AZ-204 Develop Azure compute solutions Practice Test 17 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are developing a solution that uses Azure Container Instances (ACI) to run a batch processing job. The job runs for approximately 30 minutes and requires access to a configuration file stored in Azure Files. You need to ensure the container instance can access the file share securely without using a public endpoint. Which TWO actions should you take?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Mount the Azure Files share using the storage account name and key.. Mounting an Azure Files share using the storage account name and key is a supported method in Azure Container Instances. This approach uses the SMB protocol to directly attach the file share to the container, providing access to the configuration file without requiring a public endpoint. The storage account key is passed securely as part of the container group configuration, and the mount is handled internally within the Azure infrastructure.

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Use a managed identity assigned to the container group to authenticate to the storage account.

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Use a shared access signature (SAS) token to mount the file share.

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Enable the storage account's firewall to allow access from the container group's public IP.

Question 2

You are creating an Azure Functions app that uses a Blob Storage trigger to process new files. The function must process files only when they are completely written (i.e., no ongoing writes). You need to avoid processing partially written files. Which TWO configurations should you consider?

Accepted Answer

Check the blob's 'LastModified' timestamp in the function code to verify no recent changes.. Checking the blob's 'LastModified' timestamp in the function code allows you to verify that no recent writes have occurred. By comparing the timestamp to the current time and adding a delay, you can ensure the file is complete before processing. Option C is correct because a timer-triggered function can periodically list blobs and check for a stable size (unchanged over a period) to determine if the blob is fully written. This avoids the trigger firing on partially written files. Options D and E are incorrect because 'LeaseBlob' and 'ScanBlob' are not valid properties of the Azure Functions Blob trigger binding. The recommended approach is to manually acquire a lease inside the function code, which is not explicitly listed as an option here.

Answer

Increase the 'BatchSize' to reduce the frequency of trigger evaluations.

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Use the 'BlobTrigger' with the 'LeaseBlob' property set to 'True'.

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Set the 'ScanBlob' property to 'True' in the trigger binding.

Question 3

Your company develops a microservices-based application deployed on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). One of the microservices is a web API that processes user uploads and stores them in Azure Blob Storage. The API is stateless and scales horizontally. You need to implement authentication and authorization for the API using Microsoft Entra ID. The API should validate tokens issued by Entra ID and allow only users with the 'Files.Upload' scope. You need to configure the API's code and AKS deployment accordingly. Which approach should you use?

Accepted Answer

Use Azure AD pod identity in AKS to assign a managed identity to the pod, and implement token validation in the API code using the Microsoft.Identity.Web library.. Azure AD pod identity allows you to assign a managed identity to the pod, which the API can use to authenticate with Microsoft Entra ID. The Microsoft.Identity.Web library simplifies token validation and scope checking in ASP.NET Core applications, enabling the API to validate tokens issued by Entra ID and enforce the 'Files.Upload' scope. This approach aligns with the stateless, horizontally scalable nature of the microservice and avoids managing secrets.

Answer

Store the storage account access keys in the API configuration and validate requests using shared access signatures.

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Configure the API to use client certificate authentication instead of tokens.

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Expose the API through Azure API Management (APIM) and configure APIM to validate tokens and check scope.

Question 4

You are designing a serverless application using Azure Functions that processes high-volume events from Azure Event Hubs. The events are then written to Azure Cosmos DB. The function must guarantee at-least-once delivery and be resilient to failures. The Cosmos DB account uses the SQL API and is configured with a single write region. You need to design the function to handle transient failures when writing to Cosmos DB without losing events. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Use the Cosmos DB output binding with built-in retry policy and configure the trigger to checkpoint only after successful writes.. Using the Cosmos DB output binding with its built-in retry policy automatically handles transient failures by retrying writes. By configuring the Event Hubs trigger to checkpoint only after a successful write, you ensure that events are not acknowledged until they are durably stored in Cosmos DB, guaranteeing at-least-once delivery and resilience to failures.

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Increase the Event Hubs trigger's batch size to reduce the number of writes.

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Implement a poison message queue to store failed events and reprocess them later.

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In the function code, manually write to Cosmos DB and then manually checkpoint the Event Hubs partition.

Question 5

Your company runs a web application on Azure App Service that uses a custom domain. The application must be accessible only via HTTPS. You have already uploaded an SSL certificate for the custom domain. However, users can still access the site via HTTP. You need to enforce HTTPS redirection. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Enable the 'HTTPS Only' setting in the App Service's TLS/SSL settings blade.. The 'HTTPS Only' setting in the App Service's TLS/SSL settings blade enforces that all incoming requests are redirected from HTTP to HTTPS at the platform level, before any application code runs. Since you have already uploaded an SSL certificate, enabling this setting ensures that users cannot access the site via HTTP, meeting the requirement without modifying application code.

Answer

Set the 'Minimum TLS Version' to 1.2.

