I've used the solution for a simple at-home application where I just wanted to host something live and have load balancing built into it. I can't remember where the firewall came in. I know there's some sort of blocking for certain attacks through that firewall, but that was about as far as I really used it.
Trader at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
Easy to use and provides useful documentation
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is an easy-to-use solution."
- "The solution can sometimes feel a little cumbersome unless you're a professional infrastructure person."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is an easy-to-use solution.
What needs improvement?
The solution can sometimes feel a little cumbersome unless you're a professional infrastructure person. I think the tool is just inherently complicated. You have to manually decide things that could have been done best by default.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't seen any outages with Microsoft Azure Application Gateway.
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Microsoft Azure Application Gateway
March 2025

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution should be able to handle any load.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used all three cloud providers for side projects, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. If you have a docker container or an image and want to deploy it somewhere, they're all fairly similar. I would choose to stay on a cloud platform because of cost and convenience purposes. If I already have a database running in one cloud, I might deploy an application with that same cloud provider.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is really easy, but it takes a long time to get that comfort.
On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup ten out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is fairly priced.
On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
The solution's documentation was pretty good and useful. The solution is well-integrated, and I don't think any challenges exist. We are hosting an LOM application for internal use only, but I don't know the details. As an internal user of the LOM, I find it nice and fast. I would recommend the solution to other users.
I think some things in the tool are multi-step when they could have been a single step. Obviously, I understand that design decisions go into that. The solution can sometimes feel a little cumbersome unless you're a professional infrastructure person.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Cybersecurity Administrator at Carrion Communications
It's easy to configure the solution and adjust the size of your instance as needed
Pros and Cons
- "Azure Application Gateway's most valuable feature is ease of use. The configuration is straightforward. It isn't difficult to adjust the size of your instances in the settings. You can do that with a few clicks, and the configuration file is the same way. You can also set rules and policies with minimal time and effort."
- "The solution is easy to use overall, but the dashboard could be updated with a better layout and graphical design so that we can see the data a bit easier. Microsoft could also add more documentation. The documentation Microsoft provides doesn't tell us about resource requirements. We found that the instances we had weren't sufficient to support the firewall, so we had to increase them."
What is most valuable?
Azure Application Gateway's most valuable feature is ease of use. The configuration is straightforward. It isn't difficult to adjust the size of your instances in the settings. You can do that with a few clicks, and the configuration file is the same way. You can also set rules and policies with minimal time and effort.
What needs improvement?
The solution is easy to use overall, but the dashboard could be updated with a better layout and graphical design so that we can see the data a bit easier. Microsoft could also add more documentation. The documentation Microsoft provides doesn't tell us about resource requirements. We found that the instances we had weren't sufficient to support the firewall, so we had to increase them.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Azure is pretty stable, but you need to plan your resource use properly.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Azure Application Gateway is easy to scale. However, you may need to adjust your resources. For example, if you're already using the application gateway and want to use the firewall, you probably need to increase the size of your instances because it will consume more CPU and other resources. Maybe the firewall could be a bit lighter so that you don't need to increase the size.
How are customer service and support?
I rate Microsoft Azure support 10 out of 10. They always give us great advice and go the extra mile.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Application Gateway is effortless.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm not familiar with Azure pricing for this product, but I know that it is billed based on usage.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Azure Application Gateway eight out of 10. It's a product that is still under development, but I think we'll see its full potential in a few years.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Application Gateway
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Application Gateway. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Software Architect at a sports company with 501-1,000 employees
Offers automatic redirection and security features but configuration was a bit tricky initially
Pros and Cons
- "Application Gateway automatically redirects unwanted users and takes care of the security aspect. It also handles the performance side of things, which is why we use it."
- "We have encountered some issues with automatic redirection and cancellation, leading to 502 and 504 gateway errors. So, I experienced some trouble with containers."
What is our primary use case?
We have multiple microservices connected to App Services, which are then connected to Application Gateway. External users communicate with the gateway, which directs them to the appropriate microservices.
What is most valuable?
The automatic redirection and security features are crucial for us. The performance is the main thing. Application Gateway automatically redirects unwanted users and takes care of the security aspect. It also handles the performance side of things, which is why we use it.
The Autoscaling feature in Application Gateway is very important to us. It allows us to scale based on the number of users without compromising performance.
What needs improvement?
We have encountered some issues with automatic redirection and cancellation, leading to 502 and 504 gateway errors. We suspect the containers we use might be contributing to these issues.
