Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator AssociateImplement and manage virtual networkingMedium
A company is hosting a public-facing web application on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) and wants to distribute incoming web traffic across multiple instances for high availability and performance. They also need to implement SSL offloading and a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against common web vulnerabilities. The solution must provide Layer 7 load balancing.
- AAzure Front Door
- BAzure Traffic Manager
- CAzure Load Balancer (Standard SKU)
- DAzure Application Gateway with WAF
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Azure Application Gateway with WAF
Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer that includes features like SSL offloading and an integrated Web Application Firewall (WAF). This directly addresses all the specified requirements for a public-facing web application.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Azure Front Door is a global, scalable entry-point that uses the Microsoft global edge network to create fast, secure, and widely scalable web applications, which also includes WAF and SSL offloading. However, for a single region load balancing with L7 features, Application Gateway is the more direct and localized solution. The question does not specify multi-region deployment as a primary driver, making Application Gateway a more focused answer for the given requirements.
- B. Azure Traffic Manager is a DNS-based global traffic director, not a Layer 7 load balancer, and does not offer SSL offloading or WAF.
- C. Azure Load Balancer (Standard SKU) operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and does not provide SSL offloading or WAF capabilities.
Azure Application Gateway
Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications. It operates at Layer 7 (the application layer) and offers features such as SSL offloading, WAF, and URL-based routing.
- Layer 7 load balancing (HTTP/HTTPS).
- Supports SSL/TLS termination (offloading).
- Integrated Web Application Firewall (WAF) for protection.
Memory trick: For web apps, Application Gateway is the smart choice for Layer 7, WAF, and SSL.