Quick Answer
The answer is rehost, also known as lift-and-shift migration, because it moves an on-premises web application to the cloud with minimal code changes, directly reducing risk. By migrating existing virtual machines or physical servers to cloud instances—such as AWS EC2 or Azure VMs—without altering the application architecture, the company preserves its current codebase and operational behavior, avoiding the complexity and potential errors of rewriting or refactoring. On the CompTIA Cloud+ CV0-004 exam, this strategy tests your understanding of deployment models under the “Migration” domain, where a common trap is confusing rehost with replatform (which involves minor optimizations) or refactor (which rewrites code). A reliable memory tip: think “lift-and-shift” as moving a box from one shelf to another—you don’t open or repack it, just relocate it as-is.
This CV0-004 practice question tests your understanding of deployment. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company wants to move its on-premises web application to the cloud with minimal code changes to reduce risk. Which deployment strategy is most appropriate?
Refactor
Why wrong: Refactor requires rewriting the application for cloud-native features.
Rehost
Rehost moves the application as-is, minimizing code changes.
Replatform
Why wrong: Replatform involves some code changes to leverage cloud services.
Rebuild
Why wrong: Rebuild means completely redesigning the application.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Rehost
The Rehost (lift-and-shift) strategy is most appropriate because it moves the on-premises web application to the cloud with minimal code changes, directly reducing risk. By migrating the existing virtual machines or physical servers to cloud instances (e.g., AWS EC2 or Azure VMs) without modifying the application architecture, the company preserves the current codebase and operational behavior. This approach avoids the complexity and potential errors associated with rewriting or refactoring code, making it the safest choice for a risk-averse migration.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Refactor
Why it's wrong here
Refactor requires rewriting the application for cloud-native features.
Rehost
Why this is correct
Rehost moves the application as-is, minimizing code changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Replatform
Why it's wrong here
Replatform involves some code changes to leverage cloud services.
Rebuild
Why it's wrong here
Rebuild means completely redesigning the application.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'Replatform' with 'Rehost' because both involve moving to the cloud, but Replatform requires code changes to leverage managed services (e.g., replacing a self-managed database with Amazon RDS), which increases risk and violates the 'minimal code changes' constraint.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, a Rehost migration typically uses tools like AWS VM Import/Export or Azure Migrate to convert on-premises VM disk images (e.g., VMDK or VHD) into cloud instances, preserving the OS, applications, and configurations. This strategy relies on the cloud provider's hypervisor compatibility (e.g., KVM for AWS Nitro) to run the unmodified workload, but it may require adjusting networking (e.g., reconfiguring VPNs or security groups) to handle cloud-specific IP ranges and DNS resolution. A real-world scenario where this matters is migrating a legacy Windows Server 2008 web app to AWS EC2, where the application's hardcoded IP addresses or domain-joined dependencies must be updated via scripts, but the core code remains untouched.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CV0-004 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Deployment — This question tests Deployment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Rehost — The Rehost (lift-and-shift) strategy is most appropriate because it moves the on-premises web application to the cloud with minimal code changes, directly reducing risk. By migrating the existing virtual machines or physical servers to cloud instances (e.g., AWS EC2 or Azure VMs) without modifying the application architecture, the company preserves the current codebase and operational behavior. This approach avoids the complexity and potential errors associated with rewriting or refactoring code, making it the safest choice for a risk-averse migration.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This CV0-004 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 CV0-004 exam.
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