Welcome to Azure Networking Matchups
Discover in-depth comparisons between your favorite programming languages, tools, and frameworks. Browse the Matchups below to find the perfect comparison to guide your project decisions!
Available Matchups
- Azure VNet Peering vs Virtual WANComparison of VNet Peering (direct connectivity) and Virtual WAN (hub-and-spoke at scale) for multi-region architectures.
- Azure Load Balancer vs Application GatewayAnalysis of Azure Load Balancer (L4) vs Application Gateway (L7) for traffic distribution, SSL offload, and WAF capabilities.
- Azure Firewall vs NSGsComparison of Azure Firewall (stateful, L3-L7) and Network Security Groups (L3-L4) for cloud-native security policies.
- ExpressRoute vs VPN GatewayEvaluation of ExpressRoute (private fiber) and VPN Gateway (IPsec over internet) for hybrid connectivity latency, SLA, and cost.
- Azure Front Door vs CDNComparison of Front Door (global HTTP load balancing) and Azure CDN (content caching) for web application acceleration.
- Private Link vs Service EndpointsAnalysis of Private Link (private connectivity to PaaS) vs Service Endpoints (VNet integration) for secure service access.
- Azure DNS vs Private DNS ZonesComparison of Azure DNS (public) and Private DNS Zones (internal resolution) for hybrid and multi-cloud scenarios.
- Virtual WAN vs Hub-Spoke ArchitectureEvaluation of Virtual WAN (Microsoft-managed) vs manual Hub-Spoke designs for large-scale global networks.
- NAT Gateway vs Load Balancer Outbound RulesComparison of NAT Gateway (simplified outbound) and Load Balancer outbound rules for scalable egress traffic.
- Azure Bastion vs VPN for ManagementAnalysis of Azure Bastion (browser-based) vs VPN (network-level) for secure VM management access.
- Network Watcher vs Azure Monitor for NetworksComparison of Network Watcher (diagnostics) and Azure Monitor (metrics/logs) for network observability.
- Azure Firewall vs Third-Party NVAsEvaluation of native Azure Firewall vs third-party Next-Gen Firewalls (Palo Alto, Check Point) for advanced security.
- Cross-Region Load Balancing with Front Door vs Traffic ManagerComparison of Front Door (L7) and Traffic Manager (DNS-based) for global application failover and latency routing.
- Service Endpoints vs Private Link for Storage/Key VaultDetailed contrast for securing Azure Storage and Key Vault access with Service Endpoints (network isolation) vs Private Link (private IPs).
- Azure Kubernetes Networking: CNI vs KubenetComparison of Azure CNI (VNet-integrated) and Kubenet (basic) networking models for AKS clusters.
- ExpressRoute Direct vs ExpressRoute ProviderAnalysis of ExpressRoute Direct (Microsoft-owned ports) vs Provider model (carrier-mediated) for high-bandwidth needs.
- Azure DDoS Protection Standard vs BasicFeature comparison of DDoS Standard (mitigation, alerts) and Basic (always-on) for protection tiers.
- Route Server vs Custom BGP RoutingComparison of Azure Route Server (managed BGP) and manual BGP configurations for hybrid network dynamic routing.
- Azure Private 5G Core vs Traditional WANEmerging comparison of Azure Private 5G (cellular) and traditional SD-WAN for edge connectivity.
- Azure Orbital vs VPN for Satellite ConnectivityNiche comparison of Azure Orbital (satellite ground stations) vs VPN for remote site backhaul.
- Azure Networking Services OverviewComprehensive matrix comparing Azure networking services (VNet, Load Balancers, Security, Hybrid) with use cases and best practices.