Azure Private Link Use Cases

Azure Private Link provides private connectivity from your virtual network to Azure platform services and to your own services hosted in Azure or on-premises. Private Link is categorized into two main types: Private Link services and Private Link. This section details common and powerful use cases for Azure Private Link.

1. Securely Accessing Azure PaaS Services

Traditionally, accessing Azure PaaS services like Azure SQL Database, Azure Storage, or Azure Key Vault from an Azure VNet required traversing the public internet or using service endpoints. Private Link offers a more secure and private alternative.

Azure SQL Database: Access your SQL databases without exposing them to the public internet, ensuring sensitive financial or customer data remains within your private network.
Azure Storage: Connect to Blob, File, Queue, and Table storage accounts privately, ideal for applications that need to store and retrieve large amounts of data securely.
Azure Key Vault: Retrieve secrets, keys, and certificates for your applications without any internet exposure, enhancing the security posture of your secrets management.
Azure Cosmos DB: Access your globally distributed NoSQL database service privately, ensuring that your application's data interactions are secure and contained.

Benefit: Reduced Attack Surface

By eliminating the need for public endpoints for these services, you significantly reduce the attack surface for your applications and data.

2. Connecting On-Premises Networks to Azure Services

When you extend your on-premises network to Azure using VPN or ExpressRoute, you can leverage Private Link to extend private connectivity to Azure PaaS services. This is crucial for hybrid cloud scenarios.

Allow your on-premises applications to securely access Azure-hosted databases or storage accounts without traffic ever touching the public internet.
Enable developers and administrators in your on-premises datacenter to manage Azure resources privately.

3. Accessing Your Own Services Hosted in Azure

If you host your own custom applications or services within Azure, Private Link allows you to expose these services privately to consumers (other VNets or on-premises networks) using a Private Link service.

Multi-tier Applications: A frontend VNet can access a backend service (e.g., microservices) hosted in a different VNet privately.
SaaS Offerings: If you provide a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering on Azure, you can allow your customers to connect to your service endpoints privately from their own VNets.
Managed Services: Expose your managed Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) or other managed services privately to consumers.

                    
                        # Example: Azure CLI command to create a Private Endpoint
                        az network private-endpoint create \
                          --name myPrivateEndpoint \
                          --resource-group myResourceGroup \
                          --vnet-name myVNet \
                          --subnet mySubnet \
                          --private-connection-resource-id "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/myResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/mystorageaccount" \
                          --group-ids "blob" \
                          --connection-name myConnection
                    
                

4. Enhanced Security and Compliance

Many industries have strict regulatory requirements for data privacy and security. Private Link helps meet these demands by ensuring data remains within a private network boundary.

HIPAA and PCI DSS Compliance: Facilitate compliance by ensuring that sensitive health or financial data is not exposed over public networks.
Data Residency: Keep data within specific Azure regions and private network boundaries, aiding in data sovereignty requirements.

5. Simplifying Network Architecture

Private Link can simplify complex network architectures by removing the need for complex network security group (NSG) rules, firewalls, or NAT gateways solely for accessing Azure services.

Reduced Complexity: Manage access through Private Endpoints and Private Link services directly within Azure networking constructs.
Predictable Network Paths: Traffic flows directly from your VNet to the service without unexpected routes.

Key Takeaway: Secure, Private, and Simplified Connectivity

Azure Private Link empowers organizations to build secure, highly available, and compliant applications by providing private access to Azure services and your own hosted services.