Deploy Azure Private Link

This document provides step-by-step instructions for deploying Azure Private Link resources, including Private Endpoints and Private Link Services, to secure your network connectivity to Azure services.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

  • An Azure subscription.
  • Permissions to create resources within your subscription.
  • An existing Azure service to connect to (e.g., Storage Account, SQL Database, Key Vault).
  • A Virtual Network where you intend to deploy the Private Endpoint.

Deploy a Private Endpoint

A Private Endpoint provides a network interface that connects privately and securely to an Azure service. This connection uses a private IP address from your virtual network, effectively bringing the service into your network.

Using the Azure Portal

  1. Navigate to the Azure portal.
  2. Search for "Private Endpoint" and select it.
  3. Click "+ Create".
  4. On the "Basics" tab, select your subscription, resource group, and provide a name for your private endpoint. Choose the region for your private endpoint.
  5. On the "Resource" tab, select the subscription containing the target service, the resource type, and the specific resource you want to connect to.
  6. On the "Configuration" tab, select the virtual network and subnet where you want to create the private endpoint. The portal will suggest a network interface name.
  7. You can optionally create a Private DNS Zone to resolve the private IP address of the service. If you choose to create one, select the appropriate DNS zone group.
  8. Review your selections and click "Create".

Using Azure CLI

You can deploy a private endpoint using the Azure CLI with the following command:

az network private-endpoint create \ --name myPrivateEndpoint \ --resource-group myResourceGroup \ --vnet-name myVnet \ --subnet mySubnet \ --private-connection-resource-id "/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/{resourceProviderNamespace}/{resourceType}/{resourceName}" \ --group-id "{groupId}" \ --location {location} \ --connection-name myConnection

Replace placeholders like {subscriptionId}, {resourceGroupName}, {resourceProviderNamespace}, {resourceType}, {resourceName}, {groupId}, and {location} with your specific values.

A Private Link Service allows you to expose your own Azure service (e.g., on-premises service behind an Azure Load Balancer) to be consumed privately by other Azure customers via Private Link.

Using the Azure Portal

  1. Ensure you have a Standard Load Balancer with a backend pool containing the virtual machines hosting your service.
  2. Navigate to the Azure portal and search for "Private Link Service".
  3. Click "+ Create".
  4. On the "Basics" tab, select your subscription, resource group, and provide a name for your Private Link Service. Choose the region.
  5. On the "Configuration" tab, select the Load Balancer and the backend IP configuration that exposes your service. Configure NAT IP configurations if needed.
  6. On the "Permissions" tab, define which subscriptions or tenants are allowed to connect to your service.
  7. Review and create the service.

Using Azure CLI

Deploying a Private Link Service involves creating a load balancer and then a Private Link Service resource that points to it. This is a multi-step process. Refer to the official Azure CLI documentation for detailed commands.

Create Private DNS Zone

For seamless integration, it's recommended to use Private DNS Zones to resolve the private IP addresses of your services accessed via Private Link.

Using the Azure Portal

  1. Navigate to the Azure portal and search for "Private DNS zones".
  2. Click "+ Create".
  3. Provide a name for the DNS zone (e.g., privatelink.blob.core.windows.net for Azure Storage).
  4. Select your subscription and resource group.
  5. Click "Create".
  6. After creation, link this zone to your Virtual Network by going to the Private DNS Zone resource, selecting "Virtual network links", and clicking "+ Add".

Using Azure CLI

az network private-dns zone create \ --resource-group myResourceGroup \ --name privatelink.blob.core.windows.net

Then, link it to your VNet:

az network vnet-link create \ --resource-group myResourceGroup \ --name myVNetLink \ --zone-name privatelink.blob.core.windows.net \ --virtual-network myVnet

Tip

When creating a Private Endpoint, you can opt to let Azure automatically create the necessary Private DNS Zone records for you, simplifying the setup process.

This guide covers the fundamental steps for deploying Azure Private Link. For advanced configurations, specific service integrations, or custom scenarios, please refer to the Concepts and Troubleshooting sections.