Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services →mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
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 supports a pub/sub pattern by allowing multiple subscriptions to receive copies of messages sent to a topic. Each subscription acts as a logical queue, and messages are automatically routed to all subscriptions that match the filtering rules, enabling decoupled communication between publishers and subscribers.
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
Topics support multiple subscribers.
- ✗
Azure Notification Hubs
Why it's wrong here
Notification Hubs is for push notifications to mobile devices.
- ✗
Azure Queue Storage
Why it's wrong here
Queue Storage is a point-to-point messaging service.
- ✓
Azure Event Grid
Why this is correct
Event Grid is a fully managed event routing service.
- ✓
Azure Event Hubs
Why this is correct
Event Hubs supports multiple consumer groups for pub/sub.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Azure Functions Development
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.
Key term
Azure Service Bus
Azure Service Bus is a cloud-based message broker that allows applications, services, and devices to send and receive messages reliably, even when they are not all running at the same time.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every AZ-204 question from scratch — 881 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 supports a publish/subscribe pattern through its topic and subscription model. Publishers send messages to a topic, and multiple subscriptions can independently receive copies of each message, enabling fan-out delivery to multiple consumers. This is the core pub/sub mechanism in Azure Service Bus.
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 Service Bus Topics (Option D) natively implement a publish-subscribe pattern by allowing multiple subscriptions to receive copies of messages sent to a topic. Azure Event Grid (Option B) is a fully managed event routing service that uses a publish-subscribe model, where publishers send events and subscribers handle them via webhooks or Azure services. Both support decoupled communication with multiple receivers.
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.