easyMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
AZ-400 Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are benefits of using…
Which TWO of the following are benefits of using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) over manual infrastructure management?
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
✓
Consistent environment provisioning
Options A and B are correct. Option A is correct because IaC enables consistent and repeatable provisioning, reducing manual errors. Option B is correct because IaC helps prevent configuration drift by maintaining desired state configurations. Option C is incorrect because IaC does not remove the need for testing; testing is still required to validate infrastructure code. Option D is incorrect because IaC still requires documentation for design and operations. Option E is incorrect because while IaC can optimize costs, it does not inherently guarantee lower costs; cost depends on resource choices.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Consistent environment provisioning
Why this is correct
Infrastructure as code (IaC) encodes the entire environment definition in versioned, reviewable files, so every provisioning run produces identical infrastructure across dev, test, and production. This eliminates manual configuration steps and 'works on my machine' discrepancies, ensuring reproducible and immutable deployments.
- ✓
Reduced configuration drift
Why this is correct
Configuration drift is the divergence between the desired state defined in your IaC templates and the actual state of running infrastructure. IaC enables automated drift detection via periodic plan/apply or policy checks, and remediation by re-applying the same definition, thereby continuously aligning environments to the baseline and preventing slow, unnoticed configuration changes.
- ✗
Removes the need for testing
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect: IaC templates require rigorous testing such as static analysis, unit tests on modules, and validating terraform plans or ARM template deployments in a sandbox environment. Furthermore, the applications running on the provisioned infrastructure still need functional, integration, and performance testing, so IaC does not remove testing obligations.
- ✗
Eliminates the need for documentation
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because IaC code is executable, not explanatory: it lacks the rationale behind design decisions, operational runbooks, security and compliance context, and non-technical knowledge for future maintainers. While IaC reduces the need for documenting procedural steps, it does not eliminate the need for complementary architecture documentation, change records, or onboarding guides.
- ✗
Lower infrastructure costs
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because IaC's primary benefits are consistency, repeatability, and speed of provisioning, not direct financial savings. Without careful cost-aware design, IaC can even increase spending by enabling rapid, unscaled resource creation; cost reduction requires complementary practices like right-sizing, autoscaling, and resource budgeting.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Source Control Strategy Design
Key term
IaC
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) manages and provisions IT infrastructure through machine-readable definition files, rather than manual hardware configuration.
Key term
Configuration drift
Configuration drift is the gradual, unplanned change in a system's configuration settings over time, causing it to deviate from its original or desired state.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-400 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-400 exam.