Setting up a Private Link to access Azure services privately

Posted on by Panther

Overview

Azure Private Link is a networking service provided by Microsoft Azure that enables you to access Azure resources privately from your web application or virtual network. Private Link keeps your traffic within the Microsoft network and avoids exposure to the public internet, resulting in better security, lower latency, and better compliance with regulations.

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up Private Link to access Azure services securely and privately.

Prerequisites

Before you get started, you will need:

  • An Azure subscription with sufficient permissions to create and configure resources.
  • A virtual network (VNet) into which you want to create a Private Link.
  • An Azure resource that you want to access privately using a Private Link.

Step 1: Create a Private Endpoint

A Private Endpoint is a network interface associated with an Azure resource in your VNet. It provides a private IP address within your VNet that you can use to access the Azure resource securely.

To create a Private Endpoint:

  1. Navigate to your Azure resource and click on the Private Endpoint connections tab on the left-hand side.
  2. Click on the + Add button to create a new Private Endpoint.
  3. In the Basics tab of the Create a Private Endpoint wizard, select your virtual network and subnet where you want to create the Private Endpoint.
  4. Select the Azure resource you want to associate with the Private Endpoint.
  5. In the Configure Connectivity tab, select the networking settings you want for your Private Endpoint. You can either use an existing DNS zone or create a new one for your Private Endpoint.
  6. Click the Review + create button to review your settings.
  7. Once you have verified your settings, click the Create button to create your Private Endpoint.

Step 2: Configure Private DNS Zone

To access your Azure resource using Private Link, you need to configure a Private DNS zone in your virtual network. This Private DNS zone resolves the URL of your Azure resource to its private IP address, allowing you to access the resource securely and privately.

To configure the Private DNS zone:

  1. Navigate to your virtual network and click on the Private DNS zones tab on the left-hand side.
  2. Click on the + Add button to create a new Private DNS zone.
  3. In the Basics tab of the Create a private DNS zone wizard, enter a name for your Private DNS zone.
  4. Select the virtual network where you want to create the Private DNS zone, and click the Review + create button to review your settings.
  5. Once you have verified your settings, click the Create button to create your Private DNS zone.
  6. Once your Private DNS zone is created, navigate to your Azure resource and click on the DNS configuration tab on the left-hand side.
  7. Enable Private endpoint (Preview) and select the Private Endpoint you created earlier.
  8. Click on the Add record set button to add a new record set to your Private DNS zone.
  9. In the Add record set wizard, enter a name for your record set and select the type of record you want to create (e.g. A, CNAME, etc.).
  10. Enter the private IP address of your Azure resource in the value field, and click the Add button to add your record set.

Congratulations! You have successfully configured Private Link for your Azure resource.

Testing Private Link Connectivity

To test the Private Link connectivity, you can create a test virtual machine in your VNet and attempt to access your Azure resource using its Private Link DNS name or IP address.

To create a test virtual machine:

  1. Navigate to your virtual network and click on the + Add button to create a new virtual machine.
  2. In the Basics tab of the Create a virtual machine wizard, enter a name for your virtual machine and select your desired settings (e.g. operating system, disk, etc.).
  3. In the Networking tab, select your VNet and

subnet where you want to create your virtual machine.
4. Click the Add inbound port rule button to allow inbound traffic to your virtual machine.
5. Enter a name for your inbound port rule, and select the protocol and port range you want to allow.
6. Click the Review + create button to review your settings.
7. Once you have verified your settings, click the Create button to create your virtual machine.

To test the Private Link connectivity:

  1. Connect to your test virtual machine using SSH or RDP.
  2. Open a web browser and attempt to access your Azure resource using its Private Link DNS name or IP address.
  3. If you are able to access the resource, your Private Link configuration is working correctly.

Conclusion

Azure Private Link is a powerful networking service that enables you to access Azure resources privately and securely. It provides better security, lower latency, and better compliance with regulations. In this tutorial, we walked through the process of setting up Private Link to access Azure services privately. We covered creating a Private Endpoint, configuring a Private DNS zone, and testing the Private Link connectivity. Now that you know how to set up Private Link, you can use it to enhance the security and performance of your web applications and virtual networks.

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