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.
This AZ-204 practice question tests your understanding of connect to and consume azure services and third-party services. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which THREE services can be used to implement a pub/sub messaging pattern in Azure?
Azure Service Bus Topics
Topics support multiple subscribers.
Azure Notification Hubs
Why wrong: Notification Hubs is for push notifications to mobile devices.
Azure Queue Storage
Why wrong: Queue Storage is a point-to-point messaging service.
Azure Event Grid
Event Grid is a fully managed event routing service.
Azure Event Hubs
Event Hubs supports multiple consumer groups for pub/sub.
Answer choices
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
Options B, C, and E are correct. Service Bus Topics, Event Grid, and Event Hubs support pub/sub. Option A is wrong because Queue Storage is point-to-point. Option D is wrong because Notification Hubs is for push notifications.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
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.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Azure Event Hubs
Why this is correct
Event Hubs supports multiple consumer groups for pub/sub.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related AZ-204 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services — This question tests Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Azure Service Bus Topics — Options B, C, and E are correct. Service Bus Topics, Event Grid, and Event Hubs support pub/sub. Option A is wrong because Queue Storage is point-to-point. Option D is wrong because Notification Hubs is for push notifications.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related AZ-204 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
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?
mediumWhy A: Options B and D are correct. Service Bus Topics support pub/sub with multiple subscribers. Event Grid also supports pub/sub with event subscriptions. Option A (Queue Storage) is point-to-point; Option C (Event Hubs) is for event streaming, but can be used for pub/sub; Option E (Blob Storage) is not messaging.
Variation 2. Which TWO Azure services can be used to implement a publish-subscribe messaging pattern?
easyWhy B: Azure Service Bus Topics and Azure Event Grid both support publish-subscribe. Event Hubs is for event streaming, not pub-sub. Queue Storage is for point-to-point messaging. Notification Hubs is for push notifications.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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