AZ-204 Develop Azure compute solutions Practice Question
Your company has an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster. You need to deploy a containerized application that requires persistent storage across pod restarts. The storage must be backed by Azure Disk and support ReadWriteOnce access mode. Which volume type should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Azure Files (which supports ReadWriteMany) with Azure Disk (which supports ReadWriteOnce), or they mistakenly choose EmptyDir thinking it provides persistence, when in fact it is temporary and tied to the pod's lifecycle.
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
✓
Azure Disk
Azure Disk is the correct volume type because it provides a durable block storage device that can be attached to a pod in an AKS cluster. It supports the ReadWriteOnce (RWO) access mode, meaning the disk can be mounted as read-write by a single node, which aligns with the requirement for persistent storage that survives pod restarts. Azure Disk is ideal for stateful applications that need high-performance, low-latency storage and do not require concurrent access from multiple pods.
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 Disk
Why this is correct
Azure Disk is the appropriate choice for persistent storage when a single pod requires dedicated, block-level storage. It natively supports the ReadWriteOnce access mode, meaning the volume can be mounted as read-write by a single node. In AKS, Azure Disks are provisioned dynamically via a StorageClass and PersistentVolumeClaim, ensuring data persistence even if the pod restarts or is rescheduled to a different node within the same cluster. This makes it ideal for stateful applications where data integrity for a single instance is paramount.
- ✗
Azure Blob Storage
Why it's wrong here
Azure Blob Storage is primarily an object storage solution, designed for storing large amounts of unstructured data like images, videos, or backups, rather than providing a traditional file system for a pod. While it can be integrated into Kubernetes using a Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver, it is not a native block or file system volume type directly consumable by a pod's file system in the same manner as Azure Disk or Azure Files. Its object-based nature makes it less suitable for typical persistent volume requirements of applications needing a mounted file system.
- ✗
EmptyDir
Why it's wrong here
An EmptyDir volume is created when a pod is assigned to a node and exists only as long as that pod is running on that specific node. Its contents are lost forever if the pod restarts, is deleted, or is rescheduled to a different node. While useful for temporary scratch space or sharing data between containers within the same pod, it explicitly does not provide persistent storage for application data that needs to survive pod lifecycle events.
- ✗
Azure Files
Why it's wrong here
Azure Files provides shared file storage that can be mounted by multiple nodes and pods concurrently, supporting the ReadWriteMany access mode. While it could technically be used by a single pod, its primary advantage lies in scenarios requiring shared access across multiple pods or nodes. For a single pod needing dedicated persistent storage, Azure Disk is generally more performant and cost-effective as a block storage solution, making Azure Files an over-provisioned or less optimal choice for this specific requirement.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.