- A
Set restart policy to Always and use a private container registry
Why wrong: The Always policy restarts the container even on successful exits, which is unnecessary for a background job and increases costs. A private registry is irrelevant to the restart behavior.
- B
Set restart policy to OnFailure and use a single container group
OnFailure restarts only on crashes, and a single container group is the simplest and lowest-cost configuration.
- C
Set restart policy to Never and use a public container registry
Why wrong: The Never policy does not restart the container if it crashes, which would require manual intervention.
- D
Set restart policy to OnFailure and deploy in a virtual network
Why wrong: While OnFailure is correct, adding a virtual network is unnecessary for the restart behavior and increases complexity and cost.
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 container to Azure Container Instances (ACI). The container runs a background job that 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.
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
Set restart policy to OnFailure and use a single container group
The OnFailure restart policy restarts the container only when it exits with a non-zero exit code, which matches the requirement to restart only on crashes. This policy minimizes costs because the container does not run continuously when it exits successfully, unlike the Always policy. Using a single container group is the simplest and most cost-effective deployment for a single background job.
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.
- ✗
Set restart policy to Always and use a private container registry
Why it's wrong here
The Always policy restarts the container even on successful exits, which is unnecessary for a background job and increases costs. A private registry is irrelevant to the restart behavior.
- ✓
Set restart policy to OnFailure and use a single container group
Why this is correct
OnFailure restarts only on crashes, and a single container group is the simplest and lowest-cost configuration.
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.
- ✗
Set restart policy to Never and use a public container registry
Why it's wrong here
The Never policy does not restart the container if it crashes, which would require manual intervention.
- ✗
Set restart policy to OnFailure and deploy in a virtual network
Why it's wrong here
While OnFailure is correct, adding a virtual network is unnecessary for the restart behavior and increases complexity and cost.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse OnFailure with Always, thinking that any restart policy that restarts on failure must also restart on success, or they may over-engineer the solution by adding unnecessary features like a virtual network or private registry.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Container Instances supports three restart policies: Always, OnFailure, and Never. The OnFailure policy relies on the container's exit code; a non-zero exit code (typically 1-255) indicates a crash or error, triggering a restart, while exit code 0 means success and no restart. Under the hood, ACI uses the container's exit code from the init process (PID 1) to determine the restart action, and the container group's restart count is tracked in the container instance's properties.
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.
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 practice questions
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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: Set restart policy to OnFailure and use a single container group — The OnFailure restart policy restarts the container only when it exits with a non-zero exit code, which matches the requirement to restart only on crashes. This policy minimizes costs because the container does not run continuously when it exits successfully, unlike the Always policy. Using a single container group is the simplest and most cost-effective deployment for a single background job.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-204 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-204 exam.
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