Azure Networking Services Overview | Generated by AI
Question: What typical networking services does Azure provide, such as subnets, VPC equivalents, NAT, etc.?
Answer:
Azure provides a comprehensive set of networking services to build secure, scalable, and connected cloud infrastructures. The core foundation is Azure Virtual Network (VNet), which is the equivalent of AWS VPC—a logically isolated private network in the cloud where you deploy resources like virtual machines, containers, and PaaS services.
Key Azure Networking Services and Equivalents
- Virtual Network (VNet): Equivalent to AWS VPC. It defines a private IP address space and enables secure communication between Azure resources, the internet, and on-premises networks.
- Subnets: Within a VNet, you can create multiple subnets to segment the address space. Resources (e.g., VMs) are deployed into specific subnets. There is no inherent “public” vs. “private” subnet distinction like in AWS; accessibility depends on configuration (e.g., public IPs, NSGs, routes).
- NAT Gateway: Equivalent to AWS NAT Gateway. Provides scalable, managed outbound internet connectivity (Source NAT/SNAT) for resources in private subnets. Attach it to one or more subnets for reliable outbound traffic without exposing instances directly.
- VPN Gateway: Enables site-to-site, point-to-site, or VNet-to-VNet encrypted connections over the public internet (IPsec/IKE). Supports NAT rules for overlapping IP addresses.
- ExpressRoute: Private, dedicated connectivity to Azure (bypassing the public internet), similar to AWS Direct Connect.
- Virtual Network Peering: Connects multiple VNets (even across regions or subscriptions) for low-latency private communication, equivalent to VPC Peering.
- Network Security Groups (NSGs): Stateful firewalls applied at subnet or NIC level to control inbound/outbound traffic.
- Azure Firewall: Centralized network security service with threat intelligence, application rules, and network filtering.
- Load Balancer and Application Gateway: For distributing traffic (Layer 4 and Layer 7 respectively).
- Private Link/Private Endpoints: Private access to Azure PaaS services without public exposure.
- Azure Bastion: Secure RDP/SSH access to VMs without public IPs.
These services allow hybrid setups, secure segmentation, and global connectivity while integrating with monitoring tools like Network Watcher.
References:
- Azure Virtual Network Overview
- Azure NAT Gateway Overview
- Azure VPN Gateway Overview
- Azure Networking Services Overview
- Virtual Network Peering Overview