Zephyr Professional Practice Test

What is one advantage of deploying applications as immutable servers?

1. Increased modification complexity

2. Enhanced stability and predictability

3. Inventory management improvements

4. Decreased deployment time for large updates

The correct answer is: Enhanced stability and predictability

Deploying applications as immutable servers offers the distinct advantage of enhanced stability and predictability. This practice involves creating servers that are configured and deployed once and are not altered thereafter. Instead of modifying existing servers, any updates or changes are made by deploying new instances. This approach leads to a more predictable environment since each deployment starts with a known and consistent state. Consequently, it reduces the likelihood of issues related to configuration drift, where different servers may unintentionally be configured in slightly different ways over time. When the application is deployed as an immutable server, testing and validation can be thoroughly conducted during the creation of the image, leading to a more stable runtime since the server environment remains unchanged after deployment. This stability is crucial for maintaining application performance and reliability, especially in larger systems where consistency is key. While other choices might seem plausible in different contexts, they do not directly speak to the core essence of immutable servers. Increased modification complexity (the first option) goes against the philosophy of immutability, as it counters the intended simplicity of making deployments predictable. Inventory management improvements and decreased deployment time for large updates, while beneficial, do not capture the primary advantage of deploying applications as immutable servers, which is fundamentally about ensuring stability and predictable behavior in production environments.