- A
Use Azure Container Instances for the workload.
Correct. ACI is designed for short-lived container runs without managing hosts or clusters.
- B
Set the container group's restart policy to Never.
Correct. A one-shot workload should stop after completion instead of restarting like a service.
- C
Create an App Service plan with deployment slots.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Deployment slots are an App Service feature for web app deployments, not batch containers.
- D
Use a virtual machine scale set to host the container.
Why wrong: Incorrect. VM scale sets still require VM management, which the requirement explicitly wants to avoid.
- E
Place the workload in an availability set for host protection.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Availability sets provide VM resilience, but they do not remove server management overhead.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 build pipeline starts a Linux container once per request. Each run lasts about 12 minutes, never needs inbound connections, and should not leave an always-on server running afterward. Which two configuration choices best fit Azure Container Instances? Select two.
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue:
"always"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
Clue:
"never"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
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
Use Azure Container Instances for the workload.
Azure Container Instances (ACI) is the correct choice because it is a serverless container platform that starts containers on demand, runs them for the duration of the workload (here ~12 minutes), and automatically stops and deallocates resources when the container exits. It requires no always-on infrastructure, supports Linux containers, and does not need inbound connections, making it ideal for ephemeral build pipeline tasks.
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.
- ✓
Use Azure Container Instances for the workload.
Why this is correct
Correct. ACI is designed for short-lived container runs without managing hosts or clusters.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "always", "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Set the container group's restart policy to Never.
Why this is correct
Correct. A one-shot workload should stop after completion instead of restarting like a service.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "always", "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create an App Service plan with deployment slots.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Deployment slots are an App Service feature for web app deployments, not batch containers.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where a web application needs zero-downtime deployments, staging environments, and automatic scaling based on HTTP traffic, with the requirement to swap traffic between slots for testing before production release.
- ✗
Use a virtual machine scale set to host the container.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. VM scale sets still require VM management, which the requirement explicitly wants to avoid.
When this WOULD be correct
A question requiring a scalable, long-running containerized application that needs to handle variable traffic, with the ability to auto-scale based on demand, and where containers run continuously rather than per-request. For example: 'You need to deploy a web API that scales out during peak hours and runs 24/7.'
- ✗
Place the workload in an availability set for host protection.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Availability sets provide VM resilience, but they do not remove server management overhead.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'You need to ensure that a two-tier application hosted on two VMs remains available during planned maintenance. Which configuration should you use?' In that scenario, placing the VMs in an availability set would be correct to guarantee at least one VM is running during updates.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Use Azure Container Instances for the workload.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Correct. ACI is designed for short-lived container runs without managing hosts or clusters.
✗Create an App Service plan with deployment slots.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
App Service with deployment slots is designed for web apps requiring continuous availability and scaling, not for short-lived, per-request container runs that should not leave a server running. It incurs ongoing costs and management overhead unsuitable for this batch-like workload.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where a web application needs zero-downtime deployments, staging environments, and automatic scaling based on HTTP traffic, with the requirement to swap traffic between slots for testing before production release.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Azure Container Instances with App Service's container support, or think deployment slots provide a way to handle per-request isolation, not realizing slots are for deployment management, not per-request lifecycle.
✗Use a virtual machine scale set to host the container.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A virtual machine scale set (VMSS) is designed for long-running, scalable workloads that require persistent infrastructure. The workload described is short-lived (12 minutes), needs no inbound connections, and should not leave a server running afterward, making VMSS overkill and cost-inefficient compared to Azure Container Instances.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question requiring a scalable, long-running containerized application that needs to handle variable traffic, with the ability to auto-scale based on demand, and where containers run continuously rather than per-request. For example: 'You need to deploy a web API that scales out during peak hours and runs 24/7.'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may associate containers with VMSS because both can run containers and scale, but they overlook the ephemeral, per-request nature of the workload and the cost implications of always-on VMs.
✗Place the workload in an availability set for host protection.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Availability sets are a feature of Azure virtual machines, not containers, and they provide high availability for VMs by distributing them across fault and update domains. They do not apply to Azure Container Instances, which are serverless and have no concept of availability sets.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'You need to ensure that a two-tier application hosted on two VMs remains available during planned maintenance. Which configuration should you use?' In that scenario, placing the VMs in an availability set would be correct to guarantee at least one VM is running during updates.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse availability sets with high-availability features for containers, or think that any Azure workload needs an availability set for protection, not realizing that ACI provides built-in fault tolerance without such configuration.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Azure Container Instances with always-on services like App Service or VM-based solutions, failing to recognize that ACI's 'Never' restart policy perfectly matches the requirement for a single-run, ephemeral workload that leaves no server running afterward.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Container Instances uses a hypervisor-level isolation layer to run containers directly on Azure infrastructure without managing VMs. When the restart policy is set to 'Never', the container group runs exactly once and transitions to a 'Stopped' state after the container exits, ensuring no residual compute costs. The container's lifecycle is fully managed by the Azure Container Group API, which handles image pull, resource allocation, and cleanup, making it suitable for CI/CD pipeline tasks that require isolated, short-lived execution.
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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.
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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: Use Azure Container Instances for the workload. — Azure Container Instances (ACI) is the correct choice because it is a serverless container platform that starts containers on demand, runs them for the duration of the workload (here ~12 minutes), and automatically stops and deallocates resources when the container exits. It requires no always-on infrastructure, supports Linux containers, and does not need inbound connections, making it ideal for ephemeral build pipeline tasks.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "always", "never". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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