An operations team must deploy 20 identical application VMs every sprint from source control and wants the deployment definition to be readable and repeatable. Which approach should they use?

Manually create each VM in the Azure portal

Manual portal deployment is not repeatable, is harder to review, and increases configuration drift.

Capture a screenshot of the portal settings for future reference

A screenshot documents settings but cannot deploy infrastructure or enforce consistency across runs.

Use Azure Policy to create the VMs automatically

Azure Policy can enforce settings, but it is not a deployment language for creating the VM topology.

What does this AZ-104 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use a Bicep template stored in source control — Bicep is the best choice because it lets the team describe the VM deployment in code, store it in source control, and redeploy the same configuration whenever needed. It is easier to read than raw ARM JSON and is designed for repeatable Azure provisioning. That makes it ideal for monthly or sprint-based deployments that must be consistent and reviewable. Why others are wrong: Manual portal creation is slow and error-prone, especially when the same build must be repeated many times. A screenshot is only documentation and cannot deploy resources. Azure Policy is useful for governance and compliance, but it does not define or create the VM deployment itself.

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

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.