Azure Networking Basics
Introduction to Azure Networking
Welcome to the Azure Networking Basics tutorial! In this guide, we'll explore the fundamental concepts of networking within Microsoft Azure. Understanding these building blocks is crucial for deploying and managing secure, scalable, and reliable cloud solutions.
Azure networking provides a robust and flexible infrastructure that enables you to connect resources within Azure and to your on-premises environments. We'll cover key services and concepts that form the backbone of cloud connectivity.
Core Networking Concepts
Before diving into specific services, let's define some essential terms:
- Virtual Network (VNet): A logically isolated network in Azure where you can deploy your Azure resources. VNets are fundamental to providing private network connectivity for your cloud resources.
- Subnet: A range of IP addresses within your Virtual Network. You can segment your VNet into subnets, allowing you to group resources logically and manage traffic flow.
- IP Address: Unique identifiers for devices on a network. Azure supports both Public IP addresses (for internet-facing resources) and Private IP addresses (for internal communication).
- Network Security Group (NSG): Acts as a virtual firewall, allowing you to filter network traffic to and from Azure resources in an Azure virtual network.
- Virtual Machine (VM): An on-demand, scalable computing resource that is available as an organization. VMs can be connected to VNets to participate in your cloud network.
Virtual Networks (VNets) in Detail
A Virtual Network is the foundational element for your private network in Azure. It's a representation of your own network in the cloud. When you create a VNet, you specify a custom private IP address space. You can then create subnets within that VNet.
Key benefits of using VNets include:
- Resource Isolation: Your VNet is isolated from all other Azure customers' VNets.
- Connectivity: Connect Azure resources to each other, to the internet, and to your on-premises networks.
- Traffic Control: Define routing rules and security policies to manage traffic flow.
Creating a VNet: A Quick Overview
Creating a VNet can be done through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell. Here's a simplified conceptual step:
az network vnet create \
--resource-group MyResourceGroup \
--name MyVNet \
--address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16
This command creates a VNet named MyVNet with an address space of 10.0.0.0/16 within the MyResourceGroup.
Subnets: Segmenting Your Network
Subnets allow you to divide your VNet's address space into smaller, manageable segments. This is crucial for organization, security, and efficient IP address management. Resources within a subnet can communicate with each other by default.
When creating a subnet, you define its address range, which must be a subset of the VNet's address space.
Example: Creating a Subnet
Let's add a subnet named Workloads to our MyVNet:
az network vnet subnet create \
--resource-group MyResourceGroup \
--vnet-name MyVNet \
--name Workloads \
--address-prefix 10.0.1.0/24
Now, resources deployed in the Workloads subnet will use IPs from the 10.0.1.0/24 range.
Network Security Groups (NSGs)
Network Security Groups (NSGs) are a critical security feature. They contain a list of security rules that allow or deny network traffic to Azure resources. NSGs can be associated with subnets or individual network interfaces (NICs).
Security rules have priority, source and destination, protocol, and port information. The system evaluates rules in order of priority.
Common NSG Rules:
- Allowing inbound traffic on port 80/443 for web servers.
- Denying all inbound traffic by default (least privilege).
- Allowing outbound traffic to the internet.
Next Steps and Further Learning
This tutorial provided a high-level overview of Azure networking basics. To further enhance your understanding and skills, consider exploring:
Mastering these fundamental networking concepts will empower you to build secure and efficient solutions in Azure.
Explore Load Balancing Next