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Azure Application Gateway review

#9 of 31 in Load Balancer Services

A capable Azure gateway for Layer 7 routing, TLS handling, and WAF-enabled traffic management.

8.3/10Editor score
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Azure Application Gateway8.3 Visit Microsoft

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Azure Application Gateway is a managed load-balancing service for web applications running in Azure and connected networks. It is suited to teams that need application-layer HTTP routing alongside supported Layer 4 TCP/TLS proxying. The current v2 service supports TLS termination, end-to-end TLS, cookie-based session affinity, URL path-based routing, multisite hosting, backend health probes, autoscaling, zone redundancy, and Web Application Firewall integration. It can route traffic to Azure virtual machines, scale sets, App Service, Container Apps, IP addresses, FQDNs, and connected on-premises or external servers.

Pricing is paid and organized around three plans. Basic uses the Application Gateway v2 SKU with fixed gateway-hour and capacity-unit billing. Standard_v2 adds autoscaling, zone redundancy, and a static VIP. WAF_v2 combines Web Application Firewall integration with autoscaling and zone redundancy. The published plans make the main distinction clear: Standard_v2 emphasizes scaling and availability, while WAF_v2 adds the WAF capability for applications that need that layer of protection. There is no free plan, so it is intended for deployments with an operating budget for managed gateway infrastructure.

Its strongest fit is an Azure-centered application estate. Integrations include Azure Web Application Firewall, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Key Vault, Azure App Service, Azure Container Apps, Azure Virtual Machines, and Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets. AKS ingress support and routing across Azure and connected networks make it practical for mixed application environments. Choose it when Layer 7 control, TLS handling, session affinity, and Azure integration matter more than DNS-based traffic steering. Teams needing DNS traffic steering or a free entry tier should consider an alternative, and larger deployments should account for the published 1,200-backend target limit.

Azure Application Gateway pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Layer 7 routing with URL paths and multisite hosting
    • Autoscaling, zone redundancy, and backend health probes
    • AKS, App Service, Key Vault, and WAF integrations
  • Where it doesn't
    • Paid service with no free plan
    • Backend target limit of 1,200
    • Does not provide DNS traffic steering

Azure Application Gateway fact sheet, pricing and score →

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