Deploy a Virtual Network (VNet) in Azure

This guide provides step-by-step instructions and best practices for deploying a Virtual Network (VNet) in Azure. VNets are the fundamental building blocks for your private network in Azure, enabling you to provision and manage a wide range of Azure resources.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• An Azure account with an active subscription. If you don't have one, you can create a free account.
• Permissions to create network resources within your subscription.

Deployment Options

You can deploy a VNet using several methods:

• Azure Portal
• Azure CLI
• Azure PowerShell
• ARM Templates or Bicep

This guide will focus on the Azure Portal and Azure CLI for demonstration purposes.

Deploying a VNet using the Azure Portal

1. Navigate to Virtual Networks: Sign in to the Azure Portal. In the search bar at the top, type "Virtual networks" and select it from the results.
2. Create VNet: Click on the + Create button.
3. Basics Tab:
   • Subscription: Select your Azure subscription.
   • Resource group: Create a new one (e.g., MyNetworkRG) or select an existing one.
   • Name: Enter a unique name for your VNet (e.g., MyVNet).
   • Region: Choose the Azure region where you want to deploy your VNet.
4. IP Addresses Tab:
   • IPv4 Address Space: Define the IP address range for your VNet. For example, 10.0.0.0/16. This range will be divided into subnets.
   • Subnets: Click Add subnet. Define a name (e.g., default-subnet) and an address range within the VNet's IP address space (e.g., 10.0.0.0/24). You can add more subnets later.
5. Security Tab (Optional): Configure options like DDoS Protection, Firewall, or Service Endpoints if needed. For a basic deployment, you can leave these as default.
6. Tags Tab (Optional): Add tags for organizing your resources.
7. Review + create: Review your configuration. If everything looks correct, click Create.

Deploying a VNet using Azure CLI

Open your Azure CLI or Azure Cloud Shell and run the following commands:

1. Create a resource group (if you don't have one):

   az group create --name MyNetworkRG --location eastus

2. Create the Virtual Network:

   az network vnet create \
       --resource-group MyNetworkRG \
       --name MyVNet \
       --address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16

3. Add a subnet:

   az network vnet subnet create \
       --resource-group MyNetworkRG \
       --vnet-name MyVNet \
       --name default-subnet \
       --address-prefix 10.0.0.0/24

Next Steps

Once your VNet is deployed, you can:

• Create and configure subnets for different workloads.
• Deploy virtual machines and other Azure resources into your VNet.
• Configure Network Security Groups (NSGs) to control network traffic.
• Connect your VNet to other VNets or on-premises networks.

For advanced scenarios, explore features like VNet peering, VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, and Azure Firewall.