Question 554 of 1,170

Deploy and Manage Azure Compute →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct approach is a Bicep template stored in source control, because Bicep is a domain-specific language that deploys Azure resources declaratively, ensuring that the same parameters always produce identical infrastructure. By keeping the template in source control, every change is tracked through commit history and pull requests, making the deployment both repeatable and fully reviewable. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles versus manual or scripted methods—a common trap is choosing Azure PowerShell or CLI scripts, which are procedural and harder to audit for consistency. Remember that Bicep’s declarative nature aligns with source control’s versioning to enforce repeatability, while imperative scripts often introduce drift. A quick memory tip: “Bicep in Git means repeatable and legit.”

AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question

This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. 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 platform team must deploy the same group of Azure VMs every month from source control and wants the deployment to be repeatable and reviewable. Which approach should they use?

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A
Manual portal deployment each month
Why wrong: Manual portal deployment is hard to repeat exactly and is difficult to review in source control. It increases the chance of human error and makes it harder to track changes over time. It does not satisfy the requirement for consistent, versioned deployments.
B
A Bicep template in source control
Bicep is an infrastructure-as-code language that is concise, readable, and well suited for Azure deployments. Storing the template in source control makes the deployment repeatable, auditable, and easy to modify over time. It is a strong choice when the team wants the same VM deployment every month.
C
A temporary virtual machine snapshot
Why wrong: A snapshot captures disk state for restore purposes, but it does not define or automate a repeatable deployment process. It is useful for backup and recovery, not for creating standardized infrastructure from source control each month.
D
A network security group rule collection
Why wrong: An NSG rule collection controls network traffic, not infrastructure deployment. It cannot create VMs or describe the full set of Azure resources needed for a repeatable build. It is unrelated to infrastructure-as-code deployment workflows.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

A Bicep template in source control

Bicep is a domain-specific language (DSL) for deploying Azure resources declaratively. Storing a Bicep template in source control ensures the VM deployment is repeatable (same parameters produce identical infrastructure) and reviewable (changes are tracked via pull requests and commit history), meeting the team's requirements for infrastructure as code (IaC).

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
Manual portal deployment each month
Why it's wrong here
Manual portal deployment is hard to repeat exactly and is difficult to review in source control. It increases the chance of human error and makes it harder to track changes over time. It does not satisfy the requirement for consistent, versioned deployments.
✓
A Bicep template in source control
Why this is correct
Bicep is an infrastructure-as-code language that is concise, readable, and well suited for Azure deployments. Storing the template in source control makes the deployment repeatable, auditable, and easy to modify over time. It is a strong choice when the team wants the same VM deployment every month.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A temporary virtual machine snapshot
Why it's wrong here
A snapshot captures disk state for restore purposes, but it does not define or automate a repeatable deployment process. It is useful for backup and recovery, not for creating standardized infrastructure from source control each month.
✗
A network security group rule collection
Why it's wrong here
An NSG rule collection controls network traffic, not infrastructure deployment. It cannot create VMs or describe the full set of Azure resources needed for a repeatable build. It is unrelated to infrastructure-as-code deployment workflows.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may confuse a VM snapshot (a backup artifact) with a deployment template, or think manual portal steps can be 'repeatable' if documented, but Azure explicitly tests the concept that only IaC (Bicep/ARM) ensures true repeatability and auditability from source control.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Bicep templates are transpiled into Azure Resource Manager (ARM) JSON templates, which are idempotent — deploying the same template multiple times results in the same resource state unless parameters change. Under the hood, Bicep uses declarative syntax to define resources like 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines', and source control integration (e.g., Git) enables CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps) to automate deployments with rollback capabilities via commit history.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Related AZ-104 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Manage Azure Identities and Governance practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Manage Azure Identities and Governance.

Implement and Manage Storage practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Storage.

Deploy and Manage Azure Compute practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Deploy and Manage Azure Compute.

Implement and Manage Virtual Networking practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Virtual Networking.

Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources.

AZ-104 Azure RBAC practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure RBAC.

AZ-104 storage account practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 storage account.

AZ-104 virtual network practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 virtual network.

AZ-104 NSG practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 NSG.

AZ-104 Azure Monitor practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure Monitor.

AZ-104 backup practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 backup.

AZ-104 managed identity practice questions

Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 managed identity.

Practice this exam

Start a free AZ-104 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

AZ-104 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this AZ-104 question test?

Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — This question tests Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: A Bicep template in source control — Bicep is a domain-specific language (DSL) for deploying Azure resources declaratively. Storing a Bicep template in source control ensures the VM deployment is repeatable (same parameters produce identical infrastructure) and reviewable (changes are tracked via pull requests and commit history), meeting the team's requirements for infrastructure as code (IaC).

What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on AZ-104

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. An operations team wants to deploy the same set of Azure VMs every month from source control. The deployment should be readable, repeatable, and stored as code. What should they use?

easy

✓ A.Bicep template
B.Manual portal deployment
C.Azure Advisor recommendation
D.Azure Resource Explorer

Why A: Bicep is a domain-specific language (DSL) that uses declarative syntax to deploy Azure resources as code. It provides readability, repeatability, and version control integration, making it ideal for deploying the same set of VMs monthly from source control. Unlike ARM templates, Bicep offers cleaner syntax and modularity, but both are valid infrastructure-as-code solutions.

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 AZ-104 exam.