It covers concept on azure networking

1. Feature Network Security Group (NSG) Application Security Group (ASG)
Purpose
Controls inbound/outbound network traffic for
resources
Groups VMs logically to apply security rules by
group
Layer of
Operation Network (Layer 3) and Transport (Layer 4)
Transport (Layer 4) (some sources note
application, but mainly Layer 4 in practice)
Scope Network-level: subnets, NICs, VMs
Application-level: groups of VMs or NICs in
same VNet
Rule
Application Based on IP addresses, ports, protocols
Based on logical groups (ASGs) of VMs/NICs,
not IPs
Configuration Attached to subnets, network interfaces, or VMs
Defined at VM/NIC level, referenced in NSG
rules
Granularity Network segmentation, access control lists (ACLs)
Micro-segmentation within subnets, application
tiers
Use Cases
Restrict access to specific ports/protocols, network
segmentation, role-based access control
Grouping application components, simplifying
rule management, isolating traffic between tiers
Management Manual IP-based rules, more static
Dynamic, group-based, easier to manage with
changing IPs
Limits
Up to 1000 rules (some sources say 100, but current
Azure limit is 1000 for NSG rules per NSG)46 Up to 100 ASGs per NSG rule

2. Summary Table
Aspect NSG ASG
Focus Network security, traffic filtering Application security, logical grouping
Where used Subnets, NICs, VMs VM/NIC groups, referenced in NSG rules
Rule base IP, port, protocol Security group membership
Key Differences
Feature NSG (Network Security Group) ASG (Application Security Group)
Purpose
Controls network traffic using
rules
Groups VMs logically for easier rule
application
Type Security boundary Logical grouping
Rules
Contains security rules
(allow/deny)
Used within NSG rules as a
source/destination
Applies To Subnets or NICs NICs (network interfaces) of VMs
Granularity IP address, subnet, or tag-based VM group-based (dynamic and logical)
Helps With Creating firewall-like rules Simplifying NSG rule management
UDR Analogy
Imagine a city’s road network:
 Default routes are like main roads that everyone uses to get from one part of the
city to another.
 UDRs are like custom instructions you give to certain drivers, telling them to take a
specific detour or route—for example, sending all delivery trucks through a security
checkpoint or a toll plaza before reaching their destination.
In Azure networking, UDRs let you override the default paths that network traffic
would take and instead direct it through specific “checkpoints” or “gates” (like a
virtual firewall or a network appliance) before reaching its final destination351.

3. How UDRs Are Useful
 Custom Traffic Control: UDRs allow you to define exactly how traffic should flow
within your network, rather than relying on Azure’s default routing.
 Security and Compliance: You can force all traffic to pass through a security
appliance (like a firewall) for inspection or logging.
 Flexibility: You can create complex routing topologies, such as hub-and-spoke
networks, where all traffic between spokes must pass through a central hub for
security or monitoring.
 Automation and Management: Tools like Azure Virtual Network Manager let you
automate and centrally manage UDRs, making it easier to maintain routing policies
at scale26.
Use Cases for UDRs
 Forced Tunneling: Direct all internet-bound traffic from a subnet through an on-
premises firewall for inspection before it reaches the internet.
 Network Virtual Appliance Routing: Route traffic between subnets or virtual
networks through a virtual firewall or other security appliance for additional security
checks.
 Hybrid Networking: Ensure traffic between on-premises and Azure resources passes
through specific gateways or appliances.
 Isolation and Segmentation: Isolate certain traffic flows, such as restricting direct
communication between subnets and requiring all traffic to pass through a central
security device.
 Automated Routing Policies: Use Azure Virtual Network Manager to apply
consistent routing policies across multiple virtual networks and subnets
Virtual Network Peering
 Definition: Virtual network peering connects two or more virtual networks in the same
Azure region, allowing resources in each network to communicate seamlessly as if they were
part of the same network
 How it works: Traffic between virtual machines in peered networks is routed privately over
Microsoft’s backbone infrastructure, without passing through the public internet or
requiring gateways or encryption

