AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
Which Azure service provides a managed registry for Docker container images and OCI artifacts?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse a container registry (storage service) with a container orchestrator (AKS) or a container runtime (ACI), leading candidates to pick a compute service instead of the storage service.
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 Container Registry
Azure Container Registry (ACR) is the correct answer because it is a managed, private Docker registry service that stores and manages container images and Open Container Initiative (OCI) artifacts. It supports Docker Registry HTTP API V2, enabling push/pull operations for containerized workloads across Azure services.
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 Kubernetes Service
Why it's wrong here
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes orchestration platform that automates deployment, scaling, and operations of containerized applications. It does not itself store or manage container images; rather, it pulls images from an external registry such as Azure Container Registry to run pods. Since the requirement is for a service that stores and manages container images, AKS is incorrect—it is a compute/orchestration service, not an image repository.
- ✗
Azure Container Instances
Why it's wrong here
Azure Container Instances (ACI) offers a serverless way to run containers on Azure without managing virtual machines or orchestrators. ACI can launch a container directly from an image in a registry, but it has no built-in capacity to store, version, or manage those images once they are pulled. It is an execution service, not a storage and management service for container images, making it incorrect for this question.
- ✓
Azure Container Registry
Why this is correct
Azure Container Registry (ACR) is a managed, private Docker registry service built on Docker Registry 2.0, designed specifically for storing and managing container images and OCI artifacts. It supports geo-replication, role-based access control, and integration with AKS and ACI for secure image pulls. This exactly matches the requirement of storing and managing container images, so it is the correct answer.
- ✗
Azure Artifact Repository
Why it's wrong here
Azure Artifact Repository, more formally known as Azure Artifacts, is an Azure DevOps component that stores and shares software packages such as NuGet, npm, Maven, and Python packages, as well as build artifacts. It does not handle container images, which have a distinct format and lifecycle managed by a container registry. While both store software-related artifacts, the service is not designed for container images, so it is incorrect.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Azure Regions and Geographies
Key term
Container registry
A container registry is a centralized storage and distribution system for container images, enabling developers to push, pull, and manage versions of application snapshots across environments.
Key term
Container
A container is a lightweight, standalone software package that includes everything needed to run an application, such as code, runtime, system tools, and libraries.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-900 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-900 exam.