How Azure Networking Works¶
Azure Networking provides the infrastructure to connect cloud services and on-premises environments. It's built on a global fiber-optic network that uses Software Defined Networking (SDN) to manage traffic flows.
| Component | Responsibility | Managed By |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Network | Fiber, routers, switches | Microsoft |
| VNet | Address space, logical isolation | User |
| Subnet | Micro-segmentation | User |
| Network Interface (NIC) | Virtual hardware connection | User |
| NSG Rules | Access control lists | User |
| Route Table | Custom traffic steering | User |
mermaid graph TD VNet[Azure Virtual Network] --> Subnet[Subnet] Subnet --> VM[Virtual Machine] VM --> NIC[Network Interface] Subnet -. association .-> NSG[Network Security Group] Subnet -. association .-> RT[Route Table] RT --> Dest{Traffic destination} Dest --> Internet[Internet] Dest --> Peering[Peered VNet] Dest --> Hybrid[VPN or ExpressRoute]
Note
Azure uses a massive global backbone network. Traffic between Azure regions stays on this backbone and does not traverse the public internet unless explicitly configured.