microsoftdocs/azure-firewall

Azure Firewall Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Firewall. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., L35-L120), use read_file with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., [security.md](security.md)), use read_file on the linked reference file

IMPORTANT for Agent: If metadata.generated_at is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If mcp_microsoftdocs tools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

• Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
• Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

| Category | Lines | Description | |----------|-------|-------------| | Troubleshooting | L37-L42 | Diagnosing Azure Firewall issues using known limitations, packet captures, and Sentinel log analysis for malware detection and traffic investigation. | | Best Practices | L43-L50 | Best practices for Azure Firewall DNS proxy/caching, performance tuning, rule optimization with Policy Analytics, and hardening/security configuration guidance. | | Decision Making | L51-L59 | Guidance on choosing Azure Firewall SKUs (Basic/Standard/Premium), comparing features and performance, and planning or changing deployments based on throughput and requirements. | | Architecture & Design Patterns | L60-L72 | Designing Azure Firewall network architectures: hub-and-spoke, forced tunneling, load balancer integration, hybrid/AVD/M365 protection, and DNAT for overlapping/private IP networks. | | Limits & Quotas | L73-L82 | Azure Firewall capacity limits, SNAT port scaling (multi‑IP, NAT Gateway/V2), prescaling ranges, and configurable TCP session idle timeout behaviors | | Security | L83-L96 | Azure Firewall security setup: compliance, RBAC/permissions, Azure Policy, TLS inspection and CA chains, threat intel, DNAT, AKS and hybrid network protection, and portal deployment. | | Configuration | L97-L119 | Configuring Azure Firewall policies and rules (DNAT, SNAT, app/SQL/FQDN), IP Groups, DNS/proxy/FTP/explicit proxy, maintenance windows, monitoring/logging, and Premium features via portal/PowerShell. | | Integrations & Coding Patterns | L120-L124 | Configuring Azure Firewall to securely access Azure Storage via SFTP, including required rules, network paths, and integration patterns for SFTP traffic. | | Deployment | L125-L132 | How to deploy Azure Firewall (including Premium) with IP Groups using Bicep/ARM/Terraform, and integrate with Azure DDoS Protection, including basic configuration steps |

Troubleshooting

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Detect and investigate malware using Sentinel with Azure Firewall logs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/detect-malware-with-sentinel | | Troubleshoot Azure Firewall using packet capture | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/packet-capture |

Best Practices

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Understand Azure Firewall DNS proxy behavior and caching | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/dns-details | | Optimize Azure Firewall performance with tuning guidelines | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-best-practices | | Optimize Azure Firewall rules with Policy Analytics | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/policy-analytics | | Apply security best practices to Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/secure-firewall |

Decision Making

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Choose and change Azure Firewall Standard vs Premium SKU | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/change-sku | | Select the appropriate Azure Firewall SKU | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/choose-firewall-sku | | Deploy Azure Firewall Basic with portal and policy | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/deploy-firewall-basic-portal-policy | | Compare Azure Firewall features across SKUs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/features-by-sku | | Plan Azure Firewall performance and SKU throughput | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-performance |

Architecture & Design Patterns

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Architect multi-hub and spoke routing with Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-multi-hub-spoke | | Design Azure Firewall forced tunneling architectures | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/forced-tunneling | | Integrate Azure Firewall with Standard Load Balancer | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/integrate-lb | | Use Azure Firewall Management NIC for control traffic | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/management-nic | | Architect Azure Firewall protection for Azure Virtual Desktop | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/protect-azure-virtual-desktop | | Design Azure Firewall protection for Microsoft 365 traffic | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/protect-office-365 | | Secure hybrid networks with Azure Firewall and policy | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-hybrid-portal-policy | | Architect Azure Firewall in hybrid network topologies | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-hybrid-ps | | Use private IP DNAT for overlapped Azure networks | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-private-ip-dnat |

Limits & Quotas

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Azure Firewall multi‑IP deployment limits and quotas | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/deploy-multi-public-ip-powershell | | Review Azure Firewall limits and behaviors from FAQ | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-faq | | Scale Azure Firewall SNAT ports with NAT Gateway | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/integrate-with-nat-gateway | | Integrate Azure Firewall with NAT Gateway V2 for SNAT scaling | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/integrate-with-nat-gateway-v2 | | Configure Azure Firewall prescaling capacity ranges | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/prescaling | | Configure Azure Firewall TCP session idle timeouts | