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3.4.2. Azure Application Gateway and WAF

💡 First Principle: Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (application layer) load balancer. Web Application Firewall (WAF) protects against common web exploits like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

Scenario: You have web applications that need load balancing, SSL offloading, and protection against OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities.

Application Gateway Capabilities

FeatureDescription
SSL terminationOffload SSL processing from backend servers
URL-based routingRoute /api/* to API servers, /web/* to web servers
Host header routingRoute based on domain name
WAFProtection against web attacks
AutoscalingScale based on traffic

⚠️ Exam Trap: Deploying Application Gateway thinking it provides DDoS protection. WAF protects against application-layer attacks (OWASP), not volumetric DDoS attacks. Use DDoS Protection Standard for DDoS mitigation.

Alvin Varughese
Written byAlvin Varughese
Founder15 professional certifications