- A
Deploy an Azure Front Door with WAF policy in front of the AKS cluster. Use Azure Private Link to connect Front Door to the internal load balancer of AKS.
Why wrong: Front Door is global; for regional traffic it adds latency. Private Link adds cost and complexity. Not optimal for a single-region deployment.
- B
Deploy an Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF in front of the AKS cluster. Configure Application Gateway Ingress Controller (AGIC) to route traffic to the services.
Application Gateway v2 provides managed WAF, SSL termination, autoscaling, and path-based routing. AGIC simplifies ingress configuration.
- C
Deploy an Azure Load Balancer with a public IP and install an NGINX ingress controller on AKS. Configure SSL termination on NGINX and use a third-party WAF.
Why wrong: This option requires manual management of NGINX and a third-party WAF, increasing operational overhead.
- D
Deploy an Azure API Management instance with WAF and expose the microservices through API endpoints. Use Azure Application Gateway as a reverse proxy.
Why wrong: API Management adds unnecessary features (API management, rate limiting) and complexity; the requirement does not mention API management.
Quick Answer
The answer is Option A, deploying an Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF in front of the AKS cluster and configuring the Application Gateway Ingress Controller (AGIC). This solution directly meets every requirement because Application Gateway v2 provides native SSL offloading, automatic scaling, and a managed Web Application Firewall, while AGIC enables seamless path-based routing to different microservices like /api and /web by translating Kubernetes ingress resources into Application Gateway routing rules. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to choose a fully managed, PaaS-based ingress solution that minimizes operational overhead—a common trap is overcomplicating the design with Azure Front Door or API Management when the requirement is for a single-region, high-performance ingress with WAF. Remember the memory tip: "AGIC sticks the path" to remind you that AGIC handles path-based routing automatically, making Application Gateway the natural choice for secure, scalable AKS ingress.
AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design infrastructure solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Your company is designing a new cloud-native application on Azure that consists of multiple microservices running on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). The application must be accessible from the internet via a custom domain name (app.contoso.com) and must support SSL/TLS termination. You need to design a secure ingress solution that provides Web Application Firewall (WAF) capabilities, SSL offloading, and automatic scaling. The solution should also support path-based routing to different microservices (e.g., /api, /web). You have the following options: Option A: Deploy an Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF in front of the AKS cluster. Configure Application Gateway Ingress Controller (AGIC) to route traffic to the services. Option B: Deploy an Azure Load Balancer with a public IP and install an NGINX ingress controller on AKS. Configure SSL termination on NGINX and use a third-party WAF. Option C: Deploy an Azure Front Door with WAF policy in front of the AKS cluster. Use Azure Private Link to connect Front Door to the internal load balancer of AKS. Option D: Deploy an Azure API Management instance with WAF and expose the microservices through API endpoints. Use Azure Application Gateway as a reverse proxy. Which option best meets the requirements for a high-performance, integrated, and managed solution with minimal operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Deploy an Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF in front of the AKS cluster. Configure Application Gateway Ingress Controller (AGIC) to route traffic to the services.
Option A is correct because Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF provides managed WAF, SSL offloading, automatic scaling, and path-based routing. AGIC simplifies integration with AKS. Option B involves more operational overhead (managing NGINX and third-party WAF). Option C, Azure Front Door, is a global load balancer; it can work but introduces additional latency for regional traffic and requires Private Link, increasing complexity. Option D adds unnecessary complexity with API Management; the requirement does not include API management features.
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.
- ✗
Deploy an Azure Front Door with WAF policy in front of the AKS cluster. Use Azure Private Link to connect Front Door to the internal load balancer of AKS.
Why it's wrong here
Front Door is global; for regional traffic it adds latency. Private Link adds cost and complexity. Not optimal for a single-region deployment.
- ✓
Deploy an Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF in front of the AKS cluster. Configure Application Gateway Ingress Controller (AGIC) to route traffic to the services.
Why this is correct
Application Gateway v2 provides managed WAF, SSL termination, autoscaling, and path-based routing. AGIC simplifies ingress configuration.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Deploy an Azure Load Balancer with a public IP and install an NGINX ingress controller on AKS. Configure SSL termination on NGINX and use a third-party WAF.
Why it's wrong here
This option requires manual management of NGINX and a third-party WAF, increasing operational overhead.
- ✗
Deploy an Azure API Management instance with WAF and expose the microservices through API endpoints. Use Azure Application Gateway as a reverse proxy.
Why it's wrong here
API Management adds unnecessary features (API management, rate limiting) and complexity; the requirement does not mention API management.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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: Deploy an Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF in front of the AKS cluster. Configure Application Gateway Ingress Controller (AGIC) to route traffic to the services. — Option A is correct because Azure Application Gateway v2 with WAF provides managed WAF, SSL offloading, automatic scaling, and path-based routing. AGIC simplifies integration with AKS. Option B involves more operational overhead (managing NGINX and third-party WAF). Option C, Azure Front Door, is a global load balancer; it can work but introduces additional latency for regional traffic and requires Private Link, increasing complexity. Option D adds unnecessary complexity with API Management; the requirement does not include API management features.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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