4.  Key benefits:
 Low-latency, high-bandwidth connections between resources in different virtual
networks.
 Secure and private communication: Traffic stays within Microsoft’s network.
 No downtime: Peering can be established without affecting existing resources.
 Supports cross-subscription and cross-Microsoft Entra tenant scenarios (with some
limitations).
 Use cases: Commonly used to connect different workloads, enable resource sharing, or
implement hub-and-spoke architectures within the same region
Global Virtual Network Peering
 Definition: Global virtual network peering extends the peering capability to connect virtual
networks across different Azure regions
 How it works: Like regional peering, it allows resources in one virtual network to
communicate with resources in another, regardless of their region, using Microsoft’s private
backbone
 Key benefits:
 Cross-region connectivity: Enables secure communication and data transfer
between virtual networks in different Azure regions.
 Performance: Maintains low-latency and high-bandwidth connections, though
latency is higher than within the same region.
 No public internet or gateways required for inter-region traffic.
 Supports cross-subscription and cross-Microsoft Entra tenant scenarios (with some
limitations).
Feature Virtual Network Peering (Regional) Global Virtual Network Peering
Regions Same Azure region Different Azure regions
Traffic Routing Microsoft backbone, private Microsoft backbone, private
Latency Very low Low, but higher than same-region
Use Cases Resource sharing, hub-and-spoke, etc. Disaster recovery, global workloads
Gateway Required No No
Cross-Subscription/Tenant Supported (with limitations) Supported (with limitations)

5.  Use cases: Ideal for disaster recovery, cross-region applications, and global workload
distribution.
Site-to-Site VPN
 Definition:
A Site-to-Site (S2S) VPN is a secure, always-on connection between your on-
premises network and an Azure virtual network. It uses an IPsec/IKE (IKEv1 or IKEv2)
VPN tunnel for encrypted communication137.
 How it Works:
 Requires a VPN device (hardware or software appliance) on-premises with a public IP
address.
 Establishes a persistent tunnel between the on-premises gateway and the Azure VPN
Gateway.
 All devices on the on-premises network can communicate with resources in the
Azure virtual network, depending on routing and permissions25.
 Use Cases:
 Connecting an entire office or data center to Azure for hybrid cloud scenarios.
 Always-available, cross-premises connectivity (many-to-many)8.
 Key Features:
 Suitable for connecting networks, not individual devices.
 Connection is maintained at the gateway level, not dependent on any single device
being powered on8.
Point-to-Site VPN
 Definition:
A Point-to-Site (P2S) VPN is a secure connection from an individual client computer
to an Azure virtual network. It is initiated from the client device45.
 How it Works:
 Uses protocols like OpenVPN, SSTP, or IKEv2 for secure connectivity.
 Requires installation of a VPN client on the user’s device and configuration of
certificates or shared keys.
 The user initiates the connection when needed, and it is typically used for remote
access45.
 Use Cases:
 Remote workers accessing resources in Azure from home, a cafe, or while traveling.
 When only a few clients need to connect to the virtual network, and setting up a VPN
device is impractical45.

6.  Key Features:
 Suitable for connecting individual devices (one-to-many).
 Connection is established and maintained by the user’s device, not always-on8.
Comparison Table
Feature Site-to-Site VPN (S2S) Point-to-Site VPN (P2S)
Connection Type Network-to-network Device-to-network
Setup VPN device on-premises, public IP needed VPN client on user device
Protocol IPsec/IKE (IKEv1 or IKEv2) OpenVPN, SSTP, IKEv2
Availability Always-on On-demand (user-initiated)
Use Case Office/data center to Azure Remote user to Azure
Scalability Many-to-many One-to-many
Analogies
IKEv1 Analogy:
Imagine you are sending a secret message to a friend using a complex, multi-step
handshake with lots of back-and-forth confirmations before you can actually start

