- A
Azure Bastion
Azure Bastion provides secure browser-based RDP and SSH access without exposing the VMs to public IP-based inbound traffic.
- B
VPN Gateway with point-to-site configuration
Why wrong: A VPN would require client configuration on each laptop, which the requirement explicitly rejects.
- C
A public load balancer with inbound NAT rules
Why wrong: That would expose management ports to the internet, which the security team does not allow.
- D
A NAT gateway attached to the VM subnet
Why wrong: A NAT gateway supports outbound internet access only and does not provide inbound administrative access.
Question 481 of 1,170
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.
Third-party support engineers connect from the public internet and need browser-based RDP and SSH access to Azure VMs that have only private IPs. The security team will not allow public IPs on the VMs, inbound 3389 or 22 from the internet, or a client VPN on each laptop. What should you 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 Bastion
Azure Bastion provides secure, seamless browser-based RDP and SSH connectivity to Azure VMs directly from the Azure portal over TLS, without requiring public IPs on the VMs or exposing inbound RDP/SSH ports (3389/22) to the internet. It uses a hardened bastion host deployed in a dedicated subnet, which brokers the connection via the Azure portal, satisfying the security team's constraints of no public IPs on VMs, no inbound internet access to those ports, and no client VPN software.
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 Bastion
Why this is correct
Azure Bastion provides secure browser-based RDP and SSH access without exposing the VMs to public IP-based inbound traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
VPN Gateway with point-to-site configuration
Why it's wrong here
A VPN would require client configuration on each laptop, which the requirement explicitly rejects.
- ✗
A public load balancer with inbound NAT rules
Why it's wrong here
That would expose management ports to the internet, which the security team does not allow.
When this WOULD be correct
You need to distribute incoming RDP/SSH traffic to multiple VMs that have public IPs, and you want to use a single public endpoint with port forwarding (e.g., different frontend ports map to the same backend port on different VMs). The security policy allows inbound 3389/22 from the internet.
- ✗
A NAT gateway attached to the VM subnet
Why it's wrong here
A NAT gateway supports outbound internet access only and does not provide inbound administrative access.
When this WOULD be correct
Deploy a NAT gateway when VMs in a private subnet need to initiate outbound connections to the internet (e.g., for updates or accessing external APIs) while remaining unreachable from the internet. The question would specify 'outbound internet access only' and no inbound requirements.
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.
✓Azure BastionCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Bastion provides secure browser-based RDP and SSH access without exposing the VMs to public IP-based inbound traffic.
✗VPN Gateway with point-to-site configurationWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question requires browser-based RDP/SSH access without client VPN on each laptop. VPN Gateway with point-to-site requires a VPN client on each laptop, violating the 'no client VPN' constraint.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the requirement were to provide secure, encrypted connectivity from remote users to an Azure VNet without browser-based access, and client VPN installation is acceptable, then VPN Gateway with point-to-site would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think point-to-site VPN provides secure remote access to VMs, overlooking the specific requirement for browser-based access without client software.
✗A public load balancer with inbound NAT rulesWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A public load balancer with inbound NAT rules would require the VMs to have public IPs or be reachable via the load balancer's frontend IP, which still exposes RDP/SSH ports (3389/22) to the internet, violating the security team's restrictions.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
You need to distribute incoming RDP/SSH traffic to multiple VMs that have public IPs, and you want to use a single public endpoint with port forwarding (e.g., different frontend ports map to the same backend port on different VMs). The security policy allows inbound 3389/22 from the internet.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think a load balancer can provide secure remote access without public IPs on VMs, but they overlook that the load balancer itself exposes the ports and requires VMs to be reachable from its backend, which still necessitates network connectivity that violates the 'no public IPs' rule.
✗A NAT gateway attached to the VM subnetWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A NAT gateway provides outbound internet access for VMs with private IPs, but it does not enable inbound RDP/SSH connections from the internet. The question requires browser-based inbound access, which NAT gateway cannot provide.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Deploy a NAT gateway when VMs in a private subnet need to initiate outbound connections to the internet (e.g., for updates or accessing external APIs) while remaining unreachable from the internet. The question would specify 'outbound internet access only' and no inbound requirements.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse NAT gateway with providing inbound access, thinking it translates public IPs to private IPs for inbound connections, similar to port forwarding. However, NAT gateway only supports outbound traffic initiated from the private subnet.
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?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Bastion with a NAT gateway or VPN Gateway, mistakenly thinking any 'gateway' solution provides inbound RDP/SSH access, but Bastion is the only option that delivers browser-based connectivity without public IPs, client VPNs, or open inbound ports.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Bastion uses a dedicated subnet called 'AzureBastionSubnet' (minimum /27) and leverages TLS on port 443 to tunnel RDP/SSH traffic, with the VM's private IP resolved via Azure's internal network. Under the hood, Bastion creates a secure WebSocket connection from the browser to the bastion host, which then connects to the VM over the Azure backbone, ensuring no public exposure of the VM's network interface. A real-world scenario where this matters is in regulated environments (e.g., healthcare or finance) where VMs must remain isolated from the internet but administrators need occasional access without deploying a full VPN infrastructure.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Visual reference
What to study next
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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 Bastion — Azure Bastion provides secure, seamless browser-based RDP and SSH connectivity to Azure VMs directly from the Azure portal over TLS, without requiring public IPs on the VMs or exposing inbound RDP/SSH ports (3389/22) to the internet. It uses a hardened bastion host deployed in a dedicated subnet, which brokers the connection via the Azure portal, satisfying the security team's constraints of no public IPs on VMs, no inbound internet access to those ports, and no client VPN software.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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