The short version
Take AZ-305 if your job is deciding how Azure solutions should be built. Take AZ-400 if your job is delivering changes safely through pipelines and source control. If you do both kinds of work, either order is fine, and many people do both over time. The two credentials share a prerequisite pattern, so one associate credential can unlock either path. Facts below were checked on Microsoft Learn on October 22, 2026.
Side by side
| Item | AZ-305 | AZ-400 |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions | Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions |
| Credential | Azure Solutions Architect Expert | DevOps Engineer Expert |
| Level | Expert | Expert |
| Role | Solution architect | DevOps engineer |
| Audience | Advisors who turn business requirements into Azure designs | Developers or infrastructure administrators who enable continuous delivery |
| Required credential first | Azure Administrator Associate | At least one of Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate |
| Passing score | 700 of 1,000 | 700 of 1,000 |
| Domains | 4: identity and governance 25-30%, data 20-25%, continuity 15-20%, infrastructure 30-35% | 5: processes 10-15%, source control 10-15%, pipelines 50-55%, security 10-15%, instrumentation 5-10% |
| English update | April 17, 2026 | July 27, 2026 |
| Languages | 10 | 10 |
| Retirement date | None listed | None listed |
| Renewal | Free yearly online assessment | Free yearly online assessment |
Exam length and question count follow Microsoft’s general rules for expert exams and are not listed on either exam page; see each format page for details.
What each exam is really about
AZ-305 asks you to choose. A scenario describes a company and its needs, and you pick the Azure design that meets every requirement. The content spans identity, governance, monitoring, storage, databases, recovery, compute, networking, and migration. Hands-on skill helps, but the questions reward judgment between close options.
AZ-400 asks you to design and implement. More than half the exam covers build and release pipelines, with the rest split among planning and tracking work, source control, security and compliance, and monitoring. It spans Azure DevOps and GitHub, and the details are specific: pipeline syntax, triggers, approvals, branching, and secretless authentication. People who have built pipelines have an edge.
Where they overlap
- Both are expert level and both require a preceding associate credential, with Azure Administrator Associate counting for each.
- Both involve security: AZ-305 through identity and key management, AZ-400 through service connections, secrets, and scanning.
- Both touch monitoring and Azure Monitor, though AZ-400 weights it lightly.
- Both expect solid Azure administration experience and exposure to DevOps ideas.
- Infrastructure as code and automated deployment appear in both, as design topics in AZ-305 and as pipeline topics in AZ-400.
Where they differ
- Question style. AZ-305 is about trade-offs across services. AZ-400 is about how tools behave and how to configure them.
- Tooling. AZ-400 expects practical work in GitHub and Azure DevOps. AZ-305 does not.
- Breadth versus depth. AZ-305 is wide across Azure. AZ-400 goes deep on one delivery flow.
How to choose
Pick AZ-305 first if you:
- advise teams or customers on architecture,
- are an administrator who wants to move into design,
- need breadth across storage, networking, and recovery.
Pick AZ-400 first if you:
- own pipelines, releases, or repositories,
- are a developer moving toward platform work,
- already know Git and YAML and want a credential that matches.
Take both if you lead delivery and design, for example as a platform engineer. Doing AZ-305 first gives you the infrastructure picture that makes AZ-400 deployment topics easier. Doing AZ-400 first gives you hands-on automation that makes AZ-305 migration and deployment questions less abstract. Neither order is required by Microsoft.
A note on prerequisites
Microsoft’s credential pages treat the two differently. The architect credential requires Azure Administrator Associate. The DevOps credential accepts either Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate. The exam pages themselves list no prerequisite exam, so check the credential page for the rules that apply to you. Our prerequisite guides explain more: AZ-305 and AZ-400.
More guides for AZ-305
- AZ-305 Study Plan: 4-Week and 8-Week
- AZ-305 Domains Explained With Weightings
- AZ-305 Sample Questions With Answers
- AZ-305 Renewal and Retakes Explained
- Is AZ-305 Worth It? An Honest Look
- AZ-305 Cheat Sheet: Key Facts to Review
- AZ-104 vs AZ-305: Which First?
Next step
Read both overviews: AZ-305 and AZ-400. Then try practice for the one you choose, either the AZ-305 practice tests or the AZ-400 practice tests.
Frequently asked questions
Which is harder, AZ-305 or AZ-400?
It depends on your background. AZ-305 is broad and judgment-heavy; AZ-400 is specific and tool-heavy. See the AZ-305 difficulty page.
Do I need AZ-305 before AZ-400?
No. Microsoft does not list one as a prerequisite for the other.
Do the credentials renew the same way?
Yes. Both are renewed for free with an online assessment during the six months before expiry.