- A
Azure Load Balancer
Why wrong: Azure Load Balancer operates at Layer 4 and does not support SSL offloading, session persistence based on application cookies, or WAF.
- B
Azure Traffic Manager
Why wrong: Traffic Manager is a DNS-based traffic load balancer for global distribution; it does not offload SSL or provide WAF.
- C
Azure Application Gateway
Application Gateway is a Layer 7 load balancer that supports SSL termination, cookie-based session affinity, and includes a built-in Web Application Firewall for protection against web attacks.
- D
Azure Front Door
Why wrong: Azure Front Door is a global load balancer for multi-region scenarios; while it supports SSL offloading and WAF, it is designed for global traffic management, not regional load balancing across availability zones within a single region.
AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design infrastructure solutions. 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. A key principle to apply: azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer.. 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 deploys a web application on Azure virtual machines (VMs) across multiple availability zones. The application needs to automatically distribute incoming HTTPS traffic, offload SSL/TLS termination, and provide session persistence. Additionally, the solution must include a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against common web vulnerabilities. Which Azure load balancing solution should they use?
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 Application Gateway
Azure Application Gateway is the correct choice because it is a Layer 7 load balancer that can route HTTPS traffic, offload SSL/TLS termination, and provide session persistence (cookie-based affinity). It also natively integrates a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against common web vulnerabilities like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
Key principle: Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer.
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 Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Azure Load Balancer operates at Layer 4 and does not support SSL offloading, session persistence based on application cookies, or WAF.
- ✗
Azure Traffic Manager
Why it's wrong here
Traffic Manager is a DNS-based traffic load balancer for global distribution; it does not offload SSL or provide WAF.
- ✓
Azure Application Gateway
Why this is correct
Application Gateway is a Layer 7 load balancer that supports SSL termination, cookie-based session affinity, and includes a built-in Web Application Firewall for protection against web attacks.
Related concept
Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer.
- ✗
Azure Front Door
Why it's wrong here
Azure Front Door is a global load balancer for multi-region scenarios; while it supports SSL offloading and WAF, it is designed for global traffic management, not regional load balancing across availability zones within a single region.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Front Door with Application Gateway because both offer WAF and SSL offload, but Front Door is optimized for global multi-region traffic management, not for intra-region zone-resilient load balancing with session persistence, which is the specific requirement in this question.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Azure Front Door is a global load balancer for multi-region scenarios; while it supports SSL offloading and WAF, it is designed for global traffic management, not regional load balancing across availability zones within a single region.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Application Gateway uses a Layer 7 reverse proxy model, allowing it to inspect HTTP headers and cookies for session affinity (using Application Gateway Affinity cookies). It supports end-to-end TLS encryption or TLS termination at the gateway, reducing backend VM load. The WAF policy is based on the OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS) and can be configured in detection or prevention mode, blocking malicious traffic before it reaches the application.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer.
- It supports SSL/TLS termination (offloading) at the gateway.
- Includes an integrated Web Application Firewall (WAF) for web vulnerability protection.
- Provides cookie-based session affinity for persistent user sessions.
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
Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer., then practise related AZ-305 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Design infrastructure solutions — This question tests Design infrastructure solutions — Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Application Gateway — Azure Application Gateway is the correct choice because it is a Layer 7 load balancer that can route HTTPS traffic, offload SSL/TLS termination, and provide session persistence (cookie-based affinity). It also natively integrates a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against common web vulnerabilities like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Review azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer., then practise related AZ-305 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-305 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-305 exam.
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