AZ-305 Question 183
Single answerA manufacturing company is building multiple microservices in Azure that expose APIs used by external partners. They require a unified entry point for all microservices with capabilities such as rate-limiting, usage analytics, and a developer portal for partner onboarding. Which Azure service should you recommend to meet these requirements?
- A
Use Azure Application Gateway with WAF to provide a single public endpoint for all microservices
- B
Implement Azure API Management in front of the microservices
- C
Convert the microservices into Azure Functions to handle external requests
- D
Use Azure Service Bus queues in front of each microservice to handle partner requests
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Azure API Management is the recommended service for scenarios requiring centralized policy enforcement, usage analytics, rate-limiting, and a developer portal for consumers. By placing API Management in front of the microservices, you can apply consistent policies, monitor usage, and simplify partner integration. For more details, refer to Microsoft's documentation on API Management at https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/api-management.
- A. Incorrect.
Option 1: While Azure Application Gateway (especially with WAF) can provide load balancing and security features, it does not natively offer advanced API management capabilities such as usage analytics, rate-limiting policies, and a built-in developer portal. It is more suited for Layer 7 routing and protection than for end-to-end API management.
- B. Correct.
Option 2: Azure API Management is specifically designed for unifying multiple APIs under a single endpoint and provides features such as rate-limiting, usage analytics, transformations, security policies, and a developer portal. It meets all the requirements in this scenario, making it the correct choice.
- C. Incorrect.
Option 3: Converting microservices into Azure Functions might reduce management overhead in some scenarios, but it does not inherently provide central API management features like rate-limiting, external usage analytics, or a self-service developer portal. This option also involves refactoring the existing microservices significantly, which may not be desirable or necessary.
- D. Incorrect.
Option 4: Azure Service Bus is more suited for asynchronous messaging and decoupling between services, not for providing a unified API endpoint or API management features. It does not address the need for a developer portal or rate-limiting for HTTP-based partner interactions.