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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteAzure Traffic Manager routes application traffic by returning DNS answers; it does not proxy the connection between a client and your application. The best routing method depends on the policy you need—backup order, weighted distribution, latency, regional rules, multiple IP choices, or source-IP ranges—and DNS caching means changes are not necessarily visible immediately.
How Azure Traffic Manager routes traffic
A client asks its recursive DNS resolver for an application name. The DNS query reaches Traffic Manager, which selects an enabled endpoint according to the profile’s routing method and health-monitoring results. Traffic Manager returns DNS information; the resolver resolves the endpoint name, and the client connects directly to that endpoint. Traffic Manager is not in the data path for the application connection.
Microsoft Learn describes Traffic Manager as operating at the DNS level, which is at the Application layer (Layer 7). That describes where the DNS decision occurs; it does not mean Traffic Manager handles each application request. It supports endpoints outside Azure as well as Azure-hosted endpoints, making it an option for hybrid deployments and migrations. Microsoft’s Traffic Manager overview provides product context.
Choose the routing method that matches your policy
Each Traffic Manager profile uses one routing method. Nested profiles let you combine methods—for example, a geographic parent can direct a region to a child profile that uses Performance routing among endpoints in that region. Microsoft’s routing-method guide describes the available methods and their behavior.
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| Method | Use it for | How the decision is made | Important limitation or fallback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority | One preferred endpoint with backups | Configured endpoint order, subject to endpoint status and monitoring results | Use when you want ordered failover, not routine distribution across endpoints. |
| Weighted | Different relative frequencies, such as splitting traffic between regions or gradually introducing an endpoint | Configured weights influence which endpoint is returned for each DNS query | Cached DNS answers mean proportions of application requests are not guaranteed to match configured weights exactly. |
| Performance | Directing users toward a low-latency endpoint among locations | Traffic Manager estimates latency using the recursive DNS resolver’s source IP and a latency table | It does not monitor endpoint load, and the resolver’s location may differ from the user’s. |
| Geographic | Applying explicit regional routing rules, including data-residency designs | Configured geographic mappings, with geography inferred from the resolver’s IP | A region maps to one endpoint; an unhealthy mapped endpoint does not automatically preserve service through another endpoint unless the design includes a suitable nested profile. |
| Multivalue | Returning several healthy endpoint IP addresses | Returns multiple healthy IPv4 or IPv6 addresses for external endpoints | The caller must be able to retry across returned addresses; this method can avoid a separate DNS lookup for another candidate after a failure. |
| Subnet | Routing defined IP ranges, such as corporate networks, selected ISPs, or test cohorts | Configured source IP ranges, commonly representing the recursive resolver | Use non-overlapping ranges and a fallback endpoint; unmatched queries without a fallback can receive NODATA. |
Priority: keep a primary endpoint and backups
Choose Priority when one location should normally serve traffic and another should take over if it becomes unavailable. Monitoring results affect endpoint status, while the configured order determines preference. This is a failover policy, not a way to distribute ordinary traffic across healthy endpoints.
Weighted: control relative DNS-answer frequency
Choose Weighted when multiple active endpoints should receive DNS answers at different relative rates. It can support a gradual rollout or a deliberate split across locations. The setting applies to DNS queries, not each application request: resolvers and clients cache answers, so the observed request distribution can diverge from the configured proportions.
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Performance: favor estimated low latency
Choose Performance when endpoints are deployed in multiple locations and the goal is a responsive connection. Traffic Manager estimates latency from the recursive resolver’s IP address and a latency table. It does not measure live endpoint load, so it is not real-time load balancing. Resolver placement may not match the user’s location, and endpoint selection can change as conditions and the latency table change.
Geographic: enforce regional mappings
Choose Geographic when a configured region should map to a specified endpoint or experience, such as in a data-residency design. This is policy routing, not a latency optimization. Traffic Manager infers geography from the recursive resolver’s IP, which is not guaranteed to correspond to the human user’s location. A direct mapping to one unhealthy endpoint can leave that region without a usable endpoint.
