Best Azure Courses on Pluralsight 2026

Microsoft Azure holds 25% of the cloud market, trailing only AWS, and Azure skills are increasingly critical as enterprises migrate to Microsoft’s cloud platform. If you are looking to master Azure through Pluralsight, you have arrived at the right time---Pluralsight’s acquisition of A Cloud Guru has brought exceptional Azure certification content into their catalog.

But with hundreds of Azure courses available, which ones actually prepare you for certifications and real-world cloud architecture work in Microsoft environments? We evaluated the entire Azure catalog, assessed course quality, instructor expertise, hands-on labs, and certification alignment to identify the top 12 courses worth your investment.

Quick Picks: Best Azure Courses by Certification

If you are preparing for a specific Azure certification, start here:

Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104):

• AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator by Scott Duffy (20 hours) - Comprehensive certification prep with hands-on labs covering identity, storage, compute, and networking

Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305):

• AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions by John Savill (26 hours) - Deep architectural knowledge for designing enterprise Azure solutions

Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204):

• AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure by Reza Salehi (22 hours) - Complete developer certification prep with practical coding examples

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900):

• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) by Lars Klint (6 hours) - Perfect entry point for Azure beginners before tackling role-based certifications

The Top 12 Azure Courses on Pluralsight (Ranked)

After evaluating course quality, instructor expertise, hands-on labs, and certification alignment, here are the best Azure courses on Pluralsight:

1. AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator

Instructor: Scott Duffy (A Cloud Guru) Duration: 20 hours Level: Intermediate Best For: Azure Administrator certification prep

This is the definitive Azure certification course on Pluralsight. Scott Duffy covers every exam objective for AZ-104 with exceptional clarity: Azure AD identity management, virtual networks, storage accounts, virtual machines, monitoring, and backup. The course includes hands-on labs for each major service, ensuring you can configure Azure resources, not just recognize them on exams.

What makes it great: Scott’s teaching style balances certification preparation with practical Azure administration skills. You learn Azure concepts while building muscle memory for the Azure portal and PowerShell commands.

2. AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions

Instructor: John Savill Duration: 26 hours Level: Advanced Best For: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification

John Savill delivers the most comprehensive Azure architecture course available. This advanced certification course covers governance, identity, monitoring, business continuity, data storage, compute, networking, application architecture, and migration strategies. The course emphasizes designing for scalability, reliability, security, and cost optimization.

What makes it great: John Savill is legendary in the Azure community for deep technical knowledge. This course goes far beyond certification prep---it teaches you to architect enterprise-grade Azure solutions.

3. AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure

Instructor: Reza Salehi Duration: 22 hours Level: Intermediate Best For: Azure developers building cloud-native applications

Reza Salehi covers Azure development services comprehensively: Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Cosmos DB, Azure Storage, API Management, Azure Container Instances, and Azure Kubernetes Service. You will write code that deploys to Azure, implement authentication with Azure AD, and build serverless solutions with real-world architecture patterns.

What makes it great: The hands-on coding labs are exceptional. You build actual applications that run on Azure, learning .NET/C# and Python development patterns for cloud-native apps.

4. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

Instructor: Lars Klint Duration: 6 hours Level: Beginner Best For: Azure beginners and non-technical stakeholders

Lars Klint’s beginner-friendly course introduces Azure fundamentals without overwhelming technical detail. Perfect for managers, salespeople, or anyone transitioning to Azure roles. Covers Azure global infrastructure, core services (compute, networking, storage, database), Azure pricing, and the shared responsibility model.

What makes it great: Lars makes Azure accessible to complete beginners while maintaining technical accuracy. This is the perfect first Azure course before pursuing role-based certifications.

5. AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies

Instructor: Tim Warner Duration: 18 hours Level: Advanced Best For: Azure security specialists and architects

Tim Warner teaches comprehensive Azure security: Azure AD security, privileged identity management, security monitoring, threat protection, data and application security, Key Vault, and network security groups. This course prepares you for the AZ-500 certification while teaching practical security implementation.

