- A
A source application security group for the web tier and a destination application security group for the app tier.
Application security groups let you group VMs by function rather than by individual IP addresses. An NSG rule can reference a source ASG and a destination ASG, so newly added web or app VMs are automatically governed as long as they are added to the correct ASG. This is ideal for scalable tier-to-tier access control.
- B
A service endpoint on the subnet where the app VMs are deployed.
Why wrong: Service endpoints are for securing access to supported Azure PaaS services, not for defining VM-to-VM security groups inside a virtual network.
- C
A user-defined route between the web subnet and app subnet.
Why wrong: Routes control packet forwarding paths, but they do not provide access control or automatically manage group membership for allowed sources and destinations.
- D
A load balancer backend pool for both tiers.
Why wrong: Backend pools are used for load balancing traffic, not for expressing security policy between application tiers.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use a source application security group for the web tier and a destination application security group for the app tier. This configuration is correct because application security groups (ASGs) enable dynamic scaling by allowing you to define NSG rules based on logical VM groupings rather than static IP addresses. When new VMs are added to either the web or app ASG during scaling events, the NSG rule automatically applies to them without any manual IP edits, perfectly meeting the requirement for future VM inclusion. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how ASGs decouple network security from infrastructure changes, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose service tags or traditional IP-based rules. A helpful memory tip: think of ASGs as "security tags for your VM teams" — if the VMs are on the same team, the rule follows them automatically, no matter how many new players join.
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 team manages 20 web VMs and 15 app VMs that scale independently. The administrator needs an NSG rule that allows only the web tier to reach the app tier on TCP 8443, and future VM additions must be included automatically without editing IP addresses. What should the administrator use in the NSG rule?
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
A source application security group for the web tier and a destination application security group for the app tier.
Application security groups (ASGs) allow you to define network security rules based on logical groupings of VMs, regardless of their IP addresses. By assigning the web tier VMs to a source ASG and the app tier VMs to a destination ASG, the NSG rule automatically includes any new VMs added to those groups, meeting the requirement for dynamic inclusion without manual IP edits.
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.
- ✓
A source application security group for the web tier and a destination application security group for the app tier.
Why this is correct
Application security groups let you group VMs by function rather than by individual IP addresses. An NSG rule can reference a source ASG and a destination ASG, so newly added web or app VMs are automatically governed as long as they are added to the correct ASG. This is ideal for scalable tier-to-tier access control.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A service endpoint on the subnet where the app VMs are deployed.
- ✗
A user-defined route between the web subnet and app subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Routes control packet forwarding paths, but they do not provide access control or automatically manage group membership for allowed sources and destinations.
- ✗
A load balancer backend pool for both tiers.
Why it's wrong here
Backend pools are used for load balancing traffic, not for expressing security policy between application tiers.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse ASGs with network security groups (NSGs) themselves or think that service endpoints or UDRs can provide application-layer filtering, when in fact only ASGs enable IP-agnostic, dynamic grouping for NSG rules.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ASGs are referenced by name in NSG rules and are resolved to the private IP addresses of all VMs in the group at runtime. This allows dynamic scaling: when a new VM is added to an ASG, the NSG automatically applies the rule to its IP without any manual intervention. ASGs can be used across subnets and even across virtual networks if peered, making them ideal for multi-tier application segmentation.
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
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: A source application security group for the web tier and a destination application security group for the app tier. — Application security groups (ASGs) allow you to define network security rules based on logical groupings of VMs, regardless of their IP addresses. By assigning the web tier VMs to a source ASG and the app tier VMs to a destination ASG, the NSG rule automatically includes any new VMs added to those groups, meeting the requirement for dynamic inclusion without manual IP edits.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on AZ-104
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A three-tier application uses separate web and app VMs. The requirement is to allow only the web tier to reach the app tier on TCP 8080. The app subnet NSG already contains a DenyAllInbound rule at priority 200. What should the administrator do?
medium- ✓ A.Create an inbound allow rule for the web ASG to the app ASG on TCP 8080 with priority 150.
- B.Move the DenyAllInbound rule to priority 300 so all traffic is blocked first.
- C.Add a user-defined route from the web subnet to the app subnet.
- D.Associate the web and app NICs with the same application security group.
Why A: Option A is correct because the existing DenyAllInbound rule at priority 200 will block all traffic to the app subnet unless a higher-priority (lower number) allow rule is created. By creating an inbound allow rule for the web Application Security Group (ASG) to the app ASG on TCP 8080 with priority 150, the administrator ensures that traffic from the web tier is explicitly permitted before the deny rule is evaluated, satisfying the requirement.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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