So, I experienced some trouble with containers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I joined a new project four months ago and have been using Application Gateway since then.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Since we're still in development, we haven't fully tested the stability and availability. We'll have a better understanding during testing and performance evaluation. We anticipate encountering various challenges related to stability and scalability as we expand.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Based on my experience with limited users so far, it's working well. However, we plan to expand usage in the coming weeks, so I'll be able to provide more insights after seeing how it performs under increased load.
At this point, I haven't experienced any lagging, so I'm yet to test it more thoroughly.
We have a minimum of ten users in development. However, once the product is released, we expect a significant increase, potentially reaching hundreds of thousands of users, as it's a mandatory feature for our medical-based use cases.
How are customer service and support?
We have a subscription and can reach out to their support team if needed.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used the API Gateway in AWS and found it to be good.
In AWS, there's the Load Balancer, Application Load Balancer, and API Gateway, which are comparable to Azure's Application Gateway.
How was the initial setup?
Deployment is done using containers since everything is saved in a container registry.
I work with the cloud-based version of Application Gateway.
The configuration was a bit tricky initially, but it has been smooth since then.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing a three out of ten, with ten being cheap and one being expensive Because of some high costs.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution a five out of ten. Since I haven't fully utilized all its features, I need more real-world experience to compare it with AWS in terms of pricing, features, and scaling options.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Infrastructure Specialist at SCB Data Ex
Helps to manage web traffic for applications and filter out unwanted traffic
Pros and Cons
- "I rate Microsoft Azure Application Gateway's scalability a ten out of ten. My company has more than 1000 users who use it daily."
- "Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is harder to manage than Imperva. It is not intuitive and stable compared to other products."
What is our primary use case?
We use the tool to manage web traffic for our applications. It helps us to filter out unwanted traffic.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is harder to manage than Imperva. It is not intuitive and stable compared to other products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool's stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate Microsoft Azure Application Gateway's scalability a ten out of ten. My company has more than 1000 users who use it daily.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is difficult. The time for provisioning varies depending on the company. It can range from as quick as five to ten minutes to as long as one hour or even half a day, depending on the specific requirements of the company you're provisioning for. The team depends on the size of the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house and outsourced resources helped us with the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is cheaper than Imperva. I rate it four to five out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
The traffic must pass through the firewall server and proceed through the application gateway before reaching the application itself. I rate the product a five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Network Engineer at Eyegear
Has custom domain features which helps to create short URLs but pricing can be improved
Pros and Cons
- "The tool helps manage microservices by providing developers with a platform to conduct tests and assessments on the web application. The custom domain option is one of the most valuable features I've found. This feature is incredibly helpful for the end-users of the web application. With the custom domain feature, you can change the lengthy link to a shorter, more memorable one. For example, instead of using a lengthy default link, you can customize it to something like imail.com, which is much easier to remember and share."
- "The tool's pricing could be improved."
What is most valuable?
The tool helps manage microservices by providing developers with a platform to conduct tests and assessments on the web application. The custom domain option is one of the most valuable features I've found. This feature is incredibly helpful for the end-users of the web application. With the custom domain feature, you can change the lengthy link to a shorter, more memorable one. For example, instead of using a lengthy default link, you can customize it to something like imail.com, which is much easier to remember and share.
It also comes with a DNS feature. The tool is easy to integrate with other platforms.
What needs improvement?
The tool's pricing could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the tool for a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable. My company has two users.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't contacted technical support yet.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We use the tool's basic subscription. Its licensing costs are monthly.
What other advice do I have?
In our setup, we host our web application on Azure. Our developer team manages the development and maintenance of the application. When it comes to resource management and scalability features, there can be noticeable impacts on website performance based on the subscription level. For instance, with the basic subscription, the response time of your website may be slower compared to higher-tier subscriptions like premium. I rate the overall product a six out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Cloud Solution Architect at MentorMate
Allows you to route traffic to different backend services based on the specific URLs requested from the load balancer
Pros and Cons
- "Using policies to link and manage these URL-based routing configurations is also valuable."
- "The product could be easier to use and implement."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product as an application firewall for Layer 7 security instead of directly exposing applications on any computing platform to the internet. It has enhanced security compliance for our environment.
What is most valuable?
The product's most important feature is WAF. Using policies to link and manage these URL-based routing configurations is also valuable. It allows you to route traffic to different backend services based on the specific URLs requested from the load balancer.
What needs improvement?