What makes it great: Azure security is critical for enterprise adoption. Tim’s course teaches you to secure Azure environments from identity to network to data layers.

6. Microsoft Azure Architect Design (AZ-305) Deep Dive

Instructor: Tim Warner Duration: 24 hours Level: Advanced Best For: Architects designing complex Azure solutions

Tim Warner’s AZ-305 deep dive complements John Savill’s course with alternative explanations and additional hands-on labs. Covers governance, workload requirements, data storage, business continuity, infrastructure, networking, authentication, and application architecture with real-world case studies.

What makes it great: Having two excellent AZ-305 courses lets you learn from different teaching styles and perspectives, improving retention for this challenging exam.

7. Implementing Azure DevOps Solutions (AZ-400)

Instructor: Orin Thomas Duration: 28 hours Level: Advanced Best For: DevOps engineers implementing CI/CD on Azure

Orin Thomas covers Azure DevOps comprehensively: Azure Repos, Azure Pipelines, Azure Artifacts, Azure Test Plans, infrastructure as code with ARM templates and Terraform, monitoring with Application Insights, and security in DevOps. This course prepares you for the AZ-400 certification while teaching real DevOps practices.

What makes it great: DevOps is critical for modern cloud development. This course teaches you to build complete CI/CD pipelines that deploy applications to Azure automatically.

8. Azure Networking Deep Dive

Instructor: John Savill Duration: 8 hours Level: Intermediate to Advanced Best For: Mastering Azure networking

John Savill’s networking course is essential for Azure architects. You will master virtual networks, subnets, network security groups, application security groups, Azure Firewall, VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, Azure Front Door, Traffic Manager, and hybrid connectivity patterns.

What makes it great: Networking is where many Azure learners struggle. John’s visualizations and explanations make complex networking concepts crystal clear.

9. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Deep Dive

Instructor: Anthony Nocentino Duration: 7 hours Level: Advanced Best For: Container orchestration on Azure

Anthony Nocentino delivers the definitive AKS course covering cluster creation, node pools, networking, storage, monitoring, security, scaling, and deployments. You will learn Kubernetes fundamentals in the context of Azure, including Azure-specific integrations with Azure AD, Azure Container Registry, and Azure Monitor.

What makes it great: Kubernetes is the standard for container orchestration. This course teaches you to run production Kubernetes workloads on Azure.

10. Azure Active Directory Deep Dive

Instructor: John Savill Duration: 6 hours Level: Intermediate Best For: Mastering Azure identity and access

John Savill covers Azure AD comprehensively: users, groups, roles, administrative units, conditional access, multi-factor authentication, privileged identity management, Azure AD Connect for hybrid identity, and B2B/B2C scenarios. Identity is foundational to every Azure deployment.

What makes it great: Azure AD is the control plane for Azure security. This course teaches you to implement enterprise identity solutions correctly from the start.

11. Implementing Azure Cosmos DB

Instructor: Leonard Lobel Duration: 9 hours Level: Intermediate to Advanced Best For: Globally distributed NoSQL databases

Leonard Lobel teaches Azure Cosmos DB in depth: API selection (SQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin), partition key strategies, indexing policies, consistency levels, global distribution, and change feed. This course is essential for applications requiring low-latency global data access.

What makes it great: Cosmos DB is Azure’s premier database for web-scale applications. Leonard’s partition key guidance alone is worth the course price.

12. Azure Infrastructure as Code with ARM and Bicep

Instructor: Ned Bellavance Duration: 6 hours Level: Intermediate Best For: Automating Azure deployments

Ned Bellavance covers Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates and Bicep, the domain-specific language that simplifies ARM syntax. You will learn template structure, parameters, variables, resources, modules, and deployment strategies. Infrastructure as code is essential for repeatable, version-controlled Azure deployments.

What makes it great: Manual Azure deployments do not scale. This course teaches you to automate infrastructure provisioning with code, the foundation of DevOps on Azure.

