Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

AZ-305 · ● Active · Expert · Microsoft

Expert-level Azure cloud architecture certification. Tests ability to design infrastructure solutions for identity, governance, data storage, business continuity, and compute across Azure cloud and hybrid environments. Prerequisite: AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate).

Exam facts

Vendor source — Microsoft Learn: Azure Solutions Architect Expert ↗

Official exam page — Exam AZ-305 ↗

Study guide — Study guide for Exam AZ-305 ↗

About

Introduced in 2022, AZ-305 validates expert-level skills in designing secure, scalable, and reliable solutions on Microsoft Azure for hybrid and cloud-native workloads. Holders advise stakeholders, translate business requirements into Azure architecture, and lead implementation across identity, governance, data platforms, and compute services. AZ-305 replaced older AZ-303 in 2022 and continues to evolve; the exam was most recently updated April 17, 2026. This is an expert-level credential requiring both technical depth (networking, security, data, DevOps, business continuity) and architectural decision-making acumen.

Domain context — Cloud Architecture

Hyperscale public cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI) with enterprise governance, identity, data integration, and multi-region resilience.

Read full deep dive — Microsoft Azure + M365 →

Topics covered

The exam blueprint breaks into four domains with published weights:

• Design Identity, Governance, and Monitoring Solutions (25–30%)

  • Access control using Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), role-based access control (RBAC), conditional access policies
  • Governance frameworks: Azure Policy, Management Groups, blueprints
  • Monitoring and observability: Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, alert design
  • Audit and compliance: Azure Audit, regulatory requirements

• Design Data Storage Solutions (25–30%)

  • Relational databases: Azure SQL Database, Azure Database for PostgreSQL/MySQL
  • NoSQL: Azure Cosmos DB, table storage, blob storage
  • Storage access tiers (hot, cool, archive) and redundancy (LRS, ZRS, GRS, GZRS)
  • Data encryption, backup, and disaster recovery for data platforms
  • Data migration strategies (cloud-native vs. lift-and-shift)

• Design Infrastructure Solutions (30–35%)

  • Compute: App Service, Azure Container Instances, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Functions, Virtual Machines
  • Networking: virtual networks (vNets), subnets, Network Security Groups (NSGs), Application Gateway, Azure Front Door, Traffic Manager
  • Load balancing and traffic management strategies
  • Private Link, service endpoints, and hybrid connectivity (ExpressRoute, VPN)
  • Migration strategies: Rehost, Refactor, Rearchitect, Repurchase

• Design Business Continuity Solutions (10–15%)

  • High availability: availability zones, redundancy across regions, active-active vs. active-passive
  • Disaster recovery: RTO/RPO targets, backup strategies, failover planning
  • Azure Site Recovery, Azure Backup, and recovery vaults
  • Business continuity frameworks and testing

Source: Official Exam Objectives ↗

Common skills at Cloud Architecture · Expert

Shared content for Cloud Architecture domain at Expert level — not specific to AZ-305.

• Design multi-region, multi-cloud, and hybrid architectures with clear trade-offs
• Translate business SLAs (availability, recovery time) into technical architecture
• Govern cost, compliance, and security across large estates
• Design for operational excellence (monitoring, alerting, incident response)
• Evaluate and recommend vendor technologies and services
• Document architecture decisions and communicate rationale to stakeholders
• Lead design reviews; validate architectural assumptions with proof-of-concepts

Recommended courses at Cloud Architecture · Expert

Course-selection rule: Each course listed is specifically for AZ-305. Microsoft Learn free courses are the official starting point; John Savill's Study Cram video is widely recommended as a high-level overview to connect domains; Pluralsight (Tim Warner) provides structured video lessons; CBT Nuggets and Coursera offer comprehensive prep paths.

Practice exams

Practice exam rule: MeasureUp is the official Microsoft-partnered practice platform and most closely simulates the real exam format (148 questions across two exam modes). Whizlabs includes hands-on labs and mock exams. ExamTopics provides community-sourced questions (free tier available but limited). Recommended: complete MeasureUp full exam at least once before the real exam to assess readiness.

Books

Book rule: Exam Ref AZ-305 is the current Microsoft Press study guide (published November 2022 for the AZ-305 exam). ISBN verified; available in print and eBook formats on Microsoft Press Store, Amazon, O'Reilly, and other retailers. No other dedicated book exists for AZ-305 at this time; this is the primary official textbook reference.

Typical job titles at Cloud Architecture · Expert

Azure Solutions Architect · Cloud Solutions Architect · Enterprise Azure Architect · Cloud Infrastructure Architect · Lead Cloud Architect · Senior Solutions Architect · Solutions Design Principal

(Job titles drawn from current job-board postings that list AZ-305 or Azure Solutions Architect Expert as required or preferred.)

Salary

Salary rule: USD figures from Glassdoor (median $229,192 with high variance depending on metro/seniority) and Ziprecruiter (25th–90th percentile). ZAR from PayScale and Glassdoor (entry-level ~R345k, mid-career with 5-9 years ~R750k+); variation reflects South African cost-of-living and enterprise cloud adoption. GBP from IT Jobs Watch (median £90,000 based on Q4 2025 – Q1 2026 job postings). Salaries vary by experience, region (LCOL vs. HCOL metros), certifications, and company size.

Skills validated

Cert-specific — what AZ-305 actually tests, distinct from shared Cloud Architecture skills.

• Azure identity and access management (Entra ID, RBAC, Conditional Access)
• Azure Policy, Management Groups, and governance frameworks
• Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and observability design
• Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB, and storage account design decisions
• Virtual networks, subnets, NSGs, and network security design
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and container platform architecture
• Application Gateway, Azure Front Door, and load balancing strategies
• Business continuity: Azure Site Recovery, Azure Backup, RTO/RPO targets
• Data encryption, hybrid connectivity (ExpressRoute, VPN), and migration strategies
• Cost optimization and resource governance in large Azure estates

Related certifications

• Prerequisite to: Must hold AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate) to earn full Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential; AZ-305 is the "expert" exam
• Stacks with: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) ↗ — technical foundation
• Career progression: AZ-305 often followed by Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203) or Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102) for specialization
• Equivalents at this level: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional · Google Cloud Architect Professional · HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (IaC specialization)
• Vendor overview: Microsoft Cloud Services Roadmap ↗

Sources

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Exam AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
• Study guide for Exam AZ-305
• AZ-305T00: Design Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions (official course)
• Design infrastructure solutions (learning path)
• Exam Ref AZ-305 (Microsoft Press)
• MeasureUp Practice Test AZ-305
• Whizlabs AZ-305 Practice Exams
• Pluralsight: AZ-305 (Tim Warner)
• John Savill's Technical Training - YouTube
• Coursera: Exam Prep AZ-305
• CBT Nuggets: AZ-305 Training
• Glassdoor: Azure Architect Salary
• Ziprecruiter: Azure Architect Salary
• PayScale: Cloud Solutions Architect (US)
• PayScale: Cloud Solutions Architect (South Africa)
• Glassdoor: Cloud Solution Architect (South Africa)
• IT Jobs Watch: Azure Architect (UK)
• Microsoft Learn: AZ-104 Prerequisites

Last verified: 2026-05-01

Parent ecosystem: Microsoft Azure + M365

Parent domain: Cloud Architecture

Vendor overview: Microsoft Cloud Services