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220-1201 Practice Question: A company uses a PaaS provider to deploy a custom…
A company uses a PaaS provider to deploy a custom web application. After an update, the application fails to start. The developer checks the code and finds no errors. What is the most likely cause of the failure?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The PaaS provider updated the runtime environment, breaking compatibility
In PaaS, the provider manages the runtime environment, including dependencies and configuration. An update may have changed the underlying platform (e.g., runtime version, library) that the application relies on, causing incompatibility. The developer's code is fine, so the issue is environmental.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The developer's local machine has a different operating system
Why it's wrong here
The developer's local machine operating system is largely irrelevant to the deployment process on a Platform as a Service (PaaS) provider. PaaS abstracts the underlying infrastructure, including the operating system and runtime environment, providing a standardized platform for application execution. The application code is deployed to this cloud-managed environment, which operates independently of the developer's specific local development setup, ensuring consistency regardless of the local OS.
- ✓
The PaaS provider updated the runtime environment, breaking compatibility
Why this is correct
PaaS providers are responsible for managing and maintaining the runtime environment, which includes programming language versions, libraries, and middleware. An unannounced or mandatory update to this environment by the provider, such as upgrading from Python 3.8 to 3.9 or updating a critical dependency, can introduce breaking changes. If the deployed application's code is not compatible with the new runtime version or its updated dependencies, it will fail to start or function correctly, even without any changes to the application code itself.
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The application's database connection string is incorrect
Why it's wrong here
An incorrect database connection string would typically manifest as a runtime error, not a deployment failure. The application would successfully deploy and attempt to start within the PaaS environment. However, when it tries to establish a connection to the database, it would encounter errors like "connection refused," "authentication failed," or "database not found." This issue occurs *after* the application's initial startup sequence, indicating a configuration problem rather than a fundamental incompatibility with the PaaS runtime or a deployment blockage.
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The cloud provider's physical server has a hardware fault
Why it's wrong here
PaaS providers build their services on highly redundant and fault-tolerant infrastructure. If a physical server experiences a hardware fault, the underlying cloud platform is designed to automatically detect the issue and migrate or restart affected application instances on healthy hardware. This process is typically seamless and transparent to the PaaS user. A single hardware fault would not cause a specific application to fail deployment while other services remain operational, as the platform's resilience mechanisms would prevent such an isolated, unmitigated failure.
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Network Configuration: IP, DNS, DHCP
Key term
Anything As A Service
A model where you rent any IT resource or service over the internet instead of owning it.
Key term
PaaS
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides a managed platform for developers to build, run, and manage applications without dealing with the underlying infrastructure.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.