- A
Azure Application Gateway.
Why wrong: Application Gateway is a Layer 7 load balancer, which is more than what the scenario requires.
- B
Azure Load Balancer Standard.
A Standard Load Balancer is the right fit for distributing TCP 443 traffic to healthy backend VMs using a single public IP at Layer 4. It supports health probes and works well for internet-facing workloads that do not need application-level routing. Because the scenario specifically excludes Layer 7 features, the load balancer provides the simplest and most cost-effective design while still meeting availability and traffic distribution requirements.
- C
Azure Traffic Manager.
Why wrong: Traffic Manager operates at the DNS layer and directs clients to endpoints, but it does not directly load-balance TCP sessions to VMs.
- D
Azure Front Door.
Why wrong: Front Door is a global HTTP/HTTPS entry point with Layer 7 capabilities, which adds features not requested in this scenario.
Quick Answer
The answer is Azure Load Balancer Standard. This is the correct choice because it operates at Layer 4 of the OSI model, distributing TCP traffic on port 443 across healthy backend VMs using a single public IP, while health probes automatically remove unhealthy instances from the pool. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between Layer 4 and Layer 7 services—a common trap is choosing Application Gateway when no URL-based routing or SSL offload is required. Remember that if the question explicitly states “no Layer 7 features needed” and only mentions a single port and IP, Azure Load Balancer is the straightforward fit. A helpful memory tip: think “Layer 4 = Load Balancer, Layer 7 = Gateway.”
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Virtual Networking Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage virtual networking. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A public web application runs on two Windows Server VMs in Azure. Users connect through a single public IP on TCP 443, and the solution must distribute traffic only to healthy VMs without requiring Layer 7 features such as URL-based routing. Which Azure service should the administrator deploy?
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 Load Balancer Standard.
Azure Load Balancer Standard is the correct choice because it operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and distributes incoming traffic across healthy VM instances based on a single public IP address and port (TCP 443). It performs health probes to ensure traffic is only sent to healthy backend VMs, and it does not require any Layer 7 features like URL-based routing, making it ideal for this scenario.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 Application Gateway.
Why it's wrong here
Application Gateway is a Layer 7 load balancer, which is more than what the scenario requires.
- ✓
Azure Load Balancer Standard.
Why this is correct
A Standard Load Balancer is the right fit for distributing TCP 443 traffic to healthy backend VMs using a single public IP at Layer 4. It supports health probes and works well for internet-facing workloads that do not need application-level routing. Because the scenario specifically excludes Layer 7 features, the load balancer provides the simplest and most cost-effective design while still meeting availability and traffic distribution requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Traffic Manager.
- ✗
Azure Front Door.
Why it's wrong here
Front Door is a global HTTP/HTTPS entry point with Layer 7 capabilities, which adds features not requested in this scenario.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Application Gateway with Azure Load Balancer, assuming that any web traffic requires Layer 7 features, but the question explicitly states no Layer 7 features are needed, making the Layer 4 Load Balancer the correct and simpler choice.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Application Gateway is a Layer 7 load balancer, which is more than what the scenario requires.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Load Balancer Standard uses a five-tuple hash (source IP, source port, destination IP, destination port, protocol) to map traffic to backend VMs, ensuring session persistence without Layer 7 inspection. Health probes can be configured as TCP, HTTP, or HTTPS, but for TCP 443, a simple TCP probe checking for SYN-ACK responses is sufficient to determine VM health. In a real-world scenario, if the VMs run IIS or another web server, the load balancer will distribute traffic evenly across healthy instances, and if a VM fails its health probe, it is automatically removed from the backend pool until it recovers.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — This question tests Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Load Balancer Standard. — Azure Load Balancer Standard is the correct choice because it operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and distributes incoming traffic across healthy VM instances based on a single public IP address and port (TCP 443). It performs health probes to ensure traffic is only sent to healthy backend VMs, and it does not require any Layer 7 features like URL-based routing, making it ideal for this scenario.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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