AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

• ✓

  Azure Container Instances

  Why this is correct

  Azure Container Instances is the best fit because it is a serverless service that starts a Linux container in seconds and bills per second, with no underlying VM, orchestrator, or cluster to manage. You simply provide the image and optional command, and ACI provisions the container and tears it down automatically when the 15-minute job completes. This makes it ideal for short-lived, isolated workloads.

• ✓

  Azure App Service

  Why this is correct

  Azure App Service is a correct option because it can run Linux containers in a managed PaaS environment with built-in web hosting, HTTPS, and deployment slots. However, it assumes a continuously running service and typically requires an App Service Plan with always-on features, so for a 15-minute ad-hoc container it would leave resources allocated and incur idle cost. It is technically viable but not as efficient as a purpose-built container instances service.

• ✗

  Azure Virtual Machines

  Why it's wrong here

  An Azure Virtual Machine is the wrong choice because it would require you to deploy and manage a full Linux guest OS, apply security updates, and install a container runtime like Docker before running your job. Even if you automate the process, the VM remains provisioned and incurring costs unless you carefully shut it down after 15 minutes. This adds unnecessary administrative and operational burden compared with a managed container service.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A question requiring full control over the OS, custom software installation, or lift-and-shift migration of an existing application that cannot be containerized or run on PaaS, with no requirement for built-in HTTPS or deployment slots.

• ✗

  Azure Kubernetes Service

  Why it's wrong here

  Azure Kubernetes Service is overkill because it introduces an entire orchestration plane—cluster nodes, pods, load balancers, and control plane management—that you would need to configure for a single container that runs for only 15 minutes. The cluster has a baseline cost and operational overhead even when idle, and its auto-scaling and rolling-update features are not needed for an isolated short-lived job. For ephemeral workloads, a simpler service like ACI avoids this complexity.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A question requiring orchestration of multiple containers with complex networking, scaling, and rolling updates, where the team needs to manage the cluster and has persistent workloads, would make AKS the correct choice.

• ✗

  Azure Batch

  Why it's wrong here

  Azure Batch is not suitable because it is designed for large-scale parallel and high-performance computing jobs across many nodes, not for launching a single container. It requires you to create a Batch account, a pool of compute nodes, and a job with tasks, and the pool stays alive until you delete it. The orchestration and pool-management overhead far exceed the needs of a brief container run.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A question where a team needs to run a large number of parallel batch jobs (e.g., rendering, data processing) with automatic scaling and job scheduling, and they want to avoid managing a cluster. For example: 'A team needs to run thousands of compute-intensive tasks on a schedule with automatic retry and scaling.'

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.

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?”

Go deeper

Related to this question