Azure Traffic Manager

🌐 What is Azure Traffic Manager?

Azure Traffic Manager uses DNS to direct client requests to the most appropriate service endpoint based on a traffic-routing method and the health of the endpoints.

It doesn’t route the traffic itself (not a proxy), but returns the optimal endpoint’s DNS to the client for direct connection.

🚀 Key Features

Feature	Description
Global load balancing	Routes traffic across Azure regions or hybrid endpoints
High availability	Performs endpoint health checks and automatic failover
Performance improvement	Routes based on latency (user proximity to endpoint)
Multiple traffic-routing methods	Customizable strategies (priority, weighted, geographic, etc.)
Hybrid support	Supports Azure endpoints, on-premises, and external services
Integration	Can work with Azure Front Door, Application Gateway, or AKS ingress

⚙️ Traffic Routing Methods

Method	Description	Use Case
Priority	Directs all traffic to primary endpoint; failover to backup	Active-passive setups
Weighted	Distributes traffic based on weight percentages	Gradual rollouts, A/B testing
Performance	Directs to the lowest latency (closest region)	Global apps for best user experience
Geographic	Routes based on user’s geographic location	Compliance, localization
Multivalue	Returns multiple healthy endpoints	Redundancy at client side
Subnet	Routes traffic based on the source IP range	Region-based redirection or geofencing

		Redundancy at client side
Subnet	Routes traffic based on the source IP range	Region-based redirection or geofencing

🧰 Common Use Case Example

🏦 FinTech App with Global User Base

Problem: Ensure users in India hit East India AKS, and US users hit US East AKS. In case of failure, traffic should switch.

Solution Using Traffic Manager:

• Set Performance routing method

• Configure endpoints: east-india-app.trafficmanager.net, us-east-app.trafficmanager.net

• Add health probes to monitor AKS ingress or load balancer

• Integrate with Azure DNS or custom domains

🛠️ Traffic Manager + Azure AKS Setup Overview

1. DNS CNAME → Traffic Manager:

   • mybankapp.com CNAME to mybank.trafficmanager.net

2. Traffic Manager Routing:

   • Routes to the best AKS cluster (e.g., India vs US) based on rules

3. Endpoint Health Monitoring:

   • Pings /health on exposed ingress controller or API Gateway

4. Failover:

   • If East India is down, users are routed to West India or another region

📊 Monitoring and Alerts

• Integrated with Azure Monitor

• Can trigger alerts when endpoints go unhealthy

• Useful for disaster recovery and resilience testing