Azure Virtual Networks

Comprehensive Documentation for Virtual Network Services

Private Endpoint Basics

Azure Private Endpoint provides the most secure way to access Azure Platform as a Service (PaaS) resources, such as Azure Storage and SQL Database, or your own services hosted on Azure Virtual Network. Instead of exposing your service to the public internet, a private endpoint uses a private IP address from your virtual network, effectively bringing the service into your virtual network.

What is a Private Endpoint?

A private endpoint is a network interface that connects any private client within a virtual network to an Azure service. This connection uses a private IP address from your virtual network, not a public IP address. Traffic between your virtual network and the service travels over the Microsoft backbone network, eliminating exposure to the public internet.

Key Benefits

  • Enhanced Security: Access Azure PaaS services without exposing them to the public internet.
  • Simplified Network Architecture: Reduces the need for complex network security configurations like firewalls for public endpoints.
  • Private IP Address Access: Services are accessed using private IP addresses within your virtual network.
  • Compliance: Helps meet regulatory and compliance requirements that mandate restricted access to services.

How it Works

When you create a private endpoint for a service:

  1. A network interface (NIC) is provisioned in your virtual network.
  2. This NIC is assigned a private IP address from your subnet.
  3. Azure DNS is configured to map the service's public DNS name to the private IP address of the private endpoint for clients within your virtual network.

This ensures that when clients in your virtual network attempt to access the service using its standard DNS name, the traffic is routed directly to the private endpoint within your network.

Important: Private Endpoints are designed for accessing Azure PaaS services. For accessing your own virtual machines or other resources within Azure that do not have a private endpoint connection, consider Azure Private Link Service.

Supported Services

A wide range of Azure services support private endpoints, including:

  • Azure Storage (Blob, File, Queue, Table)
  • Azure SQL Database
  • Azure Cosmos DB
  • Azure Key Vault
  • Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
  • And many more PaaS offerings.

Refer to the Azure Private Endpoint documentation for a complete and up-to-date list of supported services.

Scenarios

Private endpoints are ideal for scenarios such as:

  • Connecting to Azure SQL Database from an Azure Virtual Machine without exposing the database to the internet.
  • Accessing Azure Blob Storage from an on-premises network via a VPN or ExpressRoute connection, using private IP addresses.
  • Securing sensitive data in Azure Cosmos DB by restricting access to a specific virtual network.

Creating a Private Endpoint

You can create private endpoints using:

  • Azure Portal
  • Azure CLI
  • Azure PowerShell
  • Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates

The process typically involves selecting the target service, choosing the virtual network and subnet, and configuring the DNS settings.

Creating a private endpoint is a critical step in building a secure and robust cloud architecture on Azure. It allows you to leverage the power of Azure PaaS services while maintaining strict control over network access.

For detailed step-by-step instructions and advanced configurations, please refer to the official Azure documentation.