Share via

Azure load balancer & F5 load balancer are same ?

Bhardwaj, Rahul 3. (EXT - IN/Noida) 20 Reputation points
2025-10-21T17:16:37.61+00:00

Azure Load balancer & F5 Load balancer hosted in Azure as SAAS are same ?

also we have seen F5 is having some source code breach, also do we needs to take any action on azure load balancer also ?

Azure Load Balancer
Azure Load Balancer
An Azure service that delivers high availability and network performance to applications.
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
  1. Marcin Policht 68,535 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-21T17:47:54.7166667+00:00

    Azure Load Balancer and F5 Load Balancer (even when hosted in Azure as SaaS) are not the same.

    Azure Load Balancer is a Microsoft-managed Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) platform service built into Azure. It handles traffic distribution at the network level and is fully managed by Microsoft, meaning customers don’t patch, update, or secure its underlying software — Microsoft does that as part of the Azure platform.

    F5 Load Balancer, on the other hand, is a third-party Layer 4–7 application delivery solution. It can run as a virtual appliance in your subscription or as a SaaS service managed by F5. It offers advanced features such as SSL offloading, WAF, and custom traffic rules, but also comes with its own software stack and potential vulnerabilities.

    If there is an F5 source code breach or security advisory, it only affects F5 products — not Azure Load Balancer. The two are completely separate codebases and managed by different entities.

    For Azure Load Balancer, no action is required in response to an F5 issue. The only reasonable steps would be standard hygiene checks - such as monitoring diagnostic logs, and ensuring no dependency on affected F5 services - but you do not need to patch or harden Azure Load Balancer itself (that option doesn't exist to begin with)

    If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

    hth

    Marcin

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

1 additional answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Ravi Varma Mudduluru 3,700 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-21T17:55:43.9466667+00:00

    Hello @Bhardwaj, Rahul 3. (EXT - IN/Noida),

    Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    I understand that you’re trying to understand the differences between Azure Load Balancer and F5 Load Balancer.

    No, they are not the same.

    • Azure Load Balancer is a Layer 4 load balancing service that distributes incoming network traffic to backend instances like virtual machines (VMs). It helps in achieving high availability and low latency, and it can handle both inbound and outbound connectivity.
    • F5 Load Balancer, especially if hosted as a SaaS in Azure, provides more advanced features across the application delivery controller (ADC) landscape, often used for Layer 7 (application layer) traffic management. While both services handle load balancing, they do it at different layers of the OSI model and with varying feature sets.
    • Source Code Breach: As for the source code breach you mentioned regarding F5, it's important to stay updated with F5's official communications. If there are vulnerabilities reported, actions such as applying updates or patches provided by F5 may be necessary. For Azure Load Balancer, it's generally managed by Microsoft, and there are no active vulnerabilities that would affect its functionality concerning F5's issues directly.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.