Azure Networking Essentials: VNets, Subnets, and Private Endpoints

Azure Networking Essentials: VNets, Subnets, and Private Endpoints

Introduction

[Explain how network isolation, segmentation, and private access mitigate exposure and improve compliance.]

Prerequisites

• Azure subscription
• Basic network concepts familiarity

Core Networking Components

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Plan Address Space

[CIDR strategy / future expansion]

Step 2: Create VNet & Subnets

az network vnet create -g rg-net --name vnet-hub --address-prefix 10.10.0.0/16
az network vnet subnet create -g rg-net --vnet-name vnet-hub --name app-subnet --address-prefix 10.10.1.0/24

Step 3: Apply NSGs

az network nsg create -g rg-net -n nsg-app
az network nsg rule create -g rg-net --nsg-name nsg-app -n AllowHTTPS --priority 100 --access Allow --protocol Tcp --direction Inbound --source-address-prefix Internet --source-port-range "*" --destination-address-prefix "*" --destination-port-range 443

Step 4: Private Endpoint Configuration

[Associate storage/account/Key Vault via private endpoint]

Step 5: DNS & Name Resolution

[Private DNS zone mapping]

Step 6: Monitoring & Flow Logs

[Enable NSG flow logs / Traffic analytics]

Best Practices

• Separate tiers (web/app/data) across subnets
• Use Azure Firewall or NVA for egress control
• Centralize DNS management

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Issue: Private endpoint resolving to public IP
Solution: Verify private DNS zone link & record existence

Issue: Inaccessible service
Solution: Check NSG direction and priority conflicts

Key Takeaways

• Proper segmentation improves security & manageability.
• Private endpoints reduce exposure of PaaS resources.
• Monitoring flow analytics guides rule refinement.

Next Steps

• Implement hub-spoke architecture
• Add DDoS protection considerations

Additional Resources

• Virtual Network Docs
• Private Link
• Network Security Groups

What networking challenge are you refining next?