FC0-U71 Tech Concepts and Terminology Practice Question
Which cloud service model provides the customer with the ability to run and manage applications on a cloud infrastructure but does NOT give control over the underlying operating system?
⚠ Common exam trap
FC0-U71 often tests the boundary between PaaS and IaaS by emphasizing 'does not control the operating system'; candidates who focus only on 'run and manage applications' may incorrectly choose IaaS, forgetting that IaaS does give OS control.
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
✓
PaaS
PaaS (Platform as a Service) provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure. The customer controls the deployed applications and possibly configuration settings for the application-hosting environment, but does not manage the operating system, servers, or virtualization. This matches the question's requirement exactly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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SaaS
Why it's wrong here
SaaS delivers a finished application the customer merely consumes, so the customer cannot run and manage their own applications on the infrastructure. It is tempting because it also withholds operating system control, but PaaS is the model that provides a managed runtime for deploying custom applications.
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PaaS
Why this is correct
PaaS delivers managed runtime, middleware and OS patching, so the customer deploys code without controlling the underlying operating system — exactly the constraint the stem requires. Unlike IaaS, which grants OS-level administrative access, PaaS abstracts that layer entirely, leaving only application and configuration management to the customer.
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DaaS
Why it's wrong here
DaaS delivers a virtual desktop to end users; it is not an application-hosting service model and grants no application runtime management. It is tempting because it is a genuine cloud-delivered service, but it provides desktops rather than the managed application platform the scenario describes.
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IaaS
Why it's wrong here
IaaS gives the customer control of the operating system, patching and middleware, so it fails the no-OS-control requirement. It is tempting because customers do run and manage applications on IaaS infrastructure, but that model exposes the OS layer rather than abstracting it away as PaaS does.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This FC0-U71 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 FC0-U71 exam.