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 it's wrong here

  Azure Container Instances runs a single container directly without an orchestrator, so it lacks the built-in web hosting capabilities that App Service provides, such as managed TLS/SSL certificates, automatic OS patching, and integrated authentication/authorization. While ACI supports HTTP requests, it is designed for short-lived or burst workloads rather than a continuously available internet-facing application requiring deployment slots and autoscaling. Additionally, ACI requires you to handle container image updates, networking rules, and custom domain binding yourself, adding operational overhead that App Service would eliminate.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A question requiring fast, serverless container deployment without managing orchestration, where the app does not need HTTPS termination, slots, or autoscale, and the team wants to run a single container instance.

• ✗

  Azure Virtual Machines

  Why it's wrong here

  Azure Virtual Machines give you full control over the operating system, but they shift significant responsibility onto your team: you must install and patch the OS, configure IIS or another web server, manage firewall rules, and handle load balancing and health probes separately. Even with VM Scale Sets, you still need to author a custom image or startup script for each OS update and manage patching schedules, which contradicts the implied goal of minimizing administrative effort. App Service, by contrast, abstracts away the host VM entirely, so you do not need to maintain an OS or web server runtime.

  When this WOULD be correct

  An organization needs to run a legacy application that requires full control over the operating system, custom software installations, or specific OS configurations. The question would specify that the team is willing to manage the OS and needs maximum flexibility.

• ✓

  Azure App Service

  Why this is correct

  Azure App Service is the best fit for a code-based internet-facing application that needs managed HTTPS, deployment slots, and autoscale without operating system administration. It provides a platform service for web hosting, which reduces operational work while supporting the common web app features named in the requirement.

• ✗

  Azure Kubernetes Service

  Why it's wrong here

  Azure Kubernetes Service is a container orchestration platform that adds a control plane, worker nodes, networking, and persistent storage considerations that are far more complex than hosting a simple internet-facing web app. To publish source code to AKS, you need a CI/CD pipeline to build containers, push them to a registry, create Kubernetes manifests or Helm charts, and manage cluster upgrades and node pool autoscaling. This level of infrastructure management is unjustified for a straightforward code-based app, and App Service delivers the same production-grade features (custom domains, TLS, scaling) without requiring you to operate a Kubernetes cluster.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A question requiring container orchestration, microservices architecture, or complex scaling across multiple containers, where the team is comfortable managing Kubernetes but wants Azure to manage the control plane. For example: 'Which service should be used to deploy a containerized microservices application with automated scaling and rolling 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.

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?”