- A
Azure Application Gateway with WAF.
Application Gateway is a regional Layer 7 load balancer that integrates WAF. It can be placed directly in front of App Service to inspect all incoming traffic. This is a cost-effective solution for a single-region application.
- B
Azure Front Door with WAF policy.
Why wrong: Azure Front Door is a global load balancer and application delivery network. It includes WAF, but it is designed for multi-region deployments and can be more expensive for a single-region application. Application Gateway is more appropriate here.
- C
Azure Firewall with application rules.
Why wrong: Azure Firewall is a stateful firewall that can filter traffic based on FQDN (application rules), but it does not include a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities. It is not a substitute for a WAF.
- D
Azure Traffic Manager.
Why wrong: Azure Traffic Manager is a DNS-based traffic load balancer. It does not have WAF capabilities and cannot inspect HTTP traffic. It simply routes DNS requests to different endpoints.
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. 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 is deploying a web application on Azure App Service. They need to guarantee that all traffic from the internet goes through a Web Application Firewall (WAF) before reaching the app. The solution must be cost-effective for a single application. Which Azure service should they place in front of the App Service?
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 with WAF.
Azure Application Gateway with WAF is the correct choice because it provides a regional, layer-7 load balancer with built-in Web Application Firewall capabilities, designed to protect web applications from common exploits and vulnerabilities. For a single application, it is more cost-effective than Azure Front Door, which is a global service with higher minimum costs and additional features not required here. Application Gateway can be deployed directly in front of App Service to inspect and filter all internet traffic before it reaches the app.
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.
- ✓
Azure Application Gateway with WAF.
Why this is correct
Application Gateway is a regional Layer 7 load balancer that integrates WAF. It can be placed directly in front of App Service to inspect all incoming traffic. This is a cost-effective solution for a single-region application.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Front Door with WAF policy.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Front Door is a global load balancer and application delivery network. It includes WAF, but it is designed for multi-region deployments and can be more expensive for a single-region application. Application Gateway is more appropriate here.
- ✗
Azure Firewall with application rules.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Firewall is a stateful firewall that can filter traffic based on FQDN (application rules), but it does not include a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities. It is not a substitute for a WAF.
- ✗
Azure Traffic Manager.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Traffic Manager is a DNS-based traffic load balancer. It does not have WAF capabilities and cannot inspect HTTP traffic. It simply routes DNS requests to different endpoints.
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, assuming Front Door is always the better choice for WAF, but the question's emphasis on cost-effectiveness for a single application points to the regional, lower-cost Application Gateway instead.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Application Gateway operates as a layer-7 reverse proxy, terminating SSL/TLS connections and inspecting HTTP/HTTPS traffic using its WAF SKU, which is based on the OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS). When placed in front of App Service, it can enforce path-based routing, cookie-based session affinity, and URL rewrite rules, while the WAF blocks malicious requests before they reach the backend. A subtle behavior is that Application Gateway can be configured to use private IP addresses for backend communication with App Service, ensuring traffic stays within the Azure backbone network.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Application Gateway with WAF. — Azure Application Gateway with WAF is the correct choice because it provides a regional, layer-7 load balancer with built-in Web Application Firewall capabilities, designed to protect web applications from common exploits and vulnerabilities. For a single application, it is more cost-effective than Azure Front Door, which is a global service with higher minimum costs and additional features not required here. Application Gateway can be deployed directly in front of App Service to inspect and filter all internet traffic before it reaches the app.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 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.
About these practice questions
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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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