Which Azure Services Support Pub/Sub Messaging?
Which THREE services can be used to implement a pub/sub messaging pattern in Azure?
Quick Answer
The answer is Azure Service Bus Topics, Azure Event Grid, and Azure Event Hubs. These three services are correct because each implements a true publish-subscribe messaging pattern where multiple subscribers can independently receive copies of the same message from a single publisher, decoupling the sender from the receivers. Service Bus Topics use subscriptions and filters for selective message routing, Event Grid provides a highly scalable event-driven model with topic-based filtering, and Event Hubs supports multiple consumer groups for parallel stream processing. On the AZ-204 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between messaging patterns—a common trap is confusing Queue Storage (point-to-point) or Notification Hubs (push-only) with pub/sub. Remember that any service with "Topic" or "Event" in its name is likely pub/sub capable, while "Queue" implies one-to-one consumption. A helpful memory tip: think of the three "E" services—Event Hubs, Event Grid, and Service Bus Topics—as your pub/sub toolkit for the exam.
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse Azure Queue Storage (point-to-point) with a pub/sub service, or mistakenly think Notification Hubs supports pub/sub because it broadcasts to many devices, but it lacks subscriber-managed subscriptions and message retention for independent consumption.
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 Service Bus Topics
Azure Service Bus Topics (A) implement pub/sub natively: a topic receives messages and multiple subscriptions (with filters/rules) each get a copy, decoupling publishers from subscribers. Azure Event Grid (D) is a pub/sub event-routing service where publishers emit events to topics and subscribers receive them via event subscriptions (webhooks, Functions, queues, etc.). Azure Event Hubs (E) is a publish/subscribe event-streaming platform using partitions and consumer groups, so multiple consumers can independently read the same stream. Azure Notification Hubs (B) is a push-notification broadcast service to mobile devices, not a general pub/sub messaging broker. Azure Queue Storage (C) is point-to-point queue messaging where each message is consumed once, so it does not provide the fan-out semantics of pub/sub.
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 Service Bus Topics
Why this is correct
Service Bus Topics implement pub/sub through a topic with multiple subscriptions, each receiving a copy of every message. This satisfies the stem's requirement for a publish/subscribe pattern, unlike queues, which deliver each message to a single consumer.
- ✗
Azure Notification Hubs
Why it's wrong here
Notification Hubs pushes mobile notifications to tagged device registrations; it has no topic subscriptions for decoupled application components. It is tempting because its tag-based broadcast resembles publish/subscribe, and it would be correct when the subscribers are mobile apps receiving platform push notifications.
- ✗
Azure Queue Storage
Why it's wrong here
Queue Storage is point-to-point: each message is consumed by one receiver and deleted, so every subscriber cannot get a copy. It is tempting because it decouples producers from consumers, and it would be correct for load-levelling work distribution among competing worker roles.
- ✓
Azure Event Grid
Why this is correct
Azure Event Grid delivers discrete event notifications to subscribers through push-based delivery, using topics and event subscriptions to route each event to multiple handlers. It satisfies the pub/sub requirement by decoupling publishers from subscribers, supporting filtered fan-out at scale, and integrating natively with Microsoft Entra ID for authentication and authorisation.
- ✓
Azure Event Hubs
Why this is correct
Event Hubs implements pub/sub via partitions and consumer groups, letting multiple independent consumers read the same stream at their own pace. This decouples publishers from subscribers, satisfying the stem's requirement for a pub/sub messaging pattern.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Event Grid CloudEvents Schema
Key term
Azure Queue Storage
Azure Queue Storage is a cloud service for storing and retrieving large numbers of messages that can be accessed from anywhere, enabling asynchronous communication between application components.
Key term
Azure Relay
Azure Relay is a cloud service that securely exposes on-premises web services to the public internet or other cloud applications without opening firewall ports.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on AZ-204
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO Azure services can be used to implement a pub/sub messaging pattern?
medium- ✓ A.Azure Service Bus Topics
- B.Azure Blob Storage
- C.Azure Event Hubs
- D.Azure Queue Storage
- ✓ E.Azure Event Grid
Why A: Azure Service Bus Topics (A) is correct because a topic supports the publish/subscribe pattern: publishers send messages to the topic, and multiple independent subscriptions (with optional filters/rules) each receive a copy, enabling one-to-many fan-out. Azure Event Grid (E) is correct because it is a fully managed event-routing service built on a publish/subscribe model, where publishers emit events to topics and event subscriptions push those events to multiple subscribers via handlers such as Functions, Logic Apps, or webhooks. Azure Blob Storage (B) is object storage, not a messaging broker, so it does not provide pub/sub semantics. Azure Queue Storage (D) implements point-to-point queuing where each message is consumed by a single receiver, not fan-out pub/sub. Azure Event Hubs (C) is a high-throughput event-streaming/ingestion service using partitions and consumer groups; while it supports multiple consumers reading a stream, it is designed for telemetry streaming rather than the classic pub/sub topic-subscription model, so it is not marked correct here.
Variation 2. Which TWO Azure services can be used to implement a publish-subscribe messaging pattern?
easy- A.Azure Queue Storage
- ✓ B.Azure Event Grid
- C.Azure Notification Hubs
- ✓ D.Azure Service Bus Topics
- E.Azure Event Hubs
Why B: Azure Event Grid (B) is correct because it is a fully managed event-routing service built on a publish-subscribe model, where publishers emit events to topics and subscribers receive them via event subscriptions with filters and push delivery. Azure Service Bus Topics (D) is correct because a topic implements the pub/sub pattern: senders publish messages to the topic and multiple subscriptions (each with its own filters and rules) receive independent copies, unlike a Service Bus Queue which is point-to-point. Azure Queue Storage (A) is not correct because it provides simple point-to-point queue messaging where each message is consumed by a single receiver, not broadcast to multiple subscribers. Azure Notification Hubs (C) is not correct because it is a push-notification broadcast/engagement service for mobile devices (targeting tags, platforms), not a general pub/sub messaging broker. Azure Event Hubs (E) is not correct because it is a high-throughput event-streaming ingestion service based on partitions and consumer groups, where consumers pull from the stream rather than receiving independent subscription copies as in pub/sub.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-204 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-204 exam.