need to walk into your AZ-104 exam with genuine confidence.

Also, check and access the different AZ 104 Hands-on Labs library available for your preparation. 

• About the Author
• More from Author

About Mythili Sivakumar

Mythili is a storyteller who simplifies tech theories with clarity and detail. She is a passionate content Ideator and writer with an eye for technology and digital transformation in the world of business. With a keen interest in exploring, learning, and sharing insights - she shaped her narrative skills catering to audiences in different categories and ensuring to meet their requirements.

• AWS AI Practitioner vs Other AI Certs: Which to Choose in 2026 - May 6, 2026
• Why Executives Choose the Microsoft AB-731 AI Certification - April 24, 2026
• Claude Certified Architect: Agentic AI Era Begins - April 1, 2026
• Databricks vs AWS vs Azure: Best AI Career Platform 2026 - March 19, 2026
• How MLA-C01 Practice Tests Help You Master AWS SageMaker & MLOps? - March 17, 2026
• ML Engineer vs AI Engineer: Salary & Career Path - March 9, 2026
• Is AWS Certified Security – Specialty Worth It in 2026? - March 4, 2026
• AWS Generative AI Developer Certification 2026 Guide - February 12, 2026