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For continuity within a regional boundary, Microsoft recommends directing the regional mapping to a nested child profile with at least two endpoints. The child profile can then handle endpoint failure without changing which region the parent profile serves. A World mapping can catch queries that otherwise do not match a configured region. See Microsoft’s guidance on routing methods and geographic routing.
Multivalue: return multiple healthy addresses
Choose Multivalue when the profile uses external IPv4 or IPv6 endpoints and the calling application can try another returned address if a connection fails. Returning several healthy candidates lets a caller retry without first making another DNS lookup. It is useful only when the client or application actually implements that retry behavior.
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Subnet: map specified IP ranges
Choose Subnet when traffic from defined IP ranges should go to different endpoints—for example, a corporate network, a particular ISP, or a test cohort. Because the source address commonly represents the recursive resolver rather than the end user’s device, confirm that the ranges reflect the addresses Traffic Manager will see. Keep ranges non-overlapping and set a fallback endpoint for all other addresses; without one, unmatched queries can receive NODATA. Microsoft’s subnet routing guidance covers the method.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What are some use cases where geographic routing is useful?
- Regional policy: Send queries inferred to come from a configured region to that region’s designated endpoint or experience.
- Data-residency architecture: Map regions to endpoints intended to keep processing within specified geographic boundaries, while separately validating that the overall application and data design meets the applicable requirements.
- Regional service variations: Direct different regions to endpoints that provide the appropriate regional experience.
Geographic routing uses the resolver’s inferred location rather than reliably identifying each user. If a region must remain mapped to its designated area while endpoints fail over within it, use a nested child profile with multiple endpoints rather than mapping the region directly to a single endpoint. Microsoft’s geographic-routing documentation explains the regional mapping model.
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What are some use cases where subnet routing is useful?
- Corporate networks: Route queries from known corporate IP ranges to an internal-facing or specially configured endpoint.
- ISP-specific behavior: Map defined provider ranges to an endpoint suited to that network.
- Controlled testing: Send a selected IP range to a test or preview endpoint while other queries use the fallback.
Subnet rules depend on the source IP Traffic Manager sees, which commonly belongs to a recursive resolver. Check that this is the address space you intend to classify, use non-overlapping ranges, and include a fallback for addresses outside the mappings. Microsoft’s subnet-routing guidance documents the unmatched-query behavior.
How do I decide if I should use Performance routing method or Geographic routing method?
- Choose Performance when your goal is to favor the endpoint estimated to provide lower latency. It is an estimate based on resolver IP and a latency table, not a live measurement of endpoint load.
- Choose Geographic when a defined region must map to a specific endpoint or policy. It enforces configured mappings rather than selecting the endpoint with the lowest estimated latency.
- Use nested profiles when both needs matter: a geographic parent can send a region to a child profile that uses Performance routing among endpoints available to that region.
Neither method pinpoints the user’s physical location from the DNS query; both rely on the recursive resolver’s address for location-related decisions. Microsoft’s routing-method documentation explains the distinction.
How DNS caching affects changes and failover
Resolvers and clients cache DNS responses according to their time to live (TTL). A shorter TTL allows cached answers to expire sooner, so a later lookup may receive a newer answer. The trade-off is more queries to Traffic Manager name servers. A short TTL is not a promise of instant failover: health monitoring must detect an endpoint issue, cached answers can remain in use until they expire, and clients may keep existing connections open. Microsoft’s How Azure Traffic Manager Works explains the DNS-based flow.
When another Azure routing service may fit better
Traffic Manager is appropriate when DNS-based selection among endpoints fits the design. If the requirement is optimized global web routing and quick global failover, Microsoft’s overview points to Azure Front Door as an alternative to consider. For regional application-layer load balancing, consider Application Gateway; for network-layer load balancing, consider Load Balancer. These services operate at different layers or solve different routing needs, so compare them against the actual requirement rather than treating them as interchangeable. Microsoft’s overview summarizes these product distinctions.
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