- A
LRS
LRS provides local redundancy within a single datacenter at the lowest cost.
- B
ZRS
Why wrong: ZRS protects against availability zone failure and costs more than LRS.
- C
GRS
Why wrong: GRS adds geo-replication to a secondary region.
- D
GZRS
Why wrong: GZRS provides both zone and geo redundancy, which exceeds the requirement.
Question 534 of 1,170
LRS: Protect Against Local Hardware Failure at Lowest Cost
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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.
You need to choose a storage redundancy option that provides the lowest cost and protects data against local hardware failure within a single datacenter only. Which redundancy option should you select?
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
✓
LRS
LRS (Locally Redundant Storage) replicates data three times within a single datacenter (or availability zone) in the same region, protecting against local hardware failures such as disk or server crashes. It is the lowest-cost redundancy option because it does not incur the additional replication costs of cross-zone or cross-region copying. This meets the requirement of protecting data against local hardware failure within a single datacenter only.
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.
- ✓
LRS
Why this is correct
LRS provides local redundancy within a single datacenter at the lowest cost.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
ZRS
Why it's wrong here
ZRS protects against availability zone failure and costs more than LRS.
When this WOULD be correct
A question requiring data protection against an entire datacenter failure (e.g., due to fire or flooding) within a region, while still keeping costs lower than geo-redundant options. For example: 'You need to ensure data remains available if a single datacenter fails, but you do not need cross-region replication. Which redundancy option should you select?'
- ✗
GRS
Why it's wrong here
GRS adds geo-replication to a secondary region.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that requires data to be durable even if an entire datacenter fails, and cost is not the primary concern. For example: 'You need to ensure data survives a regional outage with synchronous replication within the primary region and asynchronous replication to another region.'
- ✗
GZRS
Why it's wrong here
GZRS provides both zone and geo redundancy, which exceeds the requirement.
When this WOULD be correct
When the question requires the highest durability and availability by synchronously replicating data across multiple Azure availability zones in the primary region and asynchronously to a secondary region, and cost is not the primary constraint.
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.
✓LRSCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
LRS provides local redundancy within a single datacenter at the lowest cost.
✗ZRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ZRS (Zone-Redundant Storage) synchronously replicates data across multiple Azure availability zones within a region, which provides higher durability than LRS but at a higher cost. The question specifies protection against local hardware failure within a single datacenter only, so ZRS is overkill and more expensive.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question requiring data protection against an entire datacenter failure (e.g., due to fire or flooding) within a region, while still keeping costs lower than geo-redundant options. For example: 'You need to ensure data remains available if a single datacenter fails, but you do not need cross-region replication. Which redundancy option should you select?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'zone' with 'datacenter' and think ZRS protects against local hardware failure, not realizing ZRS spans multiple datacenters (zones) and costs more than LRS.
✗GRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GRS (Geo-Redundant Storage) replicates data to a secondary region, which increases cost and is not limited to a single datacenter. The question specifically requires protection only within one datacenter and lowest cost.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question that requires data to be durable even if an entire datacenter fails, and cost is not the primary concern. For example: 'You need to ensure data survives a regional outage with synchronous replication within the primary region and asynchronous replication to another region.'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think GRS provides better protection at a reasonable cost, overlooking that the question explicitly limits protection to a single datacenter and demands lowest cost.
✗GZRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GZRS (Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) provides both zone-level and geo-redundancy, which is overkill and more expensive for a scenario requiring only protection against local hardware failure within a single datacenter.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the question requires the highest durability and availability by synchronously replicating data across multiple Azure availability zones in the primary region and asynchronously to a secondary region, and cost is not the primary constraint.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might confuse GZRS as a 'better' version of LRS or ZRS, thinking it offers more protection at a similar cost, or they may not fully understand the cost implications of geo-replication.
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 often confuse LRS with ZRS, mistakenly thinking ZRS is also single-datacenter, when in fact ZRS spans multiple datacenters (availability zones) and costs more, failing the 'lowest cost' and 'single datacenter' constraints.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, LRS uses a write-across quorum model within a single storage scale unit, ensuring three synchronous copies on separate fault domains (racks) within the same datacenter. This provides 11 nines of durability (99.999999999%) against local hardware failures but offers no protection against a full datacenter outage. In a real-world scenario, LRS is ideal for non-critical, transient data or development/test environments where cost is the primary constraint and geo-redundancy is unnecessary.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: LRS — LRS (Locally Redundant Storage) replicates data three times within a single datacenter (or availability zone) in the same region, protecting against local hardware failures such as disk or server crashes. It is the lowest-cost redundancy option because it does not incur the additional replication costs of cross-zone or cross-region copying. This meets the requirement of protecting data against local hardware failure within a single datacenter only.
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 →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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