AZ-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
Which of the following correctly describes Azure's approach to pricing for data transfer?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume all data transfer is free or uniformly priced, overlooking Azure's specific policy of free inbound and charged outbound, which is a common cloud pricing pattern tested in AZ-900.
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
✓
Inbound data to Azure is free; outbound data transfer incurs charges
Azure charges for outbound data transfer (egress) from Azure data centers to the internet or other regions, while inbound data transfer (ingress) into Azure is free. This pricing model encourages customers to move data into Azure without upfront cost, but charges apply when data leaves Azure's network, reflecting the bandwidth costs incurred by Microsoft.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
All data transfer (inbound and outbound) is charged at the same rate
Why it's wrong here
A single flat rate cannot apply to both directions because Azure does not charge for inbound data at all; only outbound transfers are billable. Furthermore, the outbound price varies with the source region's zone, cumulative monthly volume, and destination type, such as internet or another Azure region. Thus there is no 'same rate' for all transfer, and inbound traffic is completely excluded from the rate card.
- ✓
Inbound data to Azure is free; outbound data transfer incurs charges
Why this is correct
Azure uses an asymmetric billing model: data entering Azure (ingress) is free, but data leaving an Azure region (egress) is metered and billed per gigabyte. For example, uploading a virtual hard disk to Azure storage incurs no network charge, while downloading that same VHD or transferring it to another region creates an egress bill. This is why inbound migration workloads are often more economical than outbound data retrieval or inter-region replication.
- ✗
Data transfer is entirely free within Azure regardless of direction or region
Why it's wrong here
Azure does not provide free data transfer for every direction and region. While inbound data entering an Azure datacenter is unmetered, outbound data to the internet and traffic moving between Azure regions are metered and billed per gigabyte. Even traffic that stays on Microsoft's backbone, such as cross-region replication, generates egress charges, so the claim that all transfer is free 'regardless of direction or region' is false.
- ✗
Data transfer is charged based on the speed of the transfer, not the amount
Why it's wrong here
Azure bills data transfer based on the total volume of data moved, measured in gigabytes, not on the speed or throughput of the connection. A higher-bandwidth link may transfer the same amount of data in less time, but the cost is calculated from the cumulative gigabytes leaving the region. Transfer speed is a network performance attribute, not a pricing dimension, so Microsoft's pricing meter never uses Mbps or Gbps as a unit.
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