AZ-305 Question 146
Select 2You are designing a microservices solution for a global e-commerce platform that runs containerized workloads. The solution must automatically scale applications based on demand, provide rolling updates with minimal downtime, and reduce the overhead required to manage underlying infrastructure. Which Azure compute services would best meet these requirements? (Choose two.)
- A
Azure Container Instances (ACI) with manual scaling
- B
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) with the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA)
- C
Azure Container Apps
- D
Docker containers on custom Azure VMs with a self-managed orchestrator
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: B, C
Explanation
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Azure Container Apps both support modern container-based microservice architectures with minimal overhead. AKS offers robust orchestration features, including the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler for automated scaling and built-in rolling updates. Azure Container Apps provides a fully managed, serverless environment for containers, simplifying deployments and scaling. For more information, refer to the Microsoft Docs on 'Azure Kubernetes Service' (https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/aks/) and 'Azure Container Apps' (https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/container-apps/).
- A. Incorrect.
Option 1: Azure Container Instances (ACI) with manual scaling, INCORRECT. While ACI is a quick way to run containers without managing servers, it does not natively support comprehensive auto-scaling and rolling updates in the same way AKS or Azure Container Apps does. You would have to manage or script these features yourself, which increases overhead.
- B. Correct.
Option 2: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) with the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA), CORRECT. AKS is a fully managed Kubernetes service that supports auto-scaling through the HPA, rolling upgrades, and minimal downtime. AKS automates a significant portion of cluster management, reducing overhead while providing robust orchestration features for microservices.
- C. Correct.
Option 3: Azure Container Apps, CORRECT. Azure Container Apps is a serverless container hosting service that provides built-in scaling (powered by Kubernetes-based event-driven autoscaling, or KEDA) and enables streamlined deployments with rolling updates. It also abstracts much of the cluster management, reducing management overhead.
- D. Incorrect.
Option 4: Docker containers on custom Azure VMs with a self-managed orchestrator, INCORRECT. Running containers on your own VMs with a self-managed orchestrator requires significant overhead to configure, maintain, and secure the infrastructure. This approach also complicates rolling updates and auto-scaling compared to managed services like AKS or Azure Container Apps.