Azure Traffic Manager is a DNS-based load balancer for global traffic distribution. The service routes users based on configurable methods like Performance, Priority, Geographic, or Weighted to optimal endpoints.
What is Azure Traffic Manager?
Azure Traffic Manager is not a classic load balancer like Azure Load Balancer, but a DNS-level traffic router. When a client makes a DNS query, Traffic Manager responds with the IP address of the optimal endpoint based on the configured routing method. The client then connects directly to this endpoint, not through Traffic Manager.
The service supports six routing methods: Performance (routes to region with lowest latency), Priority (active/passive failover), Weighted (proportional distribution for A/B testing), Geographic (based on geographic location of client), Multivalue (returns multiple IPs for client-side selection), and Subnet (based on client IP range).
Traffic Manager is particularly valuable for globally distributed applications requiring high availability across regions, disaster recovery with automatic failover, or geographic routing for data residency requirements. Health checks continuously monitor endpoints and automatically remove failed ones from DNS routing.
Traffic Manager vs. Alternatives
When choosing a cloud solution, the question of alternatives often arises. Traffic Manager competes with comparable services from other cloud providers:
- AWS: Route 53 (similar DNS-based routing capabilities)
- Google Cloud: Cloud DNS with Traffic Director
While functionality is often similar, services differ in pricing models, regional availability, and integration ecosystem. Azure excels particularly for enterprise customers with Microsoft stack and hybrid cloud scenarios.
Typical Use Cases
Global High Availability with Automatic Failover
Configure Priority routing with primary region and failover regions. Traffic Manager automatically routes to backup region during primary failure. Health checks verify every 10-30 seconds.
Performance Optimization for Global Users
Performance routing directs users to the region with lowest network latency. Reduces page load times for global web applications. Combinable with Azure Front Door for additional CDN capabilities.
Geographic Routing for Data Residency
Geographic routing ensures EU users only reach EU regions. Meets GDPR and other data residency requirements. Subnet routing enables even more granular control based on IP ranges.
Canary and Blue/Green Deployments
Weighted routing enables gradual traffic shift. Start with 5% traffic to new version, increase incrementally. Instant rollback by setting weight to 0.
Hybrid Cloud Scenarios
External endpoints allow routing to on-premises infrastructure or other clouds. Gradual migration to cloud with traffic shift over weeks. Backup to on-premises during Azure outage.
Best Practices
Low TTLs for Faster Failover
Reduce DNS TTL to 60 seconds for faster failover response. Note: Lower TTLs increase DNS query costs. Balance between failover speed and costs.
Nested Profiles for Complex Routing Logic
Combine multiple routing methods through nested profiles. Example: Geographic routing to regions, then Performance routing within each region for zone redundancy.
Configure Health Checks Properly
Configure health checks on application-level endpoints, not just server status. Custom paths check critical app components. Avoid overly aggressive intervals (increases costs).
Azure Monitor for Alerting
Create alerts for endpoint failures via Azure Monitor. Automatic notification on failover events. Dashboards show endpoint health history.
Combination with Azure Front Door
Traffic Manager for global load balancing, Front Door for CDN and WAF. Traffic Manager routes to regional Front Door instances. Optimal combination for global web apps.
Frequently Asked Questions about Azure Traffic Manager
What is the difference between Traffic Manager and Load Balancer?
Traffic Manager is DNS-based and routes based on DNS queries. Clients connect directly to endpoints. Load Balancer is a Layer 4/7 proxy where traffic flows through the load balancer. Traffic Manager for global load balancing across regions, Load Balancer for VMs within a region.
What does Traffic Manager cost?
Pricing model: around €0.50 per 1 million DNS queries plus around €0.30 per endpoint per month for health checks. Example: 10 million DNS queries/month with 3 endpoints costs around €5.90. Very cost-effective for global traffic distribution.
How fast is failover during endpoint failure?
Failover time = Health Check Interval + DNS TTL + Client Cache. With 10-second health check interval and 60-second TTL, failover takes 70-90 seconds. For faster failover, use Azure Front Door (sub-second failover).
Can Traffic Manager route traffic to other clouds?
Yes, via External Endpoints. Routes to AWS, GCP, or any public IPs. Enables multi-cloud scenarios or gradual migration between clouds. Health checks also work for external endpoints.
Does Traffic Manager support HTTPS termination?
No, Traffic Manager is DNS-only and does not terminate traffic. For HTTPS termination, WAF, or CDN capabilities, use Azure Front Door or Application Gateway in front of endpoints.
How does Performance routing work?
Traffic Manager continuously measures network latency from various geographic locations to all endpoints. Based on client IP address, Traffic Manager selects the endpoint with historically lowest latency. Measurements are regularly updated.
Can I use Traffic Manager with private endpoints?
No, Traffic Manager only works with publicly reachable endpoints (public IPs). For private endpoints within VNets, use Azure Load Balancer or Azure Application Gateway.
How do I combine Traffic Manager with Azure Front Door?
Typical pattern: Traffic Manager as top layer for Geographic or Priority routing, routes to regional Azure Front Door instances. Front Door then provides CDN, WAF, and Layer 7 load balancing within the region. Optimal global performance and security.
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you in architecting globally available, highly available applications with Azure Traffic Manager. We help with selecting optimal routing methods, designing multi-region architectures, disaster recovery strategies, and integration with Azure Front Door and Application Gateway.
Contact us for a non-binding consultation on Azure Traffic Manager and Microsoft Azure.
