AZ-700 Question 173
Single answerYou have a mission-critical web application deployed in multiple Azure regions to serve users worldwide. You want to provide a single global endpoint that directs each user to the nearest region for minimal latency, while also offering SSL offloading and web application firewall (WAF) capabilities at Layer 7. Which Azure load balancing solution best meets these requirements?
- A
Azure Load Balancer Standard
- B
Azure Front Door
- C
Azure Application Gateway
- D
Azure Traffic Manager
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Azure Front Door is designed to handle global load balancing with Layer 7 routing, SSL offloading, and an integrated WAF in a single service. This makes it ideal for scenarios where you have multi-region deployments and need a single globally accessible endpoint. In contrast, Azure Load Balancer and Application Gateway address regional load balancing, and Azure Traffic Manager provides only DNS-based global routing without advanced Layer 7 features. Refer to Microsoft's documentation on Azure Front Door (https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/frontdoor/) for additional details on global load balancing and security capabilities.
- A. Incorrect.
Azure Load Balancer Standard is a regional service that operates at Layer 4 (TCP/UDP), offering inbound and outbound traffic load balancing within a single region. It does not provide global routing or built-in WAF/SSL offloading at Layer 7.
- B. Correct.
Azure Front Door is a global, Layer 7 load balancing solution that provides a single global endpoint, dynamic routing to the closest region, SSL offloading, and an integrated WAF for web applications. This aligns with the scenario requirements for global presence and security features.
- C. Incorrect.
Azure Application Gateway provides Layer 7 load balancing with WAF and SSL offloading, but it is primarily a regional service. While it can distribute traffic across multiple backends in a region or across zones, it is not intended for global load balancing to multiple regions under a single global endpoint.
- D. Incorrect.
Azure Traffic Manager is a global DNS-based routing service that can direct users to the nearest endpoint, but it does not provide Layer 7 functionality such as SSL offloading or WAF. It also relies on DNS redirection rather than instantly routing traffic at the HTTP/HTTPS level.