AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure architecture and services. 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.
Which Azure service provides application-level, request-based routing with session persistence for web workloads?
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
Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer that provides application-level, request-based routing based on URL path, host headers, or other HTTP attributes. It also supports session persistence (also known as sticky sessions) using cookies, which ensures that all requests from a client during a session are directed to the same backend server. This makes it the correct choice for web workloads requiring request-level routing and session affinity.
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 Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Load Balancer provides layer 4 (TCP/UDP) load balancing without session persistence or URL-based routing.
✓
Azure Application Gateway
Why this is correct
Application Gateway provides layer 7 load balancing with URL routing, session affinity, SSL termination, and WAF.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Front Door provides global layer 7 load balancing; Application Gateway operates regionally.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Load Balancer (Layer 4) with Azure Application Gateway (Layer 7), assuming all load balancers provide application-level routing and session persistence, but only Layer 7 services like Application Gateway can inspect HTTP headers and manage cookie-based affinity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Application Gateway uses a cookie-based session affinity mechanism (Application Gateway Affinity Cookie) to bind a client session to a specific backend server, which is critical for stateful applications like shopping carts or login portals. Under the hood, it supports URL path-based routing (e.g., /images/* to one pool, /api/* to another) and can offload SSL termination, reducing backend server load. A real-world scenario is an e-commerce site where the checkout process requires the same server to handle all requests from a user to maintain cart state, which Application Gateway's sticky sessions enable.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-900 question in full detail.
Describe Azure architecture and services — This question tests Describe Azure architecture and services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Application Gateway — Azure Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer that provides application-level, request-based routing based on URL path, host headers, or other HTTP attributes. It also supports session persistence (also known as sticky sessions) using cookies, which ensures that all requests from a client during a session are directed to the same backend server. This makes it the correct choice for web workloads requiring request-level routing and session affinity.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 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.
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Question Discussion
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