This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of design and implement build and release pipelines. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 designing a build pipeline for a Java application that uses Maven. You want to publish the compiled JAR file as a build artifact. Which task should you use?
PublishBuildArtifacts@1
This task publishes files as build artifacts.
Maven@3
Why wrong: Maven task compiles and runs tests but does not publish artifacts.
ArchiveFiles@2
Why wrong: ArchiveFiles creates a zip but does not publish it as an artifact.
CopyFiles@2
Why wrong: CopyFiles copies files but does not publish them as artifacts.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
PublishBuildArtifacts@1
Option A is correct because the Publish Build Artifacts task publishes files as pipeline artifacts. Option B is wrong because the Copy Files task only copies files within the agent. Option C is wrong because the Maven task builds the project but does not publish artifacts. Option D is wrong because the Archive Files task creates a zip but does not publish.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
PublishBuildArtifacts@1
Why this is correct
This task publishes files as build artifacts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Maven@3
Why it's wrong here
Maven task compiles and runs tests but does not publish artifacts.
ArchiveFiles@2
Why it's wrong here
ArchiveFiles creates a zip but does not publish it as an artifact.
CopyFiles@2
Why it's wrong here
CopyFiles copies files but does not publish them as artifacts.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which AZ-400 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Design and implement build and release pipelines — This question tests Design and implement build and release pipelines — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: PublishBuildArtifacts@1 — Option A is correct because the Publish Build Artifacts task publishes files as pipeline artifacts. Option B is wrong because the Copy Files task only copies files within the agent. Option C is wrong because the Maven task builds the project but does not publish artifacts. Option D is wrong because the Archive Files task creates a zip but does not publish.
Identify which AZ-400 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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