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Private Endpoints provide a way to connect to Azure services using a private IP address from your own virtual network. This process, called Azure Private Link, ensures that traffic stays on the Microsoft backbone and never touches the public internet. By using a private endpoint, you can secure access to specific instances of a service, such as a single database, rather than the entire service, which significantly reduces the attack surface of your cloud resources.
To manage traffic flow, you use Network Security Groups (NSGs) and Application Security Groups (ASGs) to create rules for your endpoints. These tools filter inbound and outbound traffic based on organizational security policies. You must enable network policies on the subnet for these rules to work, and ASGs help you group resources logically without needing complex IP lists.
For advanced security, you can send traffic through a Network Virtual Appliance (NVA) or firewall by creating a User-Defined Route (UDR) on the source subnet that points to the private endpoint's IP address. This setup ensures that all data is inspected for threats before it reaches the target Azure service. The UDR must be placed on the subnet where the traffic starts, not the subnet where the endpoint lives.
Proper DNS resolution is critical when setting up private endpoints. Because the service still uses its original web address, your network must resolve that address to the new private IP. You achieve this by using Azure Private DNS zones, which automatically manage these records for your virtual network. Without correct DNS settings, applications will continue trying to reach the service through its public IP address.
Compared to service endpoints, private endpoints offer better protection against data exfiltration, meaning a malicious user cannot easily move data from a secure resource to an unprotected one because the connection is tied to a specific resource instance. Private endpoints also allow secure access from on-premises networks using a VPN or ExpressRoute, making them more flexible and secure for complex hybrid cloud environments.
Private endpoint DNS configuration enables secure, private connectivity to Azure PaaS services from within virtual networks. Proper DNS resolution ensures that client requests to a service's fully qualified domain name (FQDN) resolve to the private IP address of the private endpoint rather than the public IP, maintaining network isolation and security. The configuration must support various network topologies, including single virtual networks, peered networks, and hybrid on-premises environments.
For virtual network workloads without a custom DNS server, Azure-provided DNS (168.63.129.16) is used. This service automatically resolves queries for private DNS zones linked to the virtual network. A private DNS zone (such as privatelink.database.windows.net for Azure SQL Database) must be created and linked to the virtual network, containing an A record that maps the service FQDN to the private endpoint's IP address.
In peered virtual network scenarios, the same private DNS zone must be linked to all peered virtual networks to ensure consistent resolution. A hub-and-spoke topology is common, where a single private DNS zone in the hub network is shared across all spokes. This prevents the need for manual DNS record merging and ensures clients in any spoke can resolve the private endpoint correctly. Creating multiple private DNS zones with the same name leads to resolution conflicts and requires complex manual intervention.
For on-premises workloads to resolve private endpoints, a DNS forwarder must be deployed within an Azure virtual network linked to the private DNS zone. This forwarder can be a virtual machine running DNS services or a managed service like Azure Firewall with DNS proxy enabled. The on-premises DNS server must be configured with a conditional forwarder for the Azure private DNS zone, pointing to the DNS forwarder's IP address. This setup proxies queries on behalf of on-premises clients.
Azure DNS Private Resolver provides a fully managed solution for hybrid DNS resolution. This service uses inbound endpoints to receive DNS queries from on-premises networks and outbound endpoints with DNS forwarding rulesets to direct queries to appropriate DNS servers. The resolver simplifies management by eliminating the need for VM-based DNS servers and provides built-in high availability.
Use the recommended private DNS zone names for each Azure service (such as privatelink.blob.core.windows.net for storage) to ensure automatic record management. Private DNS zone groups automate the creation and maintenance of DNS records when a private endpoint is updated. Avoid overlapping DNS zones and ensure conditional forwarding is configured to the public DNS zone forwarder rather than the privatelink subdomain. When disabling public network access for a service, verify that all required FQDNs are resolvable via private endpoints to avoid connectivity breaks.
Private Endpoints in Azure allow you to securely connect to Azure PaaS services from within your virtual network. This ensures that traffic between your virtual network and the Azure service remains on the Microsoft Azure backbone network, eliminating the need for public internet exposure.
Azure Private Link provides several key benefits. Improved security comes from securing Azure service resources to your virtual network and removing public internet access, allowing traffic only from the private endpoint within your virtual network. Private access lets you connect to Azure services without needing a public IP address, as the Private Link platform manages connectivity over the Azure backbone. You can access Azure services from on-premises networks over ExpressRoute private peering, VPN tunnels, and peered virtual networks without traversing the internet. A private endpoint maps to a specific instance of a PaaS resource, blocking access to other resources in the service and reducing data leakage risks. Private endpoints also connect privately to services running in different regions, ensuring secure connectivity across geographical boundaries. They are simple to set up and manage without needing NAT or gateway devices.
Private Endpoints are network interfaces that connect you privately and securely to a service powered by Azure Private Link. They use a private IP address from your virtual network, effectively bringing the service into your virtual network. Service Endpoints provide secure and direct connectivity to Azure services over an optimized route on the Azure backbone network, allowing private IP addresses in the virtual network to reach the endpoint of an Azure service without needing a public IP address.
Private endpoints and service endpoints differ in several important ways. Private endpoints apply to individual instances of a service, while service endpoints apply to the entire service. Private endpoints offer built-in protection against data exfiltration, which service endpoints do not. Private endpoints allow private access from on-premises networks, whereas service endpoints do not. Private endpoints do not require a public IP address, while service endpoints do. Private endpoints require DNS changes, whereas service endpoints do not.
When implementing private endpoints, disable public network access for the resources you want to secure. Use Network Security Groups to control traffic flow to and from the private endpoints. Use Azure Monitor and other auditing tools to keep track of data flow and ensure compliance with security policies. By implementing private endpoints for Azure PaaS services, you enhance the security and privacy of your network, ensuring that all traffic remains within the Azure backbone and does not traverse the public internet.
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