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Add a rewrite rule in the web.config file to redirect HTTP to HTTPS.

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Configure the App Service to require client certificates.

Question 6

You are deploying a containerized application on Azure Container Instances (ACI) that needs to run as a background job every hour. The job processes data from an Azure SQL Database and sends a report via email. You need to minimize costs while ensuring the job runs reliably on schedule. The job takes about 10 minutes to complete. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Create an Azure Logic App with a recurrence trigger that starts the container group using the 'Start Container Group' action, and stop it after completion.. It uses Azure Logic Apps with a recurrence trigger to start the container group only when needed, and stops it after the job completes. This minimizes costs by avoiding continuous running charges for the container, while the Logic App itself incurs minimal execution cost. The job's 10-minute duration fits well within the 1-hour recurrence window, ensuring reliable scheduling without idle compute time.

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Use Azure Batch with a job schedule to run the container as a task.

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Deploy the container on a single Azure virtual machine and schedule it using Windows Task Scheduler.

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Use an Azure Function with a timer trigger that uses the Azure Container Instances SDK to start the container group.

Question 7

Your company uses Azure App Service to host a web application that requires periodic database maintenance. The maintenance tasks are time-consuming and must run outside of peak hours. You need to schedule these tasks to run automatically at 2:00 AM every Sunday. The tasks should be implemented as an Azure Function that runs in the same App Service plan to reduce costs. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Create a separate Azure Function App in the same App Service plan and configure a timer trigger.. Creating a separate Azure Function App and hosting it on the *same existing dedicated App Service Plan* (e.g., Basic, Standard, Premium) allows the Azure Function to run using the existing compute resources. This directly meets the requirement to run in the 'same App Service plan to reduce costs' by leveraging existing infrastructure. A timer trigger is the appropriate mechanism to schedule the function to run automatically at 2:00 AM every Sunday. This option also fulfills the requirement that the tasks 'should be implemented as an Azure Function'.

Option A is incorrect because deploying to a Consumption plan would create a *separate* Function App resource with a serverless billing model, which does not align with the 'in the same App Service plan' requirement for cost reduction in the context of an existing dedicated App Service plan.

Option C is incorrect because, while WebJobs are suitable for background tasks and can share an App Service plan, they are not Azure Functions. The STEM explicitly requires the tasks to be implemented as an Azure Function.

Option D is incorrect because Azure Logic Apps are a separate service, incurring separate costs, and do not fulfill the requirement to implement the task 'as an Azure Function' and run it 'in the same App Service plan' for cost reduction.

Answer

Deploy the maintenance code as an Azure Function in the Consumption plan and configure a timer trigger.

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Add a WebJob to the App Service that uses a scheduled trigger to run the maintenance code.

Answer

Use Azure Logic Apps with a recurrence trigger to call the web application's maintenance endpoint.

Question 8

You are developing a solution that processes messages from an Azure Storage Queue. Each message triggers a long-running operation that may take up to 30 minutes. You need to ensure that if the processing fails, the message is not lost and can be retried later. The current implementation uses a console application that polls the queue and deletes messages after processing. What should you change?

Accepted Answer

After processing fails, update the message's visibility timeout to a later time so it becomes visible again for retry.. The correct approach is to update the message's visibility timeout to a later time when processing fails. This makes the message reappear in the queue after the specified timeout, allowing another consumer to retry processing. Azure Storage Queue messages have a default visibility timeout of 30 seconds, but you can extend it to up to 7 days. This ensures the message is not lost and can be retried without being deleted or moved prematurely.

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Move the message to a poison queue after the first failure.

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Increase the polling interval to reduce the chance of missing messages.

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Delete the message only if processing succeeds; otherwise, leave it in the queue.

Question 9

Your company is migrating a legacy on-premises .NET Framework 4.7.2 web application to Azure. The application uses session state stored in-memory and reads/writes to a local SQL Server database. The migration must minimize code changes, support auto-scaling, and handle session state across multiple instances. You plan to use Azure App Service with Windows OS. You need to recommend a solution for session state storage and database connectivity. Which option should you choose?

Accepted Answer

Use Azure Cache for Redis as the session state provider via the RedisSessionStateProvider NuGet package, and configure the database connection string in Azure App Service App Settings.. Azure Cache for Redis provides a distributed, in-memory session state provider that supports session state sharing across multiple App Service instances without requiring code changes to the application logic. The RedisSessionStateProvider NuGet package is a drop-in replacement for the default in-memory provider, and configuring the database connection string in App Settings allows you to change the target without modifying web.config, minimizing migration effort.

Answer

Store session state in Azure Table Storage using a custom session state provider, and use a connection string for Azure SQL Database.

Answer

Configure session state using Azure SQL Database with a session state database, and update the connection string in web.config.

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Use App Service's built-in session state with ARR affinity and connect to Azure SQL Database using Managed Identity.

