Azure Networking Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the Azure networking and security terms used across our tools.
Application Gateway
A Layer 7 load balancer for web traffic that supports SSL offloading, URL-based routing, and Web Application Firewall integration.
Try the Load Balancer Setup tool →Azure Bastion
A fully managed service that provides secure RDP and SSH access to virtual machines directly through the Azure portal, without exposing a public IP.
Try the Secure VM Console Access tool →Azure Firewall
A managed, cloud-native network firewall that provides centralized, stateful traffic filtering — including DNAT and FQDN-based application rules — across an entire virtual network or hub-spoke topology.
Try the Firewall Rule Generator tool →CIDR Block / Subnet
A range of IP addresses expressed in CIDR notation (e.g. 10.0.0.0/24) used to divide a virtual network into smaller, manageable segments.
Try the VNET Subnet Planner tool →NAT Gateway
A managed service that provides a static, predictable outbound public IP address for resources inside a subnet.
Try the NAT Gateway tool →Network Security Group (NSG)
A set of allow/deny rules that filter inbound and outbound network traffic to Azure resources, based on source, destination, port, and protocol.
Try the NSG Rule Builder tool →Private DNS Zone
An Azure DNS zone that resolves domain names within a virtual network, without exposing records to the public internet.
Try the DNS Resolution tool →Private Link / Private Endpoint
A networking feature that lets you access Azure PaaS services (like Storage or SQL) over a private IP address inside your virtual network, instead of the public internet.
Try the Private Endpoint Link tool →Site-to-Site VPN (S2S)
An encrypted tunnel connecting an on-premises network (like a corporate office) to an Azure virtual network over the internet.
Try the Office-to-Cloud Connector tool →Point-to-Site VPN (P2S)
A VPN connection from an individual client device (like a remote employee's laptop) directly into an Azure virtual network.
Try the Remote User VPN Setup tool →VNet Peering
A connection that links two Azure virtual networks so resources in each can communicate directly using private IP addresses, without traversing the public internet.
Try the VNet Connection Setup tool →Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A Layer 7 firewall that protects web applications from common exploits, including OWASP Top 10 threats like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
Try the WAF Web Shield tool →Zero-Trust Architecture
A security model that assumes no implicit trust for any user or device, requiring strict verification at every access point rather than relying on a trusted network perimeter.
Not sure which tool you need?
Read our NSG vs Firewall vs WAF comparison guide to see how these three security layers work together.