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what is azure bastion

Azure Bastion is a fully managed Platform‑as‑a‑Service (PaaS) feature in Microsoft Azure that lets you securely connect to virtual machines (VMs) over RDP (Windows) or SSH (Linux) using the Azure portal , without exposing the VMs directly to the public internet.

Quick definition

Azure Bastion lives inside your Azure virtual network and acts as a “jump‑in” endpoint that brokers RDP/SSH connections between your browser (or local client) and VMs over TLS on port 443 , so your VMs typically don’t need public IP addresses or custom firewall rules.

How it works in a nutshell

  • You deploy an Azure Bastion host into a dedicated AzureBastionSubnet (minimum /26) in a VNet.
  • Users log in to the Azure portal, select a VM, and click “Connect” to get an RDP/SSH session in the browser (or via native SSH/RDP if supported).
  • The connection flows: user browser → Azure Bastion → VM’s private IP , keeping the VM’s management ports hidden from the internet.

Key benefits

  • No public‑facing RDP/SSH exposed : VMs can live with only private IPs, reducing attack surface and port‑scanning exposure.
  • No jump‑box VM to manage : You avoid patching, hardening, and securing a separate bastion or jump‑box VM.
  • Simple, agent‑less access : No special client software or agents on the VM; just your browser or standard SSH/RDP tools.

Typical use‑case context

Teams often use Azure Bastion when:

  • Compliance or security policies forbid exposing RDP/SSH ports to the internet.
  • You want a “one‑click” portal‑based way for admins and developers to reach production or dev VMs without VPNs or complex jump‑box setups.

SKUs and features (quick snapshot)

Tier| Main use case| Notes
---|---|---
Basic| Basic secure RDP/SSH browser access| Suitable for small‑scale environments; limited advanced features. 29
Standard| General‑purpose production use| Supports host scaling, multi‑tenant scenarios, and more protocols/connections. 29
Premium| Advanced security and compliance needs| Adds features like session recording , enhanced logging, and stricter access controls. 29

Why it’s trending in forums

In 2025–2026, Azure Bastion is often discussed in circles around Zero Trust , cloud‑native security , and remote workforce access , because it neatly replaces legacy jump‑box models and aligns with patterns like “private‑only” VMs plus just‑in‑time access.

If you want, the next step can be a step‑by‑step walkthrough of how to deploy Azure Bastion in a real‑world scenario (e.g., connecting to a Windows or Linux VM without a public IP).