The answer is OnFailure. This restart policy is the correct choice because it instructs Azure Container Instances to automatically restart the container only when it exits with a non-zero exit code, which signals a crash or error, while leaving successfully completed jobs untouched. By avoiding restarts on clean exits, OnFailure directly minimizes costs since you are not billed for unnecessary container runs or idle time after a successful completion. On the AZ-204 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of ACI lifecycle management and the three restart policies—Always, Never, and OnFailure—with the common trap being to select Always, which would restart even on success and drive up costs. A reliable memory tip is to think of OnFailure as “only on error,” like a crash-only restart, making it ideal for background jobs where you want to pay only for retries after failures.
AZ-204 Develop Azure compute solutions Practice Question
This AZ-204 practice question tests your understanding of develop azure compute solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 deploy a containerized background job to Azure Container Instances (ACI). The job should automatically restart only if it exits with a non-zero exit code (i.e., crashes). You want to minimize costs. Which restart policy should you configure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Why wrong: Always restarts the container regardless of exit code, which can lead to unnecessary cost and duplicate processing on success.
B
OnFailure
This policy restarts only when the container exits with a non-zero exit code, which matches the requirement to restart on failure while minimizing costs.
C
Never
Why wrong: Never disables automatic restart, so the container would remain stopped after a crash, which is not desired.
D
Retry
Why wrong: Retry is not a valid restart policy in Azure Container Instances.
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 restarts the container only when it exits with a non-zero exit code, indicating a crash or error. This matches the requirement to automatically restart only on failure while minimizing costs, as it avoids unnecessary restarts on successful completions.
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 exit code, which can lead to unnecessary cost and duplicate processing on success.
✓
OnFailure
Why this is correct
This policy restarts only when the container exits with a non-zero exit code, which matches the requirement to restart on failure while minimizing costs.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Never
Why it's wrong here
Never disables automatic restart, so the container would remain stopped after a crash, which is not desired.
✗
Retry
Why it's wrong here
Retry is not a valid restart policy in Azure Container Instances.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the OnFailure policy with the Always policy, thinking that Always is needed for automatic restarts, but they overlook the cost implication and the specific requirement to restart only on failure.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Container Instances supports three restart policies: Always, OnFailure, and Never. The OnFailure policy is ideal for background jobs or batch processing tasks where you want to retry only on errors, as it restarts the container only when the exit code is non-zero. This policy helps minimize costs by avoiding unnecessary container runs and is commonly used for job-based workloads that should not restart on successful completion.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-204 question in full detail.
Develop Azure compute solutions — This question tests Develop Azure compute solutions — 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 restarts the container only when it exits with a non-zero exit code, indicating a crash or error. This matches the requirement to automatically restart only on failure while minimizing costs, as it avoids unnecessary restarts on successful completions.
What should I do if I get this AZ-204 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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