- A
Configure the function app to use the Premium plan with Always Ready instances enabled.
Premium plan supports Always Ready instances and can scale out quickly to handle spikes.
- B
Use the Consumption plan with a max instance count of 200.
Why wrong: The Consumption plan's max instance count of 200 may not be sufficient for sudden spikes, and it lacks pre-warmed instances.
- C
Implement a retry policy in the queue trigger to handle throttling.
Why wrong: Retry policy handles failures but does not help with scaling out.
- D
Set the function's WEBSITE_MAX_DYNAMIC_APPLICATION_SCALE_OUT app setting to 500.
Why wrong: This setting is only for Consumption plan, which still limits to 200 instances by default and doesn't provide pre-warmed instances.
- E
Deploy the function app to an App Service plan with multiple instances pre-allocated.
App Service plan allows pre-allocated instances and can scale out based on demand.
Quick Answer
The answer is to deploy the function app to a Premium plan and configure Always Ready instances. This is correct because the Premium plan’s Always Ready feature pre-warms a specified number of instances, eliminating cold starts and ensuring your Azure Functions scaling can handle sudden spikes in order volume without latency. On the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate AZ-204 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of serverless scaling options: the Consumption plan scales but suffers cold starts, while the Premium plan offers pre-warmed, always-ready instances for predictable performance. A common trap is choosing the Consumption plan with a high max scale-out limit, which still incurs cold start delays during spikes. Remember, Always Ready is the key to zero cold starts—think “pre-warm for peak performance.”
AZ-204 Develop Azure compute solutions Practice Question
This AZ-204 practice question tests your understanding of develop azure compute solutions. 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 developing a serverless application using Azure Functions. The application processes orders from a queue and writes results to Azure Cosmos DB. You need to ensure that the function scales out automatically to handle sudden spikes in order volume. Which two actions should you take? (Choose two.)
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
Configure the function app to use the Premium plan with Always Ready instances enabled.
Option A is correct because the Premium plan supports Always Ready instances, which pre-warm a specified number of instances to eliminate cold start latency and ensure the function can handle sudden spikes in order volume without delay. This is critical for serverless applications that require consistent performance under load.
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.
- ✓
Configure the function app to use the Premium plan with Always Ready instances enabled.
Why this is correct
Premium plan supports Always Ready instances and can scale out quickly to handle spikes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use the Consumption plan with a max instance count of 200.
Why it's wrong here
The Consumption plan's max instance count of 200 may not be sufficient for sudden spikes, and it lacks pre-warmed instances.
- ✗
Implement a retry policy in the queue trigger to handle throttling.
Why it's wrong here
Retry policy handles failures but does not help with scaling out.
- ✗
Set the function's WEBSITE_MAX_DYNAMIC_APPLICATION_SCALE_OUT app setting to 500.
Why it's wrong here
This setting is only for Consumption plan, which still limits to 200 instances by default and doesn't provide pre-warmed instances.
- ✓
Deploy the function app to an App Service plan with multiple instances pre-allocated.
Why this is correct
App Service plan allows pre-allocated instances and can scale out based on demand.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the Consumption plan's max instance count with the ability to handle spikes instantly, overlooking the cold start issue that the Premium plan's Always Ready instances solve.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Premium plan uses a dedicated, pre-warmed instance pool that can scale out instantly based on demand, while the Consumption plan scales out dynamically but with cold start latency. The Always Ready feature in the Premium plan allows you to specify a minimum number of instances that remain warm, reducing latency for burst traffic. In a real-world scenario, an e-commerce order processing function would benefit from this to avoid delays during flash sales.
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Develop Azure compute solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Develop Azure compute solutions practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-204 question test?
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: Configure the function app to use the Premium plan with Always Ready instances enabled. — Option A is correct because the Premium plan supports Always Ready instances, which pre-warm a specified number of instances to eliminate cold start latency and ensure the function can handle sudden spikes in order volume without delay. This is critical for serverless applications that require consistent performance under load.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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