Free Azure Compute Decision Tree (AZ-104 / AZ-204 / AZ-305)
Visual decision tree for picking the right Azure compute service — VMs, AKS, Container Apps, Functions, App Service, Batch. Free mind map.
Need full OS control? Containerised? Event-driven? Web app? Batch? Five questions, five answers — and which Azure cert exam tests each.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When should I pick Container Apps over AKS?
Container Apps (ACA) is the right call for most stateless microservices, web APIs, and event-driven containerised workloads. It's serverless — Microsoft manages the Kubernetes underneath. Pick AKS only when you need direct Kubernetes API access, custom service meshes, or specific networking/storage configurations that ACA doesn't expose.
App Service vs Container Apps for a web app?
If you have a standard web app (.NET, Node, Python, Java) and don't care about containers, App Service is simpler — just deploy code. If you've already containerised your app or want to deploy from a container registry, Container Apps gives you better cold-start and event-driven autoscaling. Both auto-scale; both support deployment slots (preview on ACA).
Which exam covers which compute service most heavily?
AZ-900 covers concepts only — naming and use cases. AZ-104 (Administrator) goes deep on VMs, virtual machine scale sets, ACI/ACA basics, and AKS provisioning. AZ-204 (Developer) goes deep on App Service, Functions, and container deployment patterns. AZ-305 (Architect) tests choosing the right service for SLA, cost, and scale requirements — the decision tree itself.
What about Service Fabric or Spring Apps?
Both are still supported but rarely the right starting point in 2026. Service Fabric is being de-emphasised in favour of AKS for new workloads. Azure Spring Apps is being retired (March 2028). For new projects, default to App Service, Container Apps, or Functions unless you have a specific reason to choose otherwise.