- A
A public Standard Load Balancer with a public frontend IP.
Why wrong: A public frontend exposes the service to the internet, which conflicts with the requirement that the application remain private.
- B
A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP.
A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend provides load balancing only within the virtual network boundary, which fits an internal application. It can balance traffic from peered VNets or hybrid connections without assigning a public frontend. This is the appropriate pattern when the service must remain private but still needs distribution across backend VMs.
- C
A NAT gateway attached to the application subnet.
Why wrong: A NAT gateway is for outbound SNAT from a subnet. It does not distribute inbound user traffic across multiple VMs.
- D
A network security group rule allowing TCP 443 from the internet.
Why wrong: An NSG can allow or deny traffic, but it cannot balance traffic or provide a private frontend for the app. Allowing internet access would also violate the stated requirement.
Quick Answer
The answer is a Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP. This configuration is correct because it assigns a private IP address from the virtual network as the load balancer’s frontend, ensuring that traffic is distributed across the two VMs while remaining unreachable from the internet. Users connecting from a peered virtual network or through a VPN from on-premises can reach this private frontend IP, but it is not exposed to public endpoints, meeting the security requirement for internal applications. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of load balancer SKUs and frontend IP types—specifically that Standard Load Balancer supports both public and private frontends, while Basic does not offer the same security features. A common trap is choosing a public IP with network security groups, but that still exposes a public endpoint; the key is that a private frontend inherently blocks internet traffic. Memory tip: “Private frontend, private network—no internet, no problem.”
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Virtual Networking Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage virtual networking. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
An internal line-of-business application runs on two VMs in Azure. Users connect only from a peered virtual network and from on-premises through VPN. The application must not be reachable from the internet, but traffic should be balanced across the two VMs. Which configuration should you choose?
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 Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP.
A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP is correct because it distributes traffic to the two VMs using a private IP address that is only reachable from within the peered virtual network and the on-premises network via VPN. This configuration ensures the application is not exposed to the internet while still providing load balancing across the VMs.
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 public Standard Load Balancer with a public frontend IP.
Why it's wrong here
A public frontend exposes the service to the internet, which conflicts with the requirement that the application remain private.
- ✓
A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP.
Why this is correct
A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend provides load balancing only within the virtual network boundary, which fits an internal application. It can balance traffic from peered VNets or hybrid connections without assigning a public frontend. This is the appropriate pattern when the service must remain private but still needs distribution across backend VMs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A NAT gateway attached to the application subnet.
- ✗
A network security group rule allowing TCP 443 from the internet.
Why it's wrong here
An NSG can allow or deny traffic, but it cannot balance traffic or provide a private frontend for the app. Allowing internet access would also violate the stated requirement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a load balancer must have a public frontend IP to function, but Azure Standard Load Balancer fully supports private frontend IPs for internal load balancing without any internet exposure.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP uses a private IP address from the virtual network's address space, and traffic is distributed using a hash-based distribution algorithm (5-tuple hash by default). In a real-world scenario, this setup is ideal for internal-facing applications where security and isolation are critical, such as a line-of-business app accessed only via VPN or VNet peering, ensuring no public endpoint exists.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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 Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP. — A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP is correct because it distributes traffic to the two VMs using a private IP address that is only reachable from within the peered virtual network and the on-premises network via VPN. This configuration ensures the application is not exposed to the internet while still providing load balancing across the VMs.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-104 exam.
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