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.
Exhibit
Topology:
- Internet users sign in to the Azure portal
- Management connection must be initiated from a browser
- The target Windows VM has no public IP address
- The security team does not allow a VPN client on administrator laptops
- RDP must remain off the public Internet
Based on the exhibit, which Azure service should you deploy to provide browser-based administrative access to the VM without assigning it a public IP address?
Exhibit
Topology:
- Internet users sign in to the Azure portal
- Management connection must be initiated from a browser
- The target Windows VM has no public IP address
- The security team does not allow a VPN client on administrator laptops
- RDP must remain off the public Internet
A
Azure Bastion
Azure Bastion provides secure RDP and SSH access from the portal over the browser without exposing a public IP.
B
Azure VPN Gateway
Why wrong: A VPN gateway helps establish network connectivity, but it does not provide direct browser-based VM access.
C
Public IP address on the VM
Why wrong: A public IP would expose the management port to the Internet, which the security requirement explicitly rejects.
D
Azure Load Balancer
Why wrong: A load balancer distributes traffic to backend instances and is not an administrative access service.
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 RDP/SSH connectivity to virtual machines directly in the Azure portal over TLS, without requiring a public IP address on the VM. It uses a hardened bastion host in your virtual network that brokers the connection, eliminating exposure of the VM to the internet.
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 RDP and SSH access from the portal over the browser without exposing a public IP.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure VPN Gateway
Why it's wrong here
A VPNgateway helps establish network connectivity, but it does not provide direct browser-based VM access.
When this WOULD be correct
A question requiring secure connectivity from an on-premises network to an Azure VNet, such as 'You need to connect your on-premises network to Azure VNet over the internet with encrypted traffic. Which service should you use?'
✗
Public IP address on the VM
Why it's wrong here
A public IP would expose the management port to the Internet, which the security requirement explicitly rejects.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that asks for the simplest way to enable direct RDP or SSH access from the internet to a VM, with no requirement to avoid public IPs or provide browser-based access. For example: 'Which resource must be associated with a VM to allow direct RDP connections from the internet?'
✗
Azure Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
A load balancer distributes traffic to backend instances and is not an administrative access service.
When this WOULD be correct
You need to distribute incoming web traffic across multiple VMs in a backend pool to ensure high availability and scalability for a web application. The VMs are in a virtual network, and you want to expose them via a single public endpoint.
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 RDP and SSH access from the portal over the browser without exposing a public IP.
✗Azure VPN GatewayWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Azure VPN Gateway provides site-to-site or point-to-site VPN connectivity, not browser-based RDP/SSH access to a VM without a public IP. It requires a public IP on the gateway and does not offer a native browser-based administrative interface.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question requiring secure connectivity from an on-premises network to an Azure VNet, such as 'You need to connect your on-premises network to Azure VNet over the internet with encrypted traffic. Which service should you use?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse VPN Gateway with Bastion because both provide secure remote access; they might think a VPN tunnel eliminates the need for a public IP on the VM, but VPN Gateway itself requires a public IP and does not provide browser-based access.
✗Public IP address on the VMWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Assigning a public IP address to the VM would expose it directly to the internet, which contradicts the requirement for browser-based administrative access without a public IP. Azure Bastion provides secure RDP/SSH access via the Azure portal without a public IP.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question that asks for the simplest way to enable direct RDP or SSH access from the internet to a VM, with no requirement to avoid public IPs or provide browser-based access. For example: 'Which resource must be associated with a VM to allow direct RDP connections from the internet?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think a public IP is necessary for any remote access, overlooking Azure Bastion's ability to provide browser-based access without exposing the VM to the internet.
✗Azure Load BalancerWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Azure Load Balancer distributes incoming network traffic across multiple VMs, but it does not provide browser-based administrative access (RDP/SSH) to a VM without a public IP. It requires backend VMs to have routeable IPs or be reachable via other means.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
You need to distribute incoming web traffic across multiple VMs in a backend pool to ensure high availability and scalability for a web application. The VMs are in a virtual network, and you want to expose them via a single public endpoint.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think a load balancer can be used as a jump box or proxy for administrative access, confusing its traffic distribution role with a bastion host's secure access functionality.
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 VPNGateway, thinking both provide secure remote access, but Bastion is specifically for browser-based administrative sessions without a public IP, while VPN Gateway extends the network for full client-to-site or site-to-site connectivity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Bastion deploys a dedicated, fully managed PaaS service inside a virtual network, using a separate subnet named 'AzureBastionSubnet' (minimum /27). It uses TLS 1.2 to encrypt RDP/SSH traffic and relays clipboard, file transfer, and session recording features through the Azure portal, all while the VM remains isolated behind a network security group that only allows inbound traffic from the Bastion host on port 443.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
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 RDP/SSH connectivity to virtual machines directly in the Azure portal over TLS, without requiring a public IP address on the VM. It uses a hardened bastion host in your virtual network that brokers the connection, eliminating exposure of the VM to the internet.
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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Question Discussion
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