7. talking. Each step must be completed in order, and if anything changes (like your
location or the channel), you have to start the whole process again. This is like IKEv1,
which uses a rigid, multi-phase process to establish a secure connection and doesn’t
handle changes well521.
IKEv2 Analogy:
Now, imagine you can send and receive secret messages much more quickly, with a
simple, streamlined process—like a secret handshake that only takes a few moves. If
you move to a new room (change your network or IP address), you don’t have to
restart the handshake; your connection stays secure. This is IKEv2, which is faster,
more flexible, and can handle network changes without dropping the
connection352.
Differences Between IKEv1 and IKEv2
Feature IKEv1 IKEv2
Protocol
Efficiency
Multi-phase, complex handshake, more
messages52 Streamlined, fewer messages, faster setup523
Authentication Uses XAuth (Extended Authentication)1 Uses EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol)15
Mobility Support
No support for network changes; connection
drops35
Supports MOBIKE, maintains connection across
changes35
NAT Traversal Not built-in; requires extra configuration52 Built-in, works seamlessly behind NAT52
Security
Good, but less advanced and more prone to
issues2 More secure, supports modern ciphers28
Scalability Multiple SAs per subnet pair, less scalable6 Single SA per peer, more scalable6

8. Summary:
 IKEv1 is like a complex, multi-step secret handshake that is slow and inflexible.
 IKEv2 is like a quick, simple secret handshake that adapts to changes and keeps you
connected.
 IKEv2 is generally faster, more secure, and better suited for modern, mobile,
and scalable networks.
Point-to-Site VPN Gateway Connection Analogy
Imagine a private, secure tunnel from your home directly to your company’s
headquarters.
Instead of needing a big, permanent bridge (like a Site-to-Site VPN), you simply
open a secret passageway from your laptop whenever you need to access the office.
Anyone with the right key (credentials or certificate) can use this tunnel, but it’s only
open when you start it—not all the time. This is what a Point-to-Site VPN Gateway
connection does: it lets your device connect securely to an Azure virtual network on
demand, just like opening a private, temporary tunnel from anywhere.
Use Cases
 Remote Work: Employees working from home, a café, or while traveling can
securely access company resources in Azure or on-premises135.
 Few Users Need Access: Useful when only a small number of users or devices need
to connect to the network, making Site-to-Site VPN unnecessary13.
 Temporary or On-Demand Access: Ideal for consultants, partners, or contractors
who need occasional access to Azure resources15.
 No VPN Device Needed: Unlike Site-to-Site VPN, no on-premises VPN device or
public IP is required2.
Examples
 Telecommuter Scenario:
 Example: A marketing specialist working from home needs to access files stored on
an Azure virtual machine. She uses a Point-to-Site VPN client on her laptop to
securely connect to the company’s Azure network and access the files135.
 Field Technician:

9.  Example: A technician in the field uses a tablet to connect via Point-to-Site VPN to
Azure-hosted diagnostic tools and documentation15.
 Temporary Contractor Access:
 Example: A consultant working on a short-term project uses their own laptop to
securely connect to Azure resources using a Point-to-Site VPN, without needing
permanent access or a dedicated VPN device
What is ExpressRoute?
Azure ExpressRoute is a private, dedicated connection between your on-premises
infrastructure and Microsoft Azure, bypassing the public internet. It's used for reliable,
faster, and more secure data transfers.
Use Cases of Azure ExpressRoute
1. Enterprise-Grade Performance
 Scenario: A large enterprise migrating massive data from on-prem to Azure.
 Need: Consistent latency and high bandwidth.
2. Regulated Industries
 Scenario: Financial services or healthcare storing sensitive data.
 Need: Avoid public internet due to compliance (e.g., HIPAA, PCI-DSS).
3. Hybrid Cloud Architectures
 Scenario: A company runs applications split between on-prem and Azure.
 Need: Low-latency connection to synchronize data or services.
4. Disaster Recovery (DR)
 Scenario: Using Azure Site Recovery to replicate on-prem VMs.
 Need: Fast, reliable replication without relying on public internet.
5. Big Data / Storage Migration
 Scenario: Moving terabytes or petabytes to Azure Blob Storage.
 Need: Higher throughput and security than the public internet.
Aspect Public Internet Azure ExpressRoute
Speed Variable Consistent & high-speed
Security Over public internet Private & secure
Latency Unpredictable Low and stable
Use Cases General workloads Enterprise, DR, compliance-heavy workloads

