- A
Always
Why wrong: Always restarts the container regardless of success or failure. That would cause a completed import job to start again even after successful completion, which is not the requirement.
- B
Never
Why wrong: Never prevents any restart behavior. That means a failed job would not retry automatically, which conflicts with the requirement to restart on failure.
- C
OnFailure
OnFailure matches a batch-style workload that should retry after an error but remain stopped after a successful run. It allows the container group to restart when the process exits unsuccessfully while avoiding unnecessary reruns after completion.
- D
Manual
Why wrong: Manual is not the standard ACI restart policy for an unattended job. It would leave the workload dependent on operator action instead of automatically retrying on failure.
Quick Answer
The answer is OnFailure. This restart policy is correct because it instructs Azure Container Instances to restart the container only when the process exits with a non-zero exit code, indicating a failure, while leaving the container permanently stopped on a successful exit code of zero. For a one-time import job that must retry automatically on failure but never restart after success, OnFailure provides the exact behavior without unnecessary restarts. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the three ACI restart policies—Always, Never, and OnFailure—and the common trap is confusing OnFailure with Always, which would restart even after success. A reliable memory tip is to think of OnFailure as “fail and retry, succeed and stay,” where a zero exit code means the job is done and the container rests.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 container group runs a one-time import job that writes data to an external system. If the job succeeds, the container must stop and stay stopped. If the job fails, it should automatically retry by restarting. Which restart policy should the administrator choose?
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
OnFailure
The OnFailure restart policy is correct because it instructs Azure Container Instances (ACI) to restart the container only when the process exits with a non-zero exit code, indicating failure. For a one-time import job that must stop permanently on success (exit code 0) and retry on failure, OnFailure matches this exact behavior without unnecessary restarts.
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.
- ✗
Always
Why it's wrong here
Always restarts the container regardless of success or failure. That would cause a completed import job to start again even after successful completion, which is not the requirement.
- ✗
Never
Why it's wrong here
Never prevents any restart behavior. That means a failed job would not retry automatically, which conflicts with the requirement to restart on failure.
- ✓
OnFailure
Why this is correct
OnFailure matches a batch-style workload that should retry after an error but remain stopped after a successful run. It allows the container group to restart when the process exits unsuccessfully while avoiding unnecessary reruns after completion.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Manual
Why it's wrong here
Manual is not the standard ACI restart policy for an unattended job. It would leave the workload dependent on operator action instead of automatically retrying on failure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'OnFailure' with 'Always' for retry scenarios, not realizing that 'Always' restarts even after success, which would break the 'stop on success' requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, ACI evaluates the container's exit code against the restart policy: exit code 0 triggers no restart under OnFailure, while any non-zero exit code triggers a restart with exponential backoff (up to 5 retries by default). In real-world scenarios, this policy is ideal for batch jobs or ETL processes where idempotency is ensured, as it avoids infinite loops from successful runs while providing automatic fault recovery.
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
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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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Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — study guide chapter
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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: OnFailure — The OnFailure restart policy is correct because it instructs Azure Container Instances (ACI) to restart the container only when the process exits with a non-zero exit code, indicating failure. For a one-time import job that must stop permanently on success (exit code 0) and retry on failure, OnFailure matches this exact behavior without unnecessary restarts.
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 →
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. A container group runs a one-time import task and should stop after the task completes successfully. Which restart policy should you use?
easy- A.Always
- B.OnFailure
- ✓ C.Never
- D.Manual
Why C: The 'Never' restart policy is correct because the container group is designed to run a one-time import task and should stop after successful completion. In Azure Container Instances (ACI), the 'Never' policy ensures the container runs exactly once and does not restart, regardless of the exit code. This is ideal for batch jobs or import tasks that should not be retried automatically.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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