- A
Azure Front Door with WAF, Azure SQL Database point-in-time restore, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with private endpoint, AKS with HPA, Azure Log Analytics agent, Microsoft Entra ID
Why wrong: Point-in-time restore cannot meet 5-minute RPO.
- B
Azure Front Door with WAF, Azure SQL Database geo-replication, Azure Key Vault (Standard), Azure App Service with private endpoint, AKS with HPA, Azure Diagnostics extension, Microsoft Entra ID
Why wrong: Azure Front Door WAF is not fully integrated with App Service for all web attacks; Standard Key Vault lacks auto-rotation.
- C
Azure Application Gateway with WAF, Azure SQL Database active geo-replication, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with VNet integration, AKS with cluster autoscaler, Azure Monitor Agent, Microsoft Entra ID
Meets all requirements.
- D
Azure Application Gateway with WAF, Azure SQL Database failover groups, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with service endpoint, AKS with HPA, Azure Monitor Agent, Microsoft Entra ID
Why wrong: Service endpoints are less secure than VNet integration; failover groups have higher RPO.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is a combination of Azure Application Gateway with WAF, Azure SQL Database active geo-replication, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with VNet integration, AKS with cluster autoscaler, Azure Monitor Agent, and Microsoft Entra ID. This solution meets every requirement because Azure Application Gateway’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) blocks SQL injection and XSS at the application layer, while active geo-replication on Azure SQL Database achieves an RPO of just 5 seconds—well under the 5-minute limit—and an RTO under one hour through automatic failover. Customer-managed keys (CMK) are stored in Azure Key Vault Managed HSM for FIPS 140-2 Level 3 compliance, and VNet integration ensures all traffic between App Service, AKS, and SQL Database stays on the Microsoft backbone. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between WAF-capable services (Application Gateway vs. Front Door) and disaster recovery options (geo-replication vs. point-in-time restore). A common trap is choosing Azure Firewall, which lacks application-layer inspection, or Front Door, which only provides WAF at the global edge. Memory tip: “WAF on the App, geo-rep for the DB, HSM for the keys, and VNet for the backbone.”
AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design infrastructure solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
You are a solutions architect for a financial services company. The company is deploying a new critical application on Azure that processes sensitive customer transactions. The application consists of an ASP.NET Core web app (Azure App Service), a REST API (Azure Kubernetes Service), and an Azure SQL Database. The requirements are:
- All data at rest must be encrypted using customer-managed keys (CMK) stored in a managed HSM. - All network traffic between components must be encrypted and traverse the Microsoft backbone network. - The web app must be protected against common web attacks (SQL injection, XSS). - The solution must automatically scale the API based on CPU utilization. - All API calls must be authenticated using OAuth 2.0 with Microsoft Entra ID. - Logs from all components must be sent to a central Log Analytics workspace for analysis. - The solution must have a recovery time objective (RTO) of 1 hour and recovery point objective (RPO) of 5 minutes for the database.
Which combination of Azure services should you recommend to meet ALL requirements?
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 SQL Database active geo-replication, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with VNet integration, AKS with cluster autoscaler, Azure Monitor Agent, Microsoft Entra ID
Option C is correct because it includes all required services: Azure Application Gateway with WAF for web protection, Azure SQL Database active geo-replication for DR with RPO=5s, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM for CMK, Azure App Service with VNet integration for private connectivity, Azure Kubernetes Service with cluster autoscaler for API scaling, Azure Monitor Agent for log collection, and Microsoft Entra ID for authentication. Option A is wrong because Azure Front Door does not provide WAF at the application layer for SQL injection. Option B is wrong because Azure Firewall is not a WAF. Option D is wrong because Azure SQL Database point-in-time restore cannot meet RPO of 5 minutes.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Azure Front Door with WAF, Azure SQL Database point-in-time restore, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with private endpoint, AKS with HPA, Azure Log Analytics agent, Microsoft Entra ID
Why it's wrong here
Point-in-time restore cannot meet 5-minute RPO.
- ✗
Azure Front Door with WAF, Azure SQL Database geo-replication, Azure Key Vault (Standard), Azure App Service with private endpoint, AKS with HPA, Azure Diagnostics extension, Microsoft Entra ID
Why it's wrong here
Azure Front Door WAF is not fully integrated with App Service for all web attacks; Standard Key Vault lacks auto-rotation.
- ✓
Azure Application Gateway with WAF, Azure SQL Database active geo-replication, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with VNet integration, AKS with cluster autoscaler, Azure Monitor Agent, Microsoft Entra ID
Why this is correct
Meets all requirements.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Azure Application Gateway with WAF, Azure SQL Database failover groups, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with service endpoint, AKS with HPA, Azure Monitor Agent, Microsoft Entra ID
Why it's wrong here
Service endpoints are less secure than VNet integration; failover groups have higher RPO.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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-305 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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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 — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Application Gateway with WAF, Azure SQL Database active geo-replication, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM, Azure App Service with VNet integration, AKS with cluster autoscaler, Azure Monitor Agent, Microsoft Entra ID — Option C is correct because it includes all required services: Azure Application Gateway with WAF for web protection, Azure SQL Database active geo-replication for DR with RPO=5s, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM for CMK, Azure App Service with VNet integration for private connectivity, Azure Kubernetes Service with cluster autoscaler for API scaling, Azure Monitor Agent for log collection, and Microsoft Entra ID for authentication. Option A is wrong because Azure Front Door does not provide WAF at the application layer for SQL injection. Option B is wrong because Azure Firewall is not a WAF. Option D is wrong because Azure SQL Database point-in-time restore cannot meet RPO of 5 minutes.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
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-305 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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