Private Link in Azure

 From a database administrator’s perspective, Azure Private Link provides a secure, private connection to Azure-hosted databases (like Azure SQL Database, Azure Database for MySQL, etc.) by mapping those services to private endpoints within a virtual network. This eliminates exposure of database traffic to the public internet, which greatly reduces risks of data leakage and unauthorised access.

Key points for a database administrator:

Private Connectivity: Database clients connect using private IP addresses inside your Azure Virtual Network (VNet) rather than public endpoints, keeping all traffic on Microsoft’s backbone network without traversing the internet.

Data Exfiltration Protection: Private Link tightly controls access so only the specific mapped database resource is reachable through its private endpoint. This prevents authorized users or attackers from accessing other resources in the same service unintentionally.

Network Security Controls: You can integrate Private Link with Network Security Groups (NSGs) to restrict connection access further to the private endpoint, adding an extra layer of security for your databases.

Hybrid and Cross-Region Access: Allows database access from on-premises networks or different VNets through ExpressRoute, VPN, or VNet peering, maintaining secure private connectivity regardless of location.

Eliminates Public Exposure: You can disable public IP access for databases and rely exclusively on Private Link, securing communications and minimizing the threat surface.

Simplified Network Architecture: No need for NAT devices, complex gateway configurations, or public IP white lists—everything happens privately and seamlessly within the Azure network.

In summary, Azure Private Link helps database administrators safeguard sensitive database traffic by ensuring that all communication happens privately within Azure’s secure network, reducing attack vectors and enhancing compliance with security policies.

 

What is Azure Private Link?

Private Link provides secure access to Azure services. Private Link achieves that security by replacing a resource's public endpoint with a private network interface. There are three key points to consider with this new architecture:

·         The Azure resource becomes, in a sense, a part of your virtual network.

·         The connection to the resource now uses the Microsoft Azure backbone network instead of the public internet.

·         You can configure the Azure resource to no longer expose its public IP address, which eliminates that potential security risk.

 

 

 

Putting it all together

Is your goal to access an Azure resource without using the public internet? Do you want to offer a custom Azure resource privately? If you answered yes to one or both questions, then Private Link, Private Endpoint, and Private Link Service get the job done as follows:

• To privately access an Azure PaaS service or an Azure service from a Microsoft Partner, create a private endpoint in a subnet of your Azure virtual network. That private endpoint uses Private Link to access the Azure service using a private IP address over the Microsoft Azure backbone. Peered virtual networks and on-premises networks that use ExpressRoute private peering or a VPN tunnel can also access the Azure service via the private endpoint.
• To offer private access to a custom Azure service, place the service behind a standard load balancer, create a Private Link Service resource, and attach it to the load balancer's front-end IP configuration.

When to use Azure Private Link

You know what Private Link is and how it works. Now you need some criteria to help you evaluate whether Private Link is a suitable choice for your company. To help you make a decision, let's consider the following goals:

• Bringing Azure PaaS services into your virtual network
• Securing traffic between your company network and the Azure cloud
• Eliminating internet exposure for PaaS services
• Accessing Azure PaaS resources across networks
• Lowering the risk of data exfiltration
• Offering customers private access to company-created Azure services