Frequently Asked Questions about Azure Private Link
Azure Private Link provides a private endpoint connection from a virtual network to an Azure Platform as a Service (PaaS) or your own service hosted in Azure. It eliminates the need for traffic to traverse the public internet, offering enhanced security and compliance.
While both provide private connectivity, Private Link uses private IP addresses from your virtual network to connect to Azure services. Service Endpoints extend your virtual network's private address space and identity to an Azure service over a direct connection, but the service itself is still accessed via its public endpoint.
A growing number of Azure services support Private Link, including Azure Storage, Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Key Vault, and many more. You can find the most up-to-date list in the Azure documentation.
Yes, you can create a Private Link service to expose your own applications hosted on Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, Azure Kubernetes Service, or any other Azure service accessible from a virtual network. Consumers can then connect to your service privately.
A Private Endpoint is a network interface that connects privately and securely to a service powered by Azure Private Link. It is deployed within your virtual network. A Private Link Service is a customer-hosted service that is exposed through Azure Private Link. It allows you to consume your service privately from other Azure VNets.
When you create a private endpoint, a new DNS A record is created for the service's FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) in your virtual network's DNS. This record maps to the private IP address of the private endpoint. For Azure PaaS services, you'll typically use Azure DNS Private Zones for seamless integration.
Yes, there are costs associated with Azure Private Link, primarily for each private endpoint created and for data processed through the private link connection. Private Link services also incur costs. Refer to the Azure Private Link pricing page for detailed information.
Yes, you can connect to Azure services using Private Link from your on-premises networks via Azure ExpressRoute or Azure VPN Gateway. This allows for secure, private access from your hybrid cloud environment.
While powerful, Private Link has some considerations, such as the number of private endpoints per subscription, limits on private link services, and the requirement for supported Azure services. Always check the latest Azure documentation for current limitations.
Troubleshooting typically involves verifying network security group (NSG) rules, DNS resolution, routing, and the health of both the private endpoint and the target service. Azure Network Watcher and tools like nslookup or dig are valuable for diagnosing connectivity problems.