AZ-204 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Exam

Implement Secure Azure Solutions

Secure app configuration data by using Azure App Configuration or Azure Key Vault

One way to ensure your application configuration data is secure is by using Azure App Configuration. This service allows you to store all your app settings in one place, which helps you manage and access your configuration data more efficiently. By centralizing your configuration data, you can also apply security measures like encryption and access controls to protect sensitive information.

Another powerful tool for securing app configuration data is Azure Key Vault. Azure Key Vault helps safeguard cryptographic keys and secrets used by cloud applications and services. Using Key Vault, you can store secrets such as API keys, passwords, and database connection strings securely. It also allows you to control access to this sensitive information through fine-grained access policies.

In summary, using Azure App Configuration and Azure Key Vault helps ensure that your app's sensitive configuration data is secure. These services provide centralized storage, encryption, and access controls that help minimize risks and keep your data safe.

Develop code that uses keys, secrets, and certificates stored in Azure Key Vault

When developing applications in Azure, it is crucial to handle keys, secrets, and certificates securely. Azure Key Vault allows developers to store and manage these items securely. You can use the Key Vault to encrypt keys and secrets, ensuring they are not exposed in your application code or configuration files.

To use items stored in Azure Key Vault in your code, you can leverage the Azure SDKs (Software Development Kits) or REST APIs. These tools allow your application to retrieve secrets, keys, or certificates at runtime securely. By doing so, you ensure that sensitive information like API keys, passwords, or encryption keys are managed securely and only accessible to authorized components of your application.

Additionally, integrating Azure Key Vault with your deployment pipelines helps maintain a higher standard of security. For instance, during Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) processes, your application can pull secrets from the Key Vault instead of hardcoding them. This helps ensure that sensitive data is handled securely throughout the development lifecycle.

Implement Managed Identities for Azure resources

Managed Identities are a feature in Azure that provides an automated way to manage identities for cloud services. By using Managed Identities, you can securely authenticate any Azure service without having to manage credentials manually. This helps eliminate the risk of credential leakage and simplifies identity management.

There are two types of Managed Identities: System-assigned and User-assigned. A system-assigned managed identity is enabled directly on an Azure service instance, such as a Virtual Machine or an App Service. This identity is tied to the lifecycle of that instance and is automatically deleted when the service is deleted. On the other hand, a user-assigned managed identity is standalone and can be assigned to one or more Azure service instances.

Using Managed Identities, you can authenticate to any service that supports Azure AD authentication, including Azure Key Vault, Azure SQL Database, and more. By leveraging these identities, your application can access resources without storing credentials in code or configuration files, increasing security and reducing operational overhead.

Conclusion

In this section, we explored different strategies for implementing secure Azure solutions. We learned about Azure App Configuration and Azure Key Vault for securing app configuration data. We also discussed how to develop code that uses keys, secrets, and certificates stored in Azure Key Vault to maintain high security standards. Lastly, we covered Managed Identities for simplifying identity management and reducing the risk of credential exposure in your applications. By understanding and applying these concepts, you can build more secure and resilient Azure applications.