AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
Which Azure service translates domain names to IP addresses for routing internet traffic?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse Azure Traffic Manager (which uses DNS for traffic routing) with the actual DNS resolution service, mistakenly thinking Traffic Manager translates domain names to IP addresses, when in fact it only redirects traffic based on DNS responses.
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 DNS
Azure DNS is the correct service because it provides domain name resolution, translating human-readable domain names (e.g., www.example.com) into IP addresses using the DNS protocol. This is the fundamental function of a DNS service, enabling internet traffic to be routed to the correct destination based on the resolved IP address.
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 Traffic Manager
Why it's wrong here
Azure Traffic Manager is a DNS-based traffic load balancer that routes incoming traffic across endpoints, but it does not host DNS zones or provide general domain name resolution. It depends on Azure DNS or another DNS provider for record hosting, because Traffic Manager merely uses DNS responses to direct clients. Therefore, it cannot replace Azure DNS for resolving a public domain name to an IP address.
- ✓
Azure DNS
Why this is correct
Azure DNS is the exact correct answer because it provides a global, authoritative DNS hosting service where you can manage your public domain zones and record sets. It uses Azure's anycast nameserver infrastructure to answer queries quickly and reliably, resolving domain names to IP addresses for internet-facing services. This is the exact function described in the question, and the other services lack this core DNS hosting capability.
- ✗
Azure Private DNS
Why it's wrong here
Azure Private DNS is designed specifically for name resolution inside an Azure virtual network, serving records in a private DNS zone that cannot be queried from the public internet. It does not host public-facing domains or resolve internet-based names globally, which is the core function of Azure DNS. As a result, it is only applicable to internal workloads, not for assigning a domain name to a public IP address.
- ✗
Azure Application Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Azure Application Gateway is a layer-7 load balancer that operates on HTTP/HTTPS requests, applying rules like URL path routing and SSL termination to distribute web traffic. It does not participate in DNS resolution or host authoritative DNS records, so it has no role in translating a domain name into an IP address. Thus, while it improves application delivery, it is not an alternative to Azure DNS.
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Azure Regions and Geographies
Key term
Azure DNS
Azure DNS is a cloud-based service that lets you host and manage your domain name system (DNS) records using Microsoft's global infrastructure, so your website or app can be reached by people using easy-to-remember names instead of IP addresses.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-900 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-900 exam.