Load balancing
Application Load Balancer vs Azure Application Gateway (v2) / Application Gateway for Containers
Application Load Balancer maps to Azure Application Gateway v2 (with an optional WAF).
For AKS, Application Gateway for Containers is the Kubernetes-native option. Application Gateway v1 retired on April 28, 2026.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Application Load Balancer | Azure Application Gateway (v2) Application Gateway for Containers |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available Generally available |
| What it is | Layer 7 load balancer with host, path, header, and query routing, TLS offload, authentication (OIDC and Cognito), gRPC, WebSockets, and Lambda targets. | Regional layer 7 load balancer with path and host routing, TLS termination, autoscaling, zone redundancy, rewrites, and an optional WAF. Application Gateway v1 retired April 28, 2026. Layer 7 load balancing and traffic management for AKS workloads, configured through Kubernetes Gateway API or Ingress resources. |
| Pricing model | Per ALB-hour plus per Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU)-hour. | Fixed gateway-hour plus per capacity unit-hour, by tier (Standard_v2 or WAF_v2). |
| Docs | Application Load Balancer docs | Azure Application Gateway (v2) docs Application Gateway for Containers docs |
| Pricing page | Application Load Balancer pricing | Azure Application Gateway (v2) pricing Application Gateway for Containers pricing |
| Exams | SAA-C03 ANS-C01 Retiring SOA-C03 | AZ-104 AZ-700 |
Key differences
- Deployment. ALB is a managed endpoint that needs no dedicated subnet sizing. Application Gateway v2 is deployed into its own dedicated subnet and autoscales in capacity units.
- Features. ALB can authenticate users (OIDC or Cognito) and invoke Lambda targets. Application Gateway offers URL rewrites, mutual TLS, and Private Link, with WAF built in on the WAF_v2 tier.
- Global. Both are regional. For global HTTP load balancing, use CloudFront or Global Accelerator on AWS, and Front Door on Azure.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per ALB-hour plus per Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU)-hour. Application Load Balancer pricing →
- Azure
- Fixed gateway-hour plus per capacity unit-hour, by tier (Standard_v2 or WAF_v2). Azure Application Gateway (v2) pricing → Application Gateway for Containers pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate SAA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Italian version retires after Dec 31, 2026. |
| AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty ANS-C01 | AWS | Specialty | retiring The exam is being retired. The last day to take it is Dec 31, 2026. Existing certifications stay active for their three-year period. |
| AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate SOA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Replaces AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02), whose last exam day was Sep 29, 2025. Simplified Chinese and Korean versions retire after Nov 19, 2026. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate AZ-104 | Azure | Associate | current |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Network Engineer Associate AZ-700 | Azure | Associate | current |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
Verification notes
- Application Gateway v1 retired April 28, 2026, and Microsoft is decommissioning remaining v1 deployments. Older study material may still show v1 SKUs.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Application Load Balancer?
Application Load Balancer maps to Azure Application Gateway v2 (with an optional WAF). For AKS, Application Gateway for Containers is the Kubernetes-native option. Application Gateway v1 retired on April 28, 2026.
How does pricing compare between Application Load Balancer and Azure Application Gateway (v2) and Application Gateway for Containers?
AWS: Per ALB-hour plus per Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU)-hour. Azure: Fixed gateway-hour plus per capacity unit-hour, by tier (Standard_v2 or WAF_v2). Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03); AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01) [retiring]; AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03); Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104); Microsoft Certified – Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700).