The product could be easier to use and implement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Microsoft Azure Application Gateway for a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the software's stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product works well in terms of scalability. It is suitable for small and medium businesses. However, it costs extra to increase the number of instances. I rate the scalability as eight or nine.
How are customer service and support?
I encounter technical issues related to tunning. I resolve them myself with helpful documentation.
How was the initial setup?
The complexity of the initial setup process and the deployment time depend on different scenarios. I rate the process a six for complex projects and seven for straightforward projects. It includes configuring rules using infrastructure records. It takes approximately two days to two weeks to complete. It requires a lot of time in case of extensive debugging and fine-tuning.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is expensive. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
The product is good to use, integrating with a DDoS attack prevention tool. It would be good to compare it with CentOs as it is easy to use with an efficient setup combining CDN rules and DDoS protection.
I rate Microsoft Azure Application Gateway a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Solution Architecture at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
It's really useful, and I have used it for API applications as well as web applications
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's integration is very good."
- "Microsoft needs to work on their documentation."
What is our primary use case?
It's really useful, and I have used it for API applications as well as web applications. Apart from that, you can write your custom rules.
I have widely used it for applications. It's good if you have a single application, as well as a number of applications. You can have one application and configure everything in one application gateway.
Microsoft can work on it as the pooling size as the max pool size is two hundred. Sometimes, when there's heavy traffic, it gives a bad gateway error.
What is most valuable?
If you are using a third party application and have network constraints, you can use the API in your network and then create a proxy out of it. It is URL-based.
The solution's integration is very good.
The troubleshooting feature is also good, as it gives you a fair amount of permission.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft needs to work on their documentation.
The scalability needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure Application Gateway for almost four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a highly stable solution. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can be made more scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is quick in their responses.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex at the beginner level due to lack of documents.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is reasonably priced.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Azure Consultant at CoreAzure
Protects external websites
Pros and Cons
- "The product's initial setup phase was easy."
- "The tool is a pain to deal with when it comes to the area of configuration."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution in my company to protect an external website.
What is most valuable?
The product's WAF was useful to protect against the OWASP attacks.
What needs improvement?
The tool is a pain to deal with when it comes to the area of configuration. Basically, users get a lot of false positives with the product. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement in the product.
I think the reporting elements could be a bit better in terms of having built-in reports, considering how everything has to be a cluster query when you write it, making it an area where users customize the tool. The reporting elements are an area with shortcomings in the tool that could be better as it would be useful to deal with false positives.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure Application Gateway for five months. I use the solution internally for my company. My company has a gold partnership with Microsoft.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is an easily scalable solution.
The tool is not meant for users since it is designed for public access; considering that, I would say that the solution provides protection to our company website, which has thousands of visitors.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support is okay and not that good, considering that my company still has some existing tickets open with the support team, which are related to some login stuff. The problem with Microsoft is they outsource their support to vendors in other parts of the world, so it is like a lucky draw system, meaning you are lucky if you get someone good.
How was the initial setup?
The product's initial setup phase was easy.
The solution can be deployed in a day.
What about the implementation team?
I deployed the solution by myself in my company.
What was our ROI?
The product's ROI is okay, in my opinion.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the product is okay. There is a need to pay a fixed price per month to use the product. There are no additional payments to be made to Microsoft apart from the charges paid towards the monthly licensing costs attached to the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
My company had looked at the options offered by Cloudflare, but we decided to stick to the stack of services offered within Azure.
For most of our company's in-house resources, we are dependent on the cloud services offered by Microsoft, so it was easy to adopt Microsoft Azure Application Gateway in our organization.
What other advice do I have?
To utilize Microsoft Azure Application Gateway for managing web traffic load balancing in our company, we use products within the Azure landscape like Azure Load Balancer or Azure NAT Gateway.
In our company, we don't have multiple instances of the application to utilize Microsoft Azure Application Gateway for application-level routing and URL-based content distribution. There is pretty much just one instance to deal with in our company, which makes the use of the tool quite straightforward.
The tool's WAF provides a fairly adequate level of protection against common vulnerabilities.
The solution doesn't require any maintenance once it is deployed.
Integrating Azure Application Gateway with other Azure services in our company's existing infrastructure is a fairly seamless process.
I haven't had any issues with the scalability and performance of the product.
I would ask those who plan to use the solution in the future to plan the deployment so they have more time to analyze their data when using the WAF, and you need at least six months of history to see the traffic patterns and to get an alert on false positives.
I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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Updated: March 2025
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