ExpressRoute Gateway Overview
This document provides a comprehensive overview of ExpressRoute Gateways in Azure. ExpressRoute gateways are a key component for establishing private, high-bandwidth connections between your on-premises environments or co-location facilities and Azure.
What is an ExpressRoute Gateway?
An ExpressRoute gateway is a virtual network gateway that you deploy in your Azure virtual network. It enables:
- Connectivity to ExpressRoute circuits: It allows your virtual network to connect to your ExpressRoute circuits, facilitating direct, private connectivity to Azure services.
- Network extension: It extends your on-premises network into Azure, enabling hybrid cloud scenarios.
- High-performance networking: ExpressRoute offers higher bandwidth, lower latencies, and improved reliability compared to VPN over the public internet.
Key Features and Benefits
- Dedicated Private Connection: Traffic does not traverse the public internet, enhancing security and performance.
- Scalable Bandwidth: Supports various bandwidth options, from 50 Mbps to 10 Gbps, allowing you to choose the capacity that best suits your needs.
- Redundancy: Provides active-standby or active-active configurations for high availability.
- Global Reach: Connect to Azure regions worldwide through supported ExpressRoute partners.
- Integration with Azure Services: Seamlessly connect to Azure services like Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Storage, and Azure SQL Database.
Gateway Types and SKUs
ExpressRoute gateways come in different types and SKUs, each offering varying performance characteristics and features:
- Type: Typically, you'll be working with
VpnGwtype for ExpressRoute gateways. - SKUs: Common SKUs include:
Standard: Suitable for most common scenarios.HighPerformance: Offers higher throughput and more connections.UltraPerformance: For the most demanding workloads requiring maximum throughput.Az(for zonal redundancy): Available for higher availability and resilience.
Choosing the right SKU depends on your bandwidth requirements, connection count, and performance expectations.
Deployment Considerations
- Gateway Subnet: A dedicated subnet named
GatewaySubnetis required within your virtual network to host the gateway. - IP Addressing: The gateway subnet must have at least an
/27address space. - Resource Location: The gateway must reside in the same Azure region as your virtual network.
- Peering: For connecting to ExpressRoute Global Reach or other virtual networks, consider VNet peering configurations.
Use Cases
ExpressRoute Gateways are ideal for scenarios such as:
- Hybrid Cloud Deployments: Connecting your datacenter to Azure for a seamless hybrid environment.
- Disaster Recovery: Replicating data and applications to Azure for business continuity.
- Large Data Transfers: Efficiently moving large datasets between on-premises and Azure.
- Migration Projects: Phased migration of workloads to Azure.
Important Note: ExpressRoute Gateways are distinct from VPN Gateways used for site-to-site or point-to-site VPN connections. While both are virtual network gateways, they serve different purposes.