10. Analogy
 Service Endpoint:
Like telling an Azure service “only accept traffic from this neighborhood (subnet),”
but the service still lives in the cloud.
 Private Endpoint:
Like pulling the Azure service into your house (VNet), giving it a local private IP,
and talking to it as if it were on your local network.
Service Endpoint Example
Scenario: You want VMs in a VNet to access Azure Storage, but only allow traffic from
that subnet.
 You enable a Service Endpoint for Microsoft.Storage on the subnet.
 Configure Storage Account firewall to allow only that VNet.
 Traffic still hits the storage account’s public IP, but only from your VNet.
✅ Private Endpoint Example
Scenario: You need secure access to Azure SQL Database from a web app in a VNet with
no exposure to public IPs.
 You create a Private Endpoint for Azure SQL.
 SQL gets a private IP address inside your VNet.
 Web app talks to SQL entirely via private IP, with zero public exposure.
 You update DNS so the app resolves sqlname.database.windows.net to that
private IP.
 Use Case Recommended
Internal app with minimal network config Service Endpoint
Highly secure, regulated workloads Private Endpoint
On-prem to Azure via private link Private Endpoint
Simple VNet to PaaS service access Service Endpoint
Access from other regions or VNets Private Endpoint with Private Link
Feature Service Endpoint Private Endpoint
Traffic Routing
Over the Azure backbone, but
public IP of the service
Over the Azure backbone, uses a
private IP in your VNet
IP Type
Targets public IP of the Azure
service
Targets private IP from your VNet

11. Feature Service Endpoint Private Endpoint
DNS
Configuration
No changes needed
DNS must resolve service name to
private IP
Security
Restricts access by subnet via
service firewall
Restricts access to specific NICs or
resources
Data Exfiltration
Risk
Lowered but still accessible from
other VNets if allowed
Completely isolated from public
internet
Use Case
Simpler network setup for trusted
VNets
Stronger isolation and compliance
needs
Availability Fewer services supported
Supported by most major services
now
Costs No extra cost for setup
Incur charges per endpoint + data
processing
1. What is WAF (Web Application Firewall)?
🔍 Definition:
Azure WAF is a security service that protects your web applications from common threats
like:
 SQL Injection
 Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
 DDoS attacks
 Malicious bots
It operates at Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) and inspects incoming traffic to block suspicious
requests.
✅ Use Cases:
 Protect web apps and APIs from OWASP Top 10 attacks
 Enforce IP restrictions or geo-blocking
 Add a security layer without changing app code
🚧 Where You Can Use WAF:
 Azure Application Gateway (regional)
 Azure Front Door (global)
 Azure API Management
🌐 2. What is Azure Front Door?

12. 🔍 Definition:
Azure Front Door is a global, scalable entry point for web applications. It combines:
 Global HTTP load balancing
 Content acceleration (CDN)
 SSL offloading
 Web Application Firewall (WAF) integration
Front Door directs users to the closest and healthiest backend across regions.
✅ Use Cases:
 Serve global users with low latency
 Auto-route traffic to the closest backend (geo-routing)
 Protect apps with built-in WAF
 Failover across regions in case of app downtime
🚀 Key Features:
 Smart routing based on performance, latency, or availability
 Built-in CDN caching
 TLS termination
 Support for multi-region deployments
🚚 3. What is CDN (Content Delivery Network)?
🔍 Definition:
A CDN caches static content like images, scripts, videos, and stylesheets at edge servers
around the world to serve users faster.
Azure offers:
 Azure CDN (Microsoft, Verizon, or Akamai-backed)
 CDN in Front Door (built-in acceleration)
✅ Use Cases:
 Speed up delivery of static content globally
 Reduce load on origin servers
 Improve website page load times
 Ensure content availability during regional outages

