Above these Azure Services looks similar and sometime it create confusion when to use Azure Service Endpoint, Azure Private Endpoint and Azure Private Link. In this blog, I have tried to summarise use of these services with some usecase.
Azure Service Endpoint, Azure Private Endpoint, Azure Private Link, and Azure VPN Gateway are all different Azure services that provide different levels of secure connectivity and access to resources.
Azure Service Endpoint :In simplified terms, a service endpoint in Azure is a way to securely connect your Azure resources, such as virtual machines or app services, to other Azure services or to on-premises networks.
When you create a service endpoint, it creates a direct connection between your Azure resources and the endpoint’s corresponding service, bypassing the internet and providing a more secure connection. This connection is done through a private IP address within your virtual network, rather than a public IP address accessible through the internet.
- Using service endpoints can improve the security and performance of your applications and services by reducing exposure to public networks and reducing latency.
- Endpoint Limit network access to specific subnet and IP address
- Optimal routing for Azure Service Traffic from your Virtual Network
- Endpoints use the Microsoft Azure Backbone Network
- Must configure both sides of the endpoints. For example, the Virtual network side and the storage account side.
Azure Service Endpoint use case: Eg. 1 – Let’s say you have a web application running in an Azure virtual network that needs to access data stored in an Azure SQL Database. By creating a Service Endpoint for Azure SQL Database, you can limit access to the database to only the virtual network where your application is running. This ensures that the data is only accessible within the trusted network and not exposed to the public Internet.
Eg 2- Let’s Say your organisation is using Azure Cloud Iaas Resources (Such as VM inside a Virtual Network) for there applications.
Azure Private Endpoint is a feature that allows you to create a private endpoint for an Azure resource, such as a virtual machine or a Azure App Service. This private endpoint provides a private IP address within your virtual network that enables secure communication between your virtual network and the Azure resource. Azure Private Endpoint is ideal when you want to access an Azure resource over a private connection from your virtual network, but you don’t want to expose the resource to the public Internet.
Azure Private Endpoint use case: You have a sensitive workload, such as a financial application, running on a virtual machine in Azure. To ensure that the workload is not exposed to the public Internet, you can create a Private Endpoint for the virtual machine. This creates a private IP address within your virtual network that can be used to securely connect to the virtual machine without exposing it to the Internet.
Azure Private Link is a feature that allows you to create a private endpoint for an Azure service that is provided by a third-party. With Azure Private Link, you can access the service over a private connection from your virtual network, and the traffic stays within the Microsoft backbone network. This provides a secure and low-latency connection to the third-party service. Azure Private Link is ideal when you want to use a third-party service, such as a database or a storage service, but you want to ensure that the traffic stays within the Microsoft network and is not exposed to the public Internet.
Azure Private Link use case: You want to use a third-party service, such as a storage service or a database service, but you don’t want to expose the traffic to the public Internet. By creating a Private Link for the third-party service, you can establish a private and secure connection between your virtual network and the service provider’s network. This ensures that the traffic is encrypted and not exposed to the Internet, providing a more secure and reliable connection to the service.
Azure VPN Gateway: Azure VPN Gateway allows you to connect your on-premises network to Azure over a secure VPN tunnel. This enables you to extend your on-premises network to the cloud and access resources within your Azure virtual network. VPN Gateway supports both Site-to-Site VPN and Point-to-Site VPN configurations.
Use Azure VPN Gateway when you want to connect your on-premises network to Azure over a secure VPN tunnel.
Azure VPN Gateway usecase :If you have an on-premises network and you want to connect it to Azure securely, you can use Azure VPN Gateway to create a Site-to-Site VPN tunnel between your on-premises network and your Azure virtual network. This allows your on-premises resources to securely access resources within your Azure virtual network, such as Azure Virtual Machines or Azure SQL Database. Additionally, you can use Point-to-Site VPN to allow remote access to your Azure virtual network from a client computer over a secure VPN connection.
In summary, you should use Azure Service Endpoint when you want to allow access to a specific Azure service from your virtual network, Azure Private Endpoint when you want to access an Azure resource over a private connection from your virtual network, Azure Private Link when you want to use a third-party service and ensure that the traffic stays within the Microsoft network and Azure VPN Gateway when you want to create a secure VPN tunnel between your on-premises network and your Azure virtual network, allowing your resources to securely access resources within your virtual network..
Main Differences
| Service | Use case | Connection type | Connectivity type | Traffic stays within Azure backbone network? | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Service Endpoint | Accessing Azure services within a virtual network | Private endpoint | Virtual Network Service Endpoint | Yes | Traffic is secured by a private connection and does not traverse the public internet. |
| Azure Private Endpoint | Accessing Azure PaaS services within a virtual network | Private endpoint | Azure Private Link | Yes | Traffic is secured by a private connection and does not traverse the public internet. |
| Azure Private Link | Connecting to Azure services securely over a private connection | Private endpoint | Azure Private Link | Yes | Traffic is secured by a private connection and does not traverse the public internet. |
| Azure VPN Gateway | Creating a secure VPN tunnel between an on-premises network and an Azure virtual network | VPN gateway | Site-to-Site VPN or Point-to-Site VPN | No | Traffic is secured by encryption, but it traverses the public internet. |
Note that while all of these services provide some level of security, they have different levels of exposure to the public internet. Azure Service Endpoint, Azure Private Endpoint, and Azure Private Link all keep traffic within the Azure backbone network, providing an additional layer of security by isolating the traffic from the public internet. In contrast, Azure VPN Gateway uses the public internet for connectivity, which introduces a potential attack surface. However, traffic is still secured by encryption, providing a level of protection.