Azure Networking Gateways

Introduction to Azure Networking Gateways

Azure networking gateways are foundational services that enable secure, reliable, and high-performance connectivity to and within Azure. They provide essential functions like connecting on-premises networks to Azure, distributing traffic, and enforcing security policies.

This documentation provides a comprehensive overview of the different types of networking gateways available in Azure, their use cases, and how to implement them effectively.

Azure VPN Gateway

Azure VPN Gateway provides a secure and encrypted connection between your on-premises networks and Azure over the public internet. It's a versatile service that supports site-to-site, point-to-site, and VNet-to-VNet VPN connections.

Key Features:

  • Site-to-Site VPN: Connects your on-premises network to Azure VNets.
  • Point-to-Site VPN: Connects individual client devices to Azure VNets.
  • VNet-to-VNet VPN: Connects multiple Azure VNets securely.
  • High Availability: Supports active-standby and active-active configurations.
  • Encryption: Uses IPsec/IKE protocols for secure data transfer.

Use VPN Gateway for:

  • Hybrid cloud scenarios.
  • Secure remote access.
  • Connecting development and testing environments.

Learn more about Azure VPN Gateway.

Azure ExpressRoute Gateway

Azure ExpressRoute Gateway allows you to establish private connections between Azure and your on-premises infrastructure, including your data centers or co-location environments. Unlike VPNs, ExpressRoute uses a dedicated, private network connection, offering higher bandwidth, lower latency, and increased reliability.

Key Features:

  • Private Connectivity: Dedicated network connection bypassing the public internet.
  • High Bandwidth: Supports bandwidths from 50 Mbps to 10 Gbps.
  • Low Latency: Predictable network performance.
  • Reliability: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for guaranteed uptime.
  • Choice of Providers: Available through a global network of partners.

Consider ExpressRoute Gateway for:

  • Large-scale data migrations.
  • Business-critical applications requiring high performance.
  • Compliance requirements mandating private connections.

Explore Azure ExpressRoute Gateway options.

Azure Application Gateway

Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications. It provides Layer 7 load balancing capabilities, allowing you to route traffic based on attributes like URL path, host headers, and more. It also offers features like SSL termination, cookie-based session affinity, and Web Application Firewall (WAF).

Key Features:

  • Layer 7 Load Balancing: Intelligent traffic distribution based on HTTP requests.
  • SSL Termination: Offloads SSL processing from your web servers.
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects your web applications from common exploits.
  • Path-based Routing: Directs traffic to different backend pools based on request URL.
  • Session Affinity: Ensures a client is consistently directed to the same backend server.

Ideal for:

  • High-availability web applications.
  • Microservices architectures.
  • Securing web applications against threats.

Discover more about Azure Application Gateway.

Azure Firewall and Network Security Groups

While not strictly a "gateway" in the same sense as VPN or ExpressRoute, Azure Firewall acts as a cloud-native, intelligent network firewall that protects your Azure Virtual Network resources. It provides centralized network policy enforcement and threat intelligence.

Complementary to Azure Firewall, Network Security Groups (NSGs) act as a basic firewall at the IP traffic filtering level, allowing or denying traffic to Azure resources. Together, they form a robust network security posture.

  • Azure Firewall: Next-generation, cloud-native firewall with advanced threat protection.
  • Network Security Groups (NSGs): Simple IP filtering at the network interface or subnet level.

See how to configure Azure Firewall and NSGs.

Design Considerations

When designing your Azure networking solutions, consider the following:

  • Connectivity Requirements: Do you need to connect to on-premises, other VNets, or the internet?
  • Bandwidth and Latency: What are your performance needs?
  • Security: What level of threat protection is required?
  • Cost: Evaluate the pricing models for each gateway service.
  • Availability: Plan for redundancy and disaster recovery.

Best Practices

To ensure optimal performance and security:

  • Use Private IP Addressing: Reserve IP address spaces for your VNets.
  • Implement Network Security Groups: Apply least privilege principles to traffic filtering.
  • Enable Threat Protection: Utilize Azure Firewall and WAF for enhanced security.
  • Monitor Performance: Regularly check gateway metrics and logs for any anomalies.
  • Automate Deployments: Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like ARM templates or Terraform.