Azure Private Link Endpoint vs. Azure Private Link Service

Attribute	Azure Private Link Endpoint	Azure Private Link Service
Definition	Resource that represents a specific instance of a service in a VNet	Resource that represents a service in Azure that is made accessible privately from a VNet
Visibility	Visible only within the VNet it is created in	Visible to other VNets that are peered with the VNet hosting the service
Access Control	Controls access to the specific instance of the service	Controls access to the service as a whole
Connection	Establishes a private connection to a specific instance of a service	Establishes a private connection to the service itself

Overview

Azure Private Link Endpoint and Azure Private Link Service are two important features in Microsoft Azure that help secure and privatize connections to Azure services. While they both serve similar purposes, there are key differences between the two that users should be aware of when deciding which option to choose.

Definition

Azure Private Link Endpoint is a network interface that connects you privately and securely to a service powered by Azure Private Link. It enables you to access the service over a private endpoint in your virtual network. On the other hand, Azure Private Link Service is a service that enables you to access Azure PaaS services (such as Azure Storage, Azure SQL Database, etc.) over a private endpoint in your virtual network.

Attributes

One of the key attributes of Azure Private Link Endpoint is that it provides a private IP address within your virtual network, allowing you to securely connect to the service without going over the public internet. This helps improve security and compliance by keeping traffic within the Azure network. Azure Private Link Service, on the other hand, allows you to expose your own service privately to consumers within their virtual networks.

Another important attribute of Azure Private Link Endpoint is that it supports both Azure services and your own services running in Azure. This means you can create private endpoints for services that are hosted in Azure as well as services that you have deployed in your own virtual network. Azure Private Link Service, on the other hand, is specifically designed for exposing Azure PaaS services privately.

When it comes to scalability, Azure Private Link Endpoint allows you to create multiple private endpoints for the same service, enabling you to have different endpoints for different purposes or different regions. Azure Private Link Service, on the other hand, is limited to exposing a single service over a private endpoint, which may be sufficient for many use cases but could be a limitation for more complex scenarios.

Use Cases

Azure Private Link Endpoint is ideal for scenarios where you want to securely connect to Azure services or your own services running in Azure over a private connection. This is useful for applications that require high security and compliance standards, as well as for scenarios where you want to keep traffic within the Azure network for performance reasons. Azure Private Link Service, on the other hand, is best suited for scenarios where you want to expose Azure PaaS services privately to consumers in their virtual networks.

For example, if you are running a web application that needs to access Azure Storage securely, you can use Azure Private Link Endpoint to create a private endpoint for Azure Storage and connect to it securely from your virtual network. On the other hand, if you are a SaaS provider that wants to offer your service privately to customers, you can use Azure Private Link Service to expose your service over a private endpoint in their virtual networks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Azure Private Link Endpoint and Azure Private Link Service are both valuable features in Microsoft Azure that help secure and privatize connections to services. While they have some similarities, such as providing private connectivity over the Azure network, they also have key differences in terms of their capabilities and use cases. Understanding these differences is important for choosing the right option for your specific scenario.