Azure Certification Paths: Fundamentals to Expert

Pluralsight offers complete learning paths for each Azure certification tier:

Fundamentals Certification (Entry Level)

Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900):

• Focus: Cloud concepts, core Azure services, security, pricing
• Prerequisites: None (beginner-friendly)
• Pass rate: ~70% (easiest Azure exam)
• Career impact: Entry into cloud roles, demonstrates cloud literacy
• Study time: 2-4 weeks

Associate-Level Certifications (6-12 months for beginners)

Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104):

• Focus: Managing Azure subscriptions, resources, storage, compute, networking
• Prerequisites: 6 months Azure experience recommended
• Pass rate: ~60% (moderately challenging)
• Career impact: Azure admin roles ($85K-120K)
• Study time: 2-3 months with hands-on practice

Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204):

• Focus: Building cloud applications with Azure services
• Prerequisites: Programming experience in C#, Python, or JavaScript
• Pass rate: ~65% (easier with development background)
• Career impact: Cloud developer roles ($95K-135K)
• Study time: 2-3 months

Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500):

• Focus: Securing Azure environments across identity, platform, data, apps
• Prerequisites: Security and Azure administration experience
• Pass rate: ~58% (challenging security concepts)
• Career impact: Cloud security roles ($100K-145K)
• Study time: 2-4 months

Expert-Level Certifications (1-2 years Azure experience)

Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305):

• Focus: Designing governance, compute, storage, networking, monitoring solutions
• Prerequisites: Azure Administrator Associate recommended
• Pass rate: ~45% (very difficult)
• Career impact: Azure architect roles ($130K-190K)
• Study time: 3-6 months

Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400):

• Focus: CI/CD, infrastructure as code, monitoring, security in DevOps
• Prerequisites: Azure Administrator or Developer Associate recommended
• Pass rate: ~50% (broad scope)
• Career impact: DevOps engineer roles ($120K-170K)
• Study time: 3-5 months

Hands-On Labs: The Azure Learning Advantage

Pluralsight’s Azure hands-on labs transform passive video watching into active learning. Labs put you in real Azure environments where you configure resources, troubleshoot issues, and build solutions.

What Azure Labs Offer

• Pre-configured Azure subscriptions: No need to use your own credit card or worry about surprise bills
• Guided scenarios: Step-by-step challenges with specific objectives
• Validation: Labs verify you completed tasks correctly
• Safe experimentation: Make mistakes without breaking production systems
• Azure portal practice: Build muscle memory for real Azure work

Top Azure Lab Categories

Azure AD and Identity Labs:

• Create users, groups, and administrative units
• Configure conditional access policies
• Implement multi-factor authentication
• Set up hybrid identity with Azure AD Connect

Virtual Machines and Compute Labs:

• Deploy and configure Azure VMs
• Create virtual machine scale sets
• Implement Azure Bastion for secure access
• Configure VM backup and disaster recovery

Networking Labs:

• Build virtual networks with subnets and NSGs
• Configure VPN Gateway and site-to-site VPN
• Implement Azure Firewall and DDoS protection
• Set up ExpressRoute for hybrid connectivity

Storage Labs:

• Create and manage storage accounts
• Configure blob storage with lifecycle policies
• Implement Azure Files and file sync
• Configure storage encryption and access control

Azure App Service and Serverless Labs:

• Deploy web apps to App Service
• Create Azure Functions with triggers
• Implement API Management
• Configure Application Insights monitoring

Database Labs:

• Deploy Azure SQL Database
• Configure Cosmos DB with global distribution
• Implement database backup and geo-replication
• Optimize database performance and costs

Sandboxes for Azure

Pluralsight offers Azure sandboxes---open cloud environments where you freely explore without guided objectives. Sandboxes are perfect for:

• Testing Azure services before production deployment
• Practicing PowerShell and Azure CLI commands
• Experimenting with infrastructure as code (ARM, Bicep, Terraform)
• Building proof-of-concept solutions

Best Courses by Azure Service

If you need to master a specific Azure service, these specialized courses dive deep:

