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Quick Answer
The answer is ACI for simple, short-lived tasks and AKS for complex microservices with orchestration needs. When choosing between ACI and AKS container deployment, the three key considerations are workload complexity, orchestration requirements, and persistent storage needs. ACI is correct for burst or event-driven workloads because it launches containers directly without managing clusters, while AKS is correct for auto-scaling, service discovery, and rolling updates essential in microservices architectures. ACI also supports mounting an Azure Files share as a persistent volume, enabling stateful data sharing across instances—a feature often tested on the AZ-104 exam. A common trap is assuming ACI lacks any persistent storage, but Azure Files integration makes it viable for simple stateful tasks. The exam tests your ability to match deployment patterns: think “ACI for quick tasks, AKS for complex clusters.” Memory tip: “ACI = Atomic Containers, Instant; AKS = Advanced Kubernetes, Scalable.”
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 are designing a containerized application deployment in Azure. Which three options must you consider when choosing between Azure Container Instances (ACI) and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)? (Choose three.)
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
✓
ACI is ideal for simple, short-lived tasks or burst workloads that do not require orchestration.
ACI is correct because it is designed for simple, short-lived tasks or burst workloads that do not require orchestration, making it ideal for scenarios like batch processing or event-driven applications. AKS is correct because it provides built-in auto-scaling, service discovery, and rolling update capabilities, which are essential for managing complex microservices architectures. ACI is correct because it supports mounting an Azure Files share as a persistent volume, enabling stateful workloads to share data across container instances.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse ACI's lack of orchestration with automatic orchestration, or assume AKS requires full VM management, when in fact AKS abstracts node management through managed node pools.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACI uses a hypervisor-level isolation model, launching containers directly on Azure infrastructure without the need for VM management, and supports Azure Files via the CSI driver for persistent storage. AKS leverages the Kubernetes control plane to handle auto-scaling through the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) and Cluster Autoscaler, while service discovery is implemented via DNS and kube-proxy. In real-world scenarios, ACI is often used for burst capacity alongside AKS via virtual nodes, allowing pods to run on ACI without managing additional nodes.
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.
What to study next
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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: ACI is ideal for simple, short-lived tasks or burst workloads that do not require orchestration. — ACI is correct because it is designed for simple, short-lived tasks or burst workloads that do not require orchestration, making it ideal for scenarios like batch processing or event-driven applications. AKS is correct because it provides built-in auto-scaling, service discovery, and rolling update capabilities, which are essential for managing complex microservices architectures. ACI is correct because it supports mounting an Azure Files share as a persistent volume, enabling stateful workloads to share data across container instances.
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.
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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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