The correct answer is the rate limit policy. This policy is the right choice because it enforces a per-subscription key rate limit of exactly 100 requests per minute, counting each call against the specified duration and blocking further requests with a 429 Too Many Requests response once the threshold is exceeded. On the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate AZ-204 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between rate-limit (per key) and quota (total volume) policies, a common trap where candidates confuse the two. The rate-limit policy resets every minute, making it ideal for short-term throttling per subscription, while quota policies track cumulative usage over longer periods like days or months. A useful memory tip: think of "rate" as a speed limit per minute, and "quota" as a monthly data cap—rate-limit is your go-to for per-subscription, per-minute control.
AZ-204 Practice Question: Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services
This AZ-204 practice question tests your understanding of connect to and consume azure services and third-party services. 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 company exposes an internal REST API to external partners using Azure API Management. They need to enforce a rate limit of 100 requests per minute per subscription. Which policy should they add?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Rate limit policy
The Rate limit policy (option B) is correct because it enforces a per-subscription key rate limit of 100 requests per minute, which is exactly what the scenario requires. Azure API Management's rate-limit policy counts requests against the specified duration and blocks additional calls once the limit is exceeded, returning a 429 Too Many Requests response.
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.
✗
CORS policy
Why it's wrong here
CORS policy controls which origins can call the API, not the frequency of requests.
✓
Rate limit policy
Why this is correct
The rate-limit policy limits API call rates per subscription or key, enforcing the specified limit per time window.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Throttling policy
Why it's wrong here
Throttling policy limits overall call rates or bandwidth but is not scoped per subscription like rate-limit.
✗
Validate JWT policy
Why it's wrong here
Validate JWT policy ensures that incoming requests have a valid JSON Web Token, but it does not control request frequency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the 'rate-limit' policy (per-subscription, fixed window) with the 'throttling' policy (rate-limit-by-key, per-key or per-identity), but the question's requirement for 'per subscription' directly maps to the rate-limit policy, not the throttling policy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The rate-limit policy in Azure API Management uses a sliding window counter algorithm to track requests per subscription key, and when the limit is exceeded, it returns HTTP 429 with a Retry-After header. Under the hood, the policy stores counters in a distributed cache (Redis) across API Management instances, ensuring accurate enforcement even in multi-region deployments. A subtle behavior is that the rate-limit policy resets at the start of each time window, not on a rolling basis, which can cause burst traffic at window boundaries.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-204 question in full detail.
Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services — This question tests Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Rate limit policy — The Rate limit policy (option B) is correct because it enforces a per-subscription key rate limit of 100 requests per minute, which is exactly what the scenario requires. Azure API Management's rate-limit policy counts requests against the specified duration and blocks additional calls once the limit is exceeded, returning a 429 Too Many Requests response.
What should I do if I get this AZ-204 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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