Compute

• Azure Virtual Machines Deep Dive (Tim Warner) - IaaS compute
• Azure Functions Fundamentals (Mark Heath) - Serverless computing
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Deep Dive (Anthony Nocentino) - Container orchestration
• Azure App Service Deep Dive (Barry Luijbregts) - Web app hosting

Networking

• Azure Networking Deep Dive (John Savill) - Virtual networks, VPN, ExpressRoute
• Azure Load Balancer and Traffic Manager (Tim Warner) - Load balancing strategies
• Azure Firewall and Network Security (John Savill) - Network protection
• Azure Front Door and CDN (Barry Luijbregts) - Global content delivery

Storage

• Azure Storage Deep Dive (Lars Klint) - Blobs, files, queues, tables
• Azure Managed Disks and Storage (Tim Warner) - VM storage
• Azure Backup and Site Recovery (Mike Pfeiffer) - Disaster recovery
• Azure Data Lake Storage (Janani Ravi) - Big data storage

Databases

• Implementing Azure Cosmos DB (Leonard Lobel) - Globally distributed NoSQL
• Azure SQL Database Deep Dive (Marcin Policht) - PaaS relational database
• Azure Database for PostgreSQL/MySQL (Mohamed Waly) - Open-source databases
• Azure Synapse Analytics (Alex Fragnani) - Data warehousing

Identity and Security

• Azure Active Directory Deep Dive (John Savill) - Identity and access
• AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies (Tim Warner) - Comprehensive security
• Azure Key Vault Deep Dive (Reza Salehi) - Secrets management
• Azure Sentinel (Neil Morrissey) - Security information and event management

DevOps and Automation

• Azure DevOps Deep Dive (Orin Thomas) - CI/CD pipelines
• Azure Infrastructure as Code with ARM and Bicep (Ned Bellavance) - Templates
• Terraform on Azure (Ned Bellavance) - Multi-cloud infrastructure as code
• Azure PowerShell and CLI (Tim Warner) - Command-line automation

Monitoring and Management

• Azure Monitor Deep Dive (Mike Pfeiffer) - Comprehensive monitoring
• Azure Application Insights (Barry Luijbregts) - Application performance monitoring
• Azure Log Analytics and KQL (John Savill) - Log querying
• Azure Cost Management (Tim Warner) - Optimizing Azure spending

How to Use Skill IQ for Azure Learning

Pluralsight’s Skill IQ assessments help you identify exactly where you stand with Azure knowledge and which courses to take next.

Taking Azure Skill IQ Assessments

1. Choose an Azure skill: Search for “Azure” and select specific assessments (Azure, Azure AD, Azure VMs, etc.)
2. Take the adaptive test: Answer 15-20 questions that adjust difficulty based on your responses
3. Get your score: Receive a score from 0-300 placing you in one of five proficiency levels
4. Get course recommendations: Pluralsight suggests courses targeting your specific knowledge gaps

Available Azure Skill IQ Tests

• Microsoft Azure (general cloud knowledge)
• Azure Active Directory (identity and access)
• Azure Virtual Machines (IaaS compute)
• Azure Networking (VNets, VPN, load balancing)
• Azure Storage (blobs, files, disks)
• Azure Security (securing Azure environments)
• Azure DevOps (CI/CD pipelines)

Using Role IQ for Azure Careers

Role IQ assessments evaluate your readiness for specific Azure job roles:

• Azure Administrator
• Azure Developer
• Azure Solutions Architect
• Azure Security Engineer
• Azure DevOps Engineer

Role IQ tests multiple related skills (compute, networking, storage, identity) and identifies your complete readiness for the role. This helps you understand which areas need work before applying for Azure positions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Pluralsight Azure courses worth it for certification prep?

Yes, especially after the A Cloud Guru acquisition. Pluralsight’s Azure certification courses are comprehensive, aligned with current exam objectives, and include hands-on labs that significantly improve retention. Most learners who complete the full course and practice labs report passing their certifications on the first attempt. However, supplement with Microsoft Learn documentation and practice exams (MeasureUp, Whizlabs) for best results.

Do I need the Premium plan for Azure courses?

