AZ-104 Exam EP 26: Azure Application Gateway

Introduction

This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to understanding Azure Application Gateway, a critical component for managing web traffic in Azure environments. It will cover the key features, routing mechanisms, and components of the Application Gateway, helping you prepare for the AZ-104 exam and enhancing your cloud skills.

Step 1: Understanding Application Gateway

• Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications.
• It operates at the application layer (Layer 7), allowing for more sophisticated routing and load balancing based on HTTP requests.
• Key benefits include:
  • SSL termination to offload the SSL processing from your web servers.
  • URL-based routing to direct traffic based on specific URL paths.
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect your applications from common threats.

Step 2: Learning About Routing in Application Gateway

• Application Gateway uses routing rules to determine how incoming traffic is handled.
• Important routing concepts include:
  • Basic Routing: Directs requests to a specific backend pool based on the request URL.
  • Path-based Routing: Allows you to route traffic based on the path of the incoming request, directing users to different backend pools.
  • Multi-site Routing: Supports multiple sites on a single Application Gateway by using host headers to route traffic.

Step 3: Exploring Application Gateway Components

• Familiarize yourself with the main components of an Application Gateway:
  • Frontend IP Configuration: The public or private IP address that clients use to access your applications.
  • Backend Pools: Groups of backend servers that can serve the requests, which can be virtual machines or cloud services.
  • HTTP Settings: Configuration for how the Application Gateway communicates with your backend pool, including protocol and port settings.
  • Listeners: Define how to listen for incoming requests on specific ports and protocols.
  • Rules: Combine listeners and backend HTTP settings to determine traffic flow.

Step 4: Setting Up Application Gateway

• Follow these steps to set up an Application Gateway in Azure:
  1. Create an Application Gateway:
     • In the Azure portal, select "Create a resource" and search for "Application Gateway."
  2. Configure Basics:
     • Choose your subscription, resource group, and region.
  3. Frontend IP Configuration:
     • Select whether to use a public or private IP address.
  4. Backend Pool Configuration:
     • Add backend servers that will handle the incoming traffic.
  5. HTTP Settings:
     • Specify how the gateway interacts with the backend, including protocol and timeout settings.
  6. Listener Setup:
     • Create listeners to define how the gateway will listen to incoming requests.
  7. Routing Rules:
     • Set up routing rules that link listeners to backend pools and HTTP settings.

Step 5: Testing and Monitoring Your Application Gateway

• After setting up, ensure that you test your Application Gateway:
  • Use tools like Postman or a web browser to send requests to the frontend IP and verify that traffic is routed correctly.
  • Monitor metrics in the Azure portal to track performance, request counts, and potential errors.

Conclusion

Azure Application Gateway is a powerful tool for managing web traffic and enhancing application security. By understanding its components, routing mechanisms, and setup procedures, you can effectively leverage this service in your Azure environment. As a next step, consider exploring additional features such as the Web Application Firewall or integrating with Azure Monitor for advanced monitoring capabilities.