AZ-104 Implement and Manage Virtual Networking Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers 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.
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.
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 load balancer maps a public IP address and routes inbound internet traffic to backend VMs. While it can certainly distribute TCP connections across the two application VMs, its frontend is reachable from the internet, which directly conflicts with the requirement that the application remains internal. Because the application is intended for internal users only, a public frontend would expose it to external access and misuse, so this is not the right choice.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question required the application to be accessible from the internet (e.g., a public-facing web app) and load-balanced across VMs, with no restriction on internet access.
- ✓
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.
- ✗
A NAT gateway attached to the application subnet.
Why it's wrong here
A NAT gateway provides outbound source network address translation (SNAT) so that VMs in the subnet can initiate connections to the internet, but it does not accept or forward inbound traffic. Attaching it to the application subnet would not create a frontend for the two VMs, nor would it load balance user requests to the application. Since the requirement is to distribute incoming HTTPS traffic, a NAT gateway is conceptually opposite to the needed service.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required providing outbound internet access to VMs in a private subnet (e.g., for downloading updates) while preventing inbound internet traffic, a NAT gateway attached to the subnet would be correct.
- ✗
A network security group rule allowing TCP 443 from the internet.
Why it's wrong here
An NSG rule is a filtering mechanism that permits or denies traffic based on source/destination IP, port, and protocol; it cannot perform load balancing or health probes. Even if you added a rule allowing HTTPS traffic from the internet, it would only open port 443 on NICs or subnets, and without a public IP on the VMs it would not even be reachable. More importantly, this would violate the private requirement by permitting inbound internet access to the application, and it would not spread load across the two VMs.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required allowing HTTPS traffic from the internet to a specific VM or set of VMs (e.g., a web server), and the application needed to be publicly accessible, then an NSG rule allowing TCP 443 from the internet would be correct.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓A Standard Load Balancer with a private frontend IP.Correct answer▾
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.
✗A public Standard Load Balancer with a public frontend IP.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A public Standard Load Balancer with a public frontend IP would make the application reachable from the internet, violating the requirement that the application must not be reachable from the internet.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question required the application to be accessible from the internet (e.g., a public-facing web app) and load-balanced across VMs, with no restriction on internet access.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think a public load balancer is needed for load balancing, overlooking the requirement to block internet access, or they may confuse public frontend IP with private frontend IP.
✗A NAT gateway attached to the application subnet.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A NAT gateway provides outbound internet connectivity for private subnets, not inbound load balancing. The requirement is to balance traffic across two VMs from internal sources only, which a NAT gateway cannot do.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required providing outbound internet access to VMs in a private subnet (e.g., for downloading updates) while preventing inbound internet traffic, a NAT gateway attached to the subnet would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse NAT gateway with load balancing because both handle traffic, or think that a NAT gateway can distribute inbound connections, not realizing it only translates outbound traffic.
✗A network security group rule allowing TCP 443 from the internet.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A network security group rule allowing TCP 443 from the internet would expose the application to the internet, violating the requirement that it must not be reachable from the internet.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required allowing HTTPS traffic from the internet to a specific VM or set of VMs (e.g., a web server), and the application needed to be publicly accessible, then an NSG rule allowing TCP 443 from the internet would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think NSG rules are sufficient to control traffic and overlook the requirement to block internet access entirely, or they may confuse inbound NSG rules with load balancing solutions.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managed Identities for Azure Resources
Key term
Private IP address
A private IP address is a non-internet-routable address used within a local network to identify devices and allow them to communicate with each other without direct exposure to the public internet.
Key term
Load balancer
A load balancer is a device or software that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers so no single server gets overwhelmed.
About these practice questions
This AZ-104 question is part of Courseiva's 1,049-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.