For certification prep, absolutely yes. The Standard plan ($299/year) includes Azure video courses but not hands-on labs. Premium ($449/year) adds labs where you practice in real Azure environments---this hands-on experience is critical for certification exams and actual Azure work. The $150 difference is worthwhile for serious Azure learners, as labs dramatically improve exam pass rates.

How long does it take to get Azure certified using Pluralsight?

For complete beginners: 6-12 months to earn an Associate-level certification (Fundamentals plus Administrator, Developer, or Security). If you have cloud experience: 2-4 months for an Associate certification with consistent study. Expert certifications (AZ-305, AZ-400) require 1-2 years Azure experience plus 3-6 months of dedicated study. Study 10-15 hours per week for optimal results.

Which Azure certification should I get first?

Start with Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) if you are completely new to Azure or cloud computing. This foundational certification takes 2-4 weeks and provides broad Azure knowledge. Then pursue Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104), which is the most versatile Azure certification for job seekers. Skip Fundamentals if you already have cloud experience and dive directly into AZ-104.

Are Pluralsight’s A Cloud Guru courses still available?

Yes. After Pluralsight acquired A Cloud Guru in 2023, all A Cloud Guru courses were integrated into the Pluralsight platform. You get access to both catalogs with a single subscription. Look for courses by Scott Duffy, Lars Klint, and other A Cloud Guru instructors---they appear as Pluralsight courses now with full integration.

Can I use Pluralsight Azure labs without a credit card?

Yes. Pluralsight’s Azure hands-on labs use pre-configured Azure subscriptions managed by Pluralsight. You do not need to create a Microsoft account, enter credit card information, or worry about surprise Azure bills. This makes labs completely safe for experimentation without financial risk.

How current are Pluralsight’s Azure certification courses?

Most Azure certification courses are updated within 3-6 months of exam changes. The major certifications (AZ-900, AZ-104, AZ-204, AZ-305, AZ-500) are aligned with current exam versions. Always check course descriptions for exam version alignment before starting certification prep. Azure services evolve rapidly, so verify course update dates.

Do Pluralsight Azure courses include practice exams?

Yes, Premium plans include practice exams for major Azure certifications. However, many learners supplement with dedicated practice exam platforms like MeasureUp (official Microsoft practice exams), Whizlabs, or Tutorials Dojo for additional question banks. Azure certification exams are challenging and benefit from extensive practice testing beyond Pluralsight’s offerings.

Final Verdict: Best Azure Learning Platform

Pluralsight has become one of the strongest platforms for Azure learning, especially after integrating A Cloud Guru’s excellent cloud certification content. The combination of comprehensive certification courses, hands-on labs with real Azure environments, Skill IQ assessments, and expert instructors (including Azure MVPs like John Savill and Tim Warner) creates a learning experience that genuinely prepares you for Azure certifications and real-world cloud work.

The Premium plan ($449/year) is essential for serious Azure learners. The hands-on labs alone justify the cost---practicing in real Azure environments without credit card risk accelerates learning dramatically. The ability to create virtual networks, deploy VMs, configure Azure AD, and build applications in actual Azure portals makes concepts stick far better than video-only learning.

Our recommendation: Start with the 10-day free trial to evaluate course quality and lab environments. Take the Azure Skill IQ assessment to identify your starting point. If you are pursuing Azure certifications or building Azure skills for career advancement, invest in Premium for full access to labs and practice exams. For teams hiring cloud engineers, Pluralsight’s Professional plan ($579/user/year) adds team analytics and progress tracking.

The Azure job market is robust---Azure administrators earn $85K-120K, developers $95K-135K, and architects $130K-190K depending on experience and location. Microsoft’s enterprise dominance means Azure skills translate directly into career opportunities. Pluralsight’s Azure courses provide a structured path from fundamentals to expert certification, making it one of the best investments you can make in your cloud career.

Azure certifications also integrate well with Microsoft 365 and Power Platform skills, expanding your value in enterprise environments. If you work in organizations using Microsoft technologies, Azure expertise makes you indispensable.

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