Networking for Azure Storage Accounts

Securely connect to your Azure Storage accounts by configuring network settings. This document covers various networking options available to control access to your storage data.

Introduction to Storage Networking

Azure Storage offers a robust set of networking features to enhance security and control data access. These features allow you to restrict network traffic to your storage accounts, ensuring that only authorized clients can communicate with your data.

Key networking concepts include:

  • Firewalls and Virtual Networks: Restrict access to specific IP addresses, virtual networks, or subnets.
  • Service Endpoints: Secure your storage accounts by allowing traffic only from virtual networks.
  • Private Endpoints: Provide private access to your storage account from within your virtual network, using private IP addresses.
  • Network Security Groups (NSGs): Filter network traffic to and from Azure resources in an Azure virtual network.

Configuring Firewalls and Virtual Networks

The firewall and virtual network settings allow you to define trusted sources for network access to your storage account. You can specify:

  • Public endpoint access: Allow or deny access from all networks.
  • IP addresses: Allow access from specific public IP addresses or ranges.
  • Virtual networks: Grant access from specific subnets within your Azure virtual networks.

To configure these settings:

  1. Navigate to your storage account in the Azure portal.
  2. Under "Security + networking," select "Networking."
  3. Choose the "Firewalls and virtual networks" tab.
  4. Configure your desired network access rules.
Tip: When restricting access, remember to allow access for Azure services that might need to interact with your storage account, such as Azure Monitor or Azure Backup.

Using Service Endpoints

Azure Storage Service Endpoints extend your virtual network's private address space and identity to Azure services. When you enable a service endpoint for storage, traffic from your virtual network to the storage account travels over the Azure backbone network, bypassing the public internet.

Benefits of using service endpoints:

  • Enhanced security by directing traffic over the Azure backbone.
  • Simplified network configuration.
  • Ability to restrict storage access to only specific virtual networks.

To enable service endpoints:

  1. Go to your Virtual Network resource in the Azure portal.
  2. Under "Settings," select "Subnets."
  3. Select the subnet you want to configure.
  4. In the "Service endpoints" section, select "Microsoft.Storage."
  5. Save the changes.

Leveraging Private Endpoints

Azure Private Endpoint provides the most secure way to access Azure Storage. A private endpoint establishes a private IP address from your virtual network address space, effectively bringing your storage account into your private network.

Key advantages of private endpoints:

  • Data travels through your virtual network, not over the public internet.
  • Eliminates the need for complex firewall rules.
  • Supports various Azure services and on-premises networks via VPN or ExpressRoute.

Creating a private endpoint involves:

  1. Navigating to your storage account in the Azure portal.
  2. Under "Security + networking," select "Networking."
  3. Choose the "Private endpoint" tab.
  4. Click "+ Create."
  5. Follow the wizard to select your subscription, resource group, virtual network, and subnet.
Note: When using private endpoints, ensure your DNS configuration is set up correctly to resolve the storage account endpoint to the private IP address.

Network Security Groups (NSGs)

Network Security Groups act as a distributed firewall for controlling inbound and outbound traffic to and from Azure network interfaces and subnets. While NSGs are primarily used for virtual machine network traffic, they can be leveraged in conjunction with service endpoints and private endpoints to further refine access control.

For example, an NSG can be configured to:

  • Allow inbound traffic from specific IP ranges for management purposes.
  • Deny all outbound traffic except to specific Azure services.

Best Practices

To ensure the security and optimal performance of your Azure Storage accounts, consider the following networking best practices:

  • Principle of Least Privilege: Grant only the necessary network access required for your applications.
  • Use Private Endpoints: Whenever possible, use private endpoints for the most secure and isolated access.
  • Regularly Review Firewall Rules: Periodically audit your firewall and virtual network configurations.
  • Secure DNS Resolution: Ensure proper DNS configuration for private endpoints to avoid exposing data over public networks.
  • Enable Logging: Configure network logs for your storage accounts to monitor access patterns and detect potential security threats.