Question 10

You are developing a containerized application that will be deployed to Azure Container Instances (ACI). The application consists of a web front-end and a background worker that processes messages from an Azure Storage Queue. You need to ensure that the worker container runs continuously and processes messages as they arrive. The solution must minimize cost and management overhead. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Deploy the worker as a container group in ACI with the restart policy set to Always.. ACI with a restart policy of Always ensures the worker container restarts immediately after it finishes processing a message, allowing it to continuously poll the Azure Storage Queue for new messages. This minimizes cost by using a serverless container model without provisioning VMs or managing orchestration, and it reduces management overhead compared to alternatives like Azure virtual machines.

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Use Azure Container Apps with a scale rule that triggers on queue length.

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Run the worker inside an Azure virtual machine with a container runtime.

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Deploy the worker as a container in ACI with the restart policy set to OnFailure.

Question 11

Your company is developing a real-time dashboard that displays live metrics from IoT devices. The backend processes device data using Azure Functions with an Event Hubs trigger. The processed data is stored in Azure Cosmos DB. You need to ensure that the system can handle a sudden increase in device data without losing messages or overloading Cosmos DB. The solution must minimize latency and cost. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Implement a buffer using Azure Blob storage: the Event Hubs triggered function writes raw data to blobs, and a separate timer-triggered function batches and writes to Cosmos DB at a controlled rate.. It decouples the ingestion rate from the write rate to Cosmos DB. By buffering raw data in Azure Blob storage and using a timer-triggered function to batch-write at a controlled rate, the system can absorb sudden spikes in device data without overwhelming Cosmos DB or losing messages. This approach minimizes latency by keeping the Event Hubs trigger processing fast (writing to blob) and reduces cost by avoiding the need to over-provision RU/s on Cosmos DB.

Answer

Configure the Event Hubs trigger to use a checkpointing strategy with a larger batch size to reduce the number of function invocations.

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Use Azure Stream Analytics to process the Event Hubs data and write directly to Cosmos DB.

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Increase the provisioned throughput (RU/s) on the Cosmos DB container to handle peak loads.

Question 12

You are developing a web app that processes images uploaded by users. The processing can take up to 30 seconds per image. You need to ensure that the web app remains responsive and can handle spikes in traffic. Which Azure service should you use to offload the image processing?

Accepted Answer

Azure Queue Storage. Azure Queue Storage is correct because it provides a durable, asynchronous message queue that can decouple the web app's frontend from the long-running image processing task. By placing a message for each image onto a queue, the web app can immediately return a response to the user, while a background worker (e.g., an Azure Function or WebJob) polls the queue and processes images as capacity allows. This pattern ensures the web app remains responsive under traffic spikes, as the queue acts as a buffer that scales independently.

Answer

Azure Cosmos DB

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Azure Event Grid

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Azure SignalR Service

Question 13

You are deploying a containerized application to Azure Container Instances. The application must restart automatically if it crashes. You set the restart policy to 'Always'. However, the container keeps restarting continuously even when there is no crash. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The application inside the container exits with a non-zero exit code on startup.. The 'Always' restart policy in Azure Container Instances restarts the container whenever it stops, regardless of the exit code. If the application exits with a non-zero exit code on startup (e.g., due to a configuration error or missing dependency), the container will stop immediately, triggering an infinite restart loop. This is the most likely cause because the container is not crashing due to external factors but rather failing during its initialization phase.

Answer

The container is configured with an Azure Files volume that is not accessible.

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The container is trying to bind to a port that is already in use on the host.

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The container is exceeding the allocated CPU or memory limits.

Question 14

Your company is migrating a monolithic application to Azure. The application consists of several components that need to be deployed and scaled independently. You need to design a container orchestration solution. Which TWO services should you consider?

Accepted Answer

Azure Container Apps. Azure Container Apps (B) is correct because it provides a serverless container orchestration platform that allows you to deploy and scale microservices independently without managing the underlying Kubernetes infrastructure. It supports event-driven scaling, revision management, and split traffic routing, making it ideal for migrating monolithic applications to a microservices architecture with minimal operational overhead.

Answer

Azure Container Instances

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Azure Batch

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Azure Service Fabric

Question 15

Refer to the exhibit. You deploy this ARM template to create an Azure App Service. After deployment, the application stops responding after a few minutes. The application is a .NET 6 web API that runs in a Linux container. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The 'alwaysOn' setting is enabled but the App Service plan is on a tier that does not support Always On.. The 'alwaysOn' setting keeps the app loaded even after periods of inactivity, but it is only supported on Basic, Standard, Premium, and Isolated tiers. If the App Service plan is on a Free or Shared tier, enabling 'alwaysOn' causes the app to stop responding after a few minutes because the platform forcibly unloads idle apps, leading to timeouts or crashes.

Answer

The ARM template is missing the 'dependsOn' element.

Answer

The 'linuxFxVersion' is set incorrectly for .NET 6.

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The 'WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE' app setting is incorrectly set to '1'.