The successor to AZ-400, rebuilt around agentic DevOps — pipelines, source control and instrumentation with AI in the loop.
DevOps engineers moving on from AZ-400. Currently in beta, so expect the objectives to shift.
Level: Advanced · Official credential: Designing and Implementing Microsoft Agentic DevOps Solutions
Straight to the official sources — no sign-up, no reselling
AZ-400's replacement, reweighted for a world where agents participate in the pipeline. Build and release pipelines still carry the largest share, but less dominantly than before: process and communication, source control strategy, security and compliance, and instrumentation have all grown. The shape of the exam is the argument — DevOps is becoming less about running the pipeline and more about governing what runs in it.
Assumed knowledge: Real DevOps practice, and ideally AZ-400 behind you. Beta status means the objectives can move.
Why people in this role end up sitting AZ-401
Everything a partner needs to put this course in front of the right customer. Lift any of it straight into a proposal.
“Their DevOps practice was built for human committers. This is the exam for what happens when agents start contributing.”
Who signs: Head of engineering or platform lead — the same buyer as AZ-400, with a newer problem.
Who attends: DevOps and platform engineers. AZ-400 experience assumed rather than required.
And a straight answer for each
Reasonable for the certificate, less so for the skills. Train now, certify when it goes generally available.
Then this is the transition, and the agentic material is genuinely new rather than a reshuffle.
Not yet. The policy and review work is easier to put in place before that than after.
Correct — it is a beta. Say so plainly and set expectations about the material moving.
We deliver the official Microsoft course for AZ-401 — in person or virtual, public or in-company. Real demos, real stories, and the whiteboards to take home.
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Exam titles, study guides and practice assessments are published by Microsoft and linked here directly; the descriptions on this page are our own. Microsoft may update exam content at any time — the official study guide is always the authority.