Create back-end pools

  • 2 minutes

Each load balancer has one or more back-end pools that are used for distributing traffic. The back-end pools contain the IP addresses of the virtual NICs that are connected to your load balancer. You configure these pool settings in the Azure portal.

Screenshot that shows how to configure back-end pools in the Azure portal.

Things to know about back-end pools

The SKU type that you select determines which endpoint configurations are supported for the pool along with the number of pool instances allowed.

  • The Basic SKU allows up to 300 pools, and the Standard SKU allows up to 1,000 pools.

  • When you configure the back-end pools, you can connect to availability sets, virtual machines, or Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets.

  • For the Basic SKU, you can select virtual machines in a single availability set or virtual machines in an instance of Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets.

  • For the Standard SKU, you can select virtual machines or Virtual Machine Scale Sets in a single virtual network. Your configuration can include a combination of virtual machines, availability sets, and Virtual Machine Scale Sets.