As enterprises move more workloads into Azure, hybrid networking scenarios — where on-premises and cloud environments coexist — have become the norm. Reliable DNS name resolution across these environments is critical for application connectivity, security, and management.
Azure DNS Private Resolver was designed specifically to address this challenge, enabling seamless, secure DNS resolution between Azure and external environments — without deploying and managing your own DNS servers.
In this post, we’ll explore what Azure DNS Private Resolver is, its architecture, common use cases, and walk through how you can deploy it using both the Azure Portal and Bicep templates. A visual diagram will also help illustrate how DNS flows between environments.
What is Azure DNS Private Resolver?
Azure DNS Private Resolver is a fully managed, highly available service that allows you to:
- Resolve DNS queries from Azure to external DNS servers (e.g., on-premises, third-party providers) via outbound endpoints and forwarding rules.
- Accept DNS queries from on-premises networks into Azure to resolve private DNS zones hosted in Azure via inbound endpoints.
It essentially bridges Azure and external DNS infrastructures — without the need for self-hosted DNS forwarders, virtual appliances, or load balancers.
Core Architecture Components
Component | Purpose |
---|---|
Inbound Endpoints | Allow on-premises or external clients to query Azure Private DNS zones. |
Outbound Endpoints | Enable Azure resources to forward DNS queries to on-premises or external DNS servers. |
Forwarding Rules | Define domain-based rules to forward specific DNS queries to specific target servers. |
Rulesets | Group multiple forwarding rules together for easier management and application across VNets. |
Where is Azure DNS Private Resolver Most Useful?
- Hybrid Cloud Environments: Connect DNS resolution between on-premises and Azure securely.
- Custom DNS Scenarios: Integrate Azure workloads with third-party DNS providers (e.g., Infoblox, AWS Route53 Private Hosted Zones).
- Simplified Management: Avoid running custom DNS virtual machines in Azure for forwarding or resolution.
- Resilient Design: Azure manages high availability and scaling automatically.
Visualizing DNS Query Flows with Azure DNS Private Resolver
Here’s a simplified Mermaid architecture-beta diagram that illustrates how DNS queries flow using inbound and outbound endpoints:
Deploying Azure DNS Private Resolver: Step-by-Step (Azure Portal)
Let’s walk through setting up a basic Private Resolver:
Step 1: Create DNS Private Resolver
-
Go to the Azure Portal.
-
Search for DNS Private Resolver and select + Create.
-
Fill out the basics:
- Resource Group: Choose or create a new one.
- Name: Example
myDNSResolver
- Region: Must match your VNets.
-
Click Next.
Step 2: Create an Inbound Endpoint
- Name:
inbound-endpoint
- VNet: Select your Virtual Network.
- Subnet: Choose a dedicated subnet (must be empty, e.g.,
dns-inbound-subnet
).
This will allow on-premises clients to resolve Azure-hosted private domains.
Step 3: Create an Outbound Endpoint
- Name:
outbound-endpoint
- VNet: Select the same (or another) Virtual Network.
- Subnet: Choose another dedicated subnet (e.g.,
dns-outbound-subnet
).
This will allow Azure resources to forward queries to external DNS servers.
Step 4: Create Forwarding Ruleset
- Create a ruleset that includes a forwarding rule:
- Domain name: e.g.,
corp.contoso.com
- Target DNS servers: e.g.,
10.0.0.2
(on-premises DNS IP) - Linked Outbound Endpoint: Select
outbound-endpoint
- Linked Virtual Network: Select the VNet you want this rule to apply to.
- Domain name: e.g.,
Step 5: Review and Create
- Validate and deploy.
Bicep Deployment Example
Here’s a Bicep template to deploy a basic DNS Private Resolver with inbound and outbound endpoints:
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Key Takeaways
- Azure DNS Private Resolver is ideal for hybrid and multi-cloud name resolution.
- Inbound Endpoints allow external systems to resolve Azure-hosted private zones.
- Outbound Endpoints forward Azure DNS queries to external DNS servers based on rules.
- Infrastructure as Code with Bicep makes deployments repeatable and scalable.