The answer is Azure Bastion, a fully managed PaaS service that provides secure browser-based RDP and SSH access to Azure virtual machines without requiring public IP addresses. This is correct because Azure Bastion deploys directly into your virtual network and establishes TLS-encrypted connections through the Azure portal’s HTML5 interface, allowing you to reach VMs privately without exposing them to the internet. On the AZ-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of secure remote access solutions and often appears as a scenario where a company needs to manage VMs from a browser while avoiding public endpoints. A common trap is confusing Azure Bastion with a jump box or VPN gateway—remember that Bastion is PaaS, not IaaS, and requires no public IPs on the VMs. For a memory tip, think of Bastion as a “secure browser bridge” that keeps your VMs hidden inside the virtual network.
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 secure access to Azure virtual machines using an HTML5 browser-based RDP and SSH connection without requiring public IP addresses?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Bastion
Azure Bastion is a fully managed PaaS service that provides secure and seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to Azure virtual machines directly through the Azure portal using an HTML5-based browser. It eliminates the need for public IP addresses on the VMs, as the connection is established over TLS within the same virtual network, bypassing exposure to the internet.
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 VPN Gateway
Why it's wrong here
VPNGateway provides network-level connectivity; Bastion specifically provides browser-based RDP/SSH without VMs having public IPs.
✓
Azure Bastion
Why this is correct
Bastion provides browser-based RDP/SSH to VMs via TLS without requiring public IP addresses on the VMs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Private Link
Why it's wrong here
Private Link provides private access to Azure services; Bastion specifically handles VM management access.
✗
Azure Active Directory Application Proxy
Why it's wrong here
AD Application Proxy provides remote access to on-premises web apps; Bastion handles VM RDP/SSH access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Bastion with Azure VPNGateway or Azure AD Application Proxy, assuming any remote access solution can provide browser-based RDP/SSH without public IPs, but only Bastion is designed specifically for this purpose within Azure.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Bastion provisions a hardened RDP/SSHgateway inside the virtual network, using a dedicated subnet named 'AzureBastionSubnet' with a minimum /27 prefix. The service uses TLS 1.2 to encrypt the session between the browser and the Bastion host, which then forwards the RDP (port 3389) or SSH (port 22) traffic to the target VM over the private network, ensuring no public IP is needed on the VM. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for compliance with security policies that forbid public exposure of management ports.
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 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.
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 Bastion — Azure Bastion is a fully managed PaaS service that provides secure and seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to Azure virtual machines directly through the Azure portal using an HTML5-based browser. It eliminates the need for public IP addresses on the VMs, as the connection is established over TLS within the same virtual network, bypassing exposure to the internet.
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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