To set up A record proxying for a domain in Microsoft Azure, you can use the Azure Traffic Manager service. However, it's important to note that Azure Traffic Manager is primarily designed for load balancing and failover purposes rather than the proxying functionality offered by Cloudflare.
With that said, here's a high-level overview of how you can achieve A record proxying with Azure Traffic Manager:
1. First, you'll need to sign in to the Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com).
2. Once signed in, navigate to the Traffic Manager profiles section.
3. Click on the "Create" button to create a new Traffic Manager profile.
4. Provide a name for the profile, select the traffic routing method that suits your needs (e.g., performance-based, priority-based, etc.), and choose an appropriate subscription and resource group.
5. Under the "Endpoints" section, configure your desired endpoints. These endpoints will represent the servers or resources behind your A record.
6. Depending on your traffic routing method, you'll need to set the appropriate settings for each endpoint. For example, if you choose a performance-based routing method, you'll need to input the endpoint's domain name, IP address, and geographic location.
7. Once you've added all the necessary endpoints, save your Traffic Manager profile.
8. After saving, you'll receive a DNS name for your Traffic Manager profile, which you can use as the target for your A record.
9. Navigate to your domain registrar's DNS management console and update the A record to point to the Traffic Manager DNS name received in the previous step.
10. Wait for the DNS records to propagate, which can take some time.
After the DNS records have propagated, incoming traffic to your domain should be directed to the endpoints you configured in your Traffic Manager profile, similar to how A record proxying works in Cloudflare.
However, keep in mind that Azure Traffic Manager's primary focus is on load balancing and failover, and it may have some limitations when compared to dedicated proxying services like Cloudflare. If you require advanced proxying features, you may need to consider using a specialized proxying solution with Azure, or continue using Cloudflare for that purpose.