13. 📦 What CDN Delivers:
 Images, videos
 JavaScript, CSS files
 Static HTML
 Large downloads (e.g., software installers)
🔄 How They Work Together
Component Role
WAF Protects your app from malicious traffic
CDN Accelerates static content delivery
Front Door Combines global routing, WAF, and CDN to deliver secure and fast apps
The OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS) is a set of predefined security rules used by Web
Application Firewalls (WAFs) (like Azure WAF) to detect and block common web
attacks, including:
 SQL Injection (SQLi)
 Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
 Local File Inclusion (LFI)
 Remote Code Execution (RCE)
 CSRF
 HTTP protocol violations
Each CRS version improves accuracy, performance, and protection while reducing false
positives.
VPN TYPE Route and Policy based differences use cases and analogy
ChatGPT said:
Great! Let’s break down the difference between Route-based and Policy-based VPNs in
Azure, including:
 🧠 Simple analogy
 ⚖️Key differences
 🧰 Use cases
 🛠️Azure support and best practices
🔄 VPN Type Overview

14. Type Route-Based VPN Policy-Based VPN
Routing Uses routing tables (IP routes) Uses static IPsec policies
Flexibility More flexible and scalable Less flexible, manual configs
Tunnel Support Multiple tunnels/interfaces Single tunnel/interface only
Dynamic Routing Supports BGP ❌ No support
Azure VNet Peering + VPN? ✅ Supported ❌ Not supported
Azure Recommendation ✅ Recommended ❌ Deprecated (limited use)
🧠 Analogy
📦 Route-Based VPN (Modern GPS Routing):
Like a GPS in a car: it dynamically figures out how to get to different locations using maps
(routes).
 You define routes for each network.
 Traffic is dynamically routed through the tunnel.
 Scales well with multiple networks and changes.
🧾 Policy-Based VPN (Old School Directions):
Like having written instructions that only cover one specific route.
 You predefine rules for specific IP-to-IP traffic.
 Very rigid: changes require reconfiguring policies.
 Not good for complex networks.
✅ Use Cases
Scenario
Use Route-
Based
Use Policy-Based
Multiple subnets or VNets ✅ Yes ❌ No
Dynamic routing (BGP) ✅ Yes ❌ No
Azure-to-Azure VNet via VPN ✅ Yes ❌ No
Compliance with legacy firewall (e.g.,
older Cisco ASA)
❌ Not needed ✅ Required (some devices only support

15. Scenario
Use Route-
Based
Use Policy-Based
policy-based)
Simpler, one-subnet-only setup ✅ Still okay ✅ Fine (if using old hardware)
Multi-site, multi-region ✅ Ideal ❌ Not scalable
🛠️Azure VPN Gateway Compatibility
VPN Gateway SKU Route-Based Policy-Based
VpnGw1–5 SKUs ✅ Supported ❌ Not supported
Basic SKU ✅ Limited ✅ Supported
BGP Support ✅ Yes ❌ No
🔧 Configuration Differences
Route-Based:
 Define IP route tables
 Use "any-to-any" tunnel
 Add more subnets without changing the tunnel
Policy-Based:
 Manually specify:
o Source IP/subnet
o Destination IP/subnet
o Protocol/port
 Need tunnel recreation if subnets change
🔥 Summary Table
Feature Route-Based Policy-Based
Routing Dynamic Static
Tunnel Flexibility High Low

16. Feature Route-Based Policy-Based
BGP Support ✅ Yes ❌ No
Azure Recommendation ✅ Yes ❌ Legacy only
Best for Modern, complex networks Legacy device compatibility
📌 Final Recommendation (Azure)
Always use Route-Based VPN unless you're integrating with an older on-prem device that
only supports Policy-Based VPN.
Would you like:
 A diagram of Route vs. Policy-based VPN?
 A Terraform or CLI deployment of Route-based VPN?
 Specific vendor config examples (Cisco, FortiGate, pfSense)?
Let me know!
You said:
what is BGP?
ChatGPT said:
🌍 What is BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)?
BGP is the routing protocol of the internet. It’s used to exchange routing information
between different networks (called autonomous systems, or AS).
In Azure, BGP is used to dynamically exchange routes between your on-premises
network and Azure Virtual Network (VNet) — most commonly with VPN Gateway or
ExpressRoute.
🧠 Simple Analogy
BGP is like Google Maps for networks.
 You don’t have to manually write down every direction.
 Instead, your GPS (BGP) talks to the map (routes) and chooses the best way
automatically.
 If a road (route) is closed, it finds another path without human intervention.

17. 🔍 BGP in a Nutshell
Feature Description
Full Form Border Gateway Protocol
Type Dynamic routing protocol
Purpose Exchange routes between networks (ASNs)
Used In Internet routing, Azure VPN/ExpressRoute
Azure Support Supported in Route-based VPN and ExpressRoute
🛠️Where is BGP Used in Azure?
1. VPN Gateway with BGP
 Dynamically advertises your Azure VNet IP ranges to your on-prem router.
 Accepts on-prem IP ranges dynamically.
 Eliminates manual route configuration.
2. ExpressRoute
 BGP is required for route exchange.
 You can advertise your on-prem prefixes to Microsoft.
 Azure advertises VNet and service endpoints to your on-prem.
✅ Advantages of BGP
Benefit Why It Matters
Dynamic Routing No need to manually update route tables
Auto Failover If one connection fails, routes change automatically
Scalability Supports many prefixes and networks
Multi-site Support Works well with complex topologies (e.g., multiple data centers)
🧾 Key Terms in BGP

18. Term Description
ASN
Autonomous System Number – unique ID for a network (e.g., Azure ASN is
65515)
Prefix IP address block being advertised (e.g., 10.1.0.0/16)
Peer The other router (your on-prem device or Azure VPN gateway)
Route Advertisement Sharing your prefixes with the peer
Path Selection BGP selects the best route based on attributes (e.g., AS path length)
🖥️Example: Azure VPN Gateway with BGP
text
CopyEdit
[On-Prem Router] --BGP--> [Azure VPN Gateway]
Advertise: 192.168.0.0/16 Advertise: 10.1.0.0/16
No need to manually define these IP prefixes in route tables — BGP takes care of it.
⚠️Things to Know in Azure
 Azure uses ASN 65515 for its VPN Gateway by default (can be customized).
 BGP works only with Route-Based VPNs, not Policy-Based.
 Basic VPN SKU does not support BGP — use VpnGw1 or higher.
1. What is WAF (Web Application Firewall)?
🔍 Definition:
Azure WAF is a security service that protects your web applications from common threats
like:
 SQL Injection
 Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
 DDoS attacks
 Malicious bots
It operates at Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) and inspects incoming traffic to block suspicious
requests.

19. ✅ Use Cases:
 Protect web apps and APIs from OWASP Top 10 attacks
 Enforce IP restrictions or geo-blocking
 Add a security layer without changing app code
🚧 Where You Can Use WAF:
 Azure Application Gateway (regional)
 Azure Front Door (global)
 Azure API Management
🌐 2. What is Azure Front Door?
🔍 Definition:
Azure Front Door is a global, scalable entry point for web applications. It combines:
 Global HTTP load balancing
 Content acceleration (CDN)
 SSL offloading
 Web Application Firewall (WAF) integration
Front Door directs users to the closest and healthiest backend across regions.
✅ Use Cases:
 Serve global users with low latency
 Auto-route traffic to the closest backend (geo-routing)
 Protect apps with built-in WAF
 Failover across regions in case of app downtime
🚀 Key Features:
 Smart routing based on performance, latency, or availability
 Built-in CDN caching
 TLS termination
 Support for multi-region deployments
🚚 3. What is CDN (Content Delivery Network)?

20. 🔍 Definition:
A CDN caches static content like images, scripts, videos, and stylesheets at edge servers
around the world to serve users faster.
Azure offers:
 Azure CDN (Microsoft, Verizon, or Akamai-backed)
 CDN in Front Door (built-in acceleration)
✅ Use Cases:
 Speed up delivery of static content globally
 Reduce load on origin servers
 Improve website page load times
 Ensure content availability during regional outages
📦 What CDN Delivers:
 Images, videos
 JavaScript, CSS files
 Static HTML
 Large downloads (e.g., software installers)
🔄 How They Work Together
Component Role
WAF Protects your app from malicious traffic
CDN Accelerates static content delivery
Front Door Combines global routing, WAF, and CDN to deliver secure and fast apps
🏗 Example Architecture
text
CopyEdit
User ➜ Azure Front Door (WAF + CDN) ➜ Azure Web App / App Gateway
 Front Door routes the request to the nearest backend
 WAF filters out malicious traffic
 CDN delivers cached content
 Backend serves dynamic requests

21. 🧠 Summary Table
Feature WAF Front Door CDN
Purpose Security Global entry point & smart routing Speed up content delivery
Layer Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) Application & routing layer Caching layer
Protects
From
Attacks (SQLi, XSS,
bots)
Region failure, latency, DDoS (with
WAF)
Slow load times
Includes
WAF?
✅ Itself ✅ Built-in
❌ No, but can work with
WAF
Includes
CDN?
❌ No ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
WAF vs. CDN – Overview
Feature WAF (Web Application Firewall) CDN (Content Delivery Network)
Purpose
Protects web apps from malicious
traffic
Delivers content quickly to users globally
Primary Role Security Performance / Speed
Works On HTTP/HTTPS traffic (L7 security)
Static & dynamic content (HTML, JS, images,
video)
Blocks?
Malicious traffic (SQL injection, XSS,
etc.)
❌ No blocking – just caching & distribution
Where Used? In front of web applications Between users and your app
Integrated
With
Azure Application Gateway, Azure
Front Door
Azure Front Door, Azure CDN
🧠 Simple Analogy
CDN = Delivery truck network, speeding up content to users.
WAF = Security checkpoint, inspecting every request for threats.
 CDN ensures content is fast and geographically close to the user.

22.  WAF ensures requests are clean and safe before they reach your app.
✅ Use Cases
🔐 WAF (Web Application Firewall)
Use Case Example
Prevent OWASP attacks SQL injection, XSS, CSRF
Block bad IPs or countries Geo-blocking
Inspect HTTPS traffic TLS termination & inspection
Secure APIs Validate headers, payloads
🚀 CDN (Content Delivery Network)
Use Case Example
Global content caching Deliver images, JS, CSS quickly
Offload traffic from origin Reduce load on backend server
Improve latency Serve content from edge POPs
Content availability Redundancy in case origin goes down
🔧 Azure Implementations
Feature Azure WAF Azure CDN
Where to
deploy
Azure Application Gateway, Azure Front Door,
Azure API Management
Azure Front Door, Azure CDN (Verizon,
Akamai, Microsoft)
Pricing model Based on WAF rules, throughput Based on data transfer, requests
Managed
Rules
✅ OWASP Core Rulesets ❌ (Security handled elsewhere)
Custom Rules ✅ Yes ❌ Not applicable
Cache Control ❌ Not applicable ✅ Cache rules, purge, TTL control
Can They Work Together?

23. Absolutely! In Azure:
 You can enable both CDN and WAF on Azure Front Door.
 Front Door handles:
o CDN for performance
o WAF for security
o Global load balancing as a bonus
Internal app with minimal network config Service Endpoint
Highly secure, regulated workloads Private Endpoint
On-prem to Azure via private link Private Endpoint
Simple VNet to PaaS service access Service Endpoint
Access from other regions or VNets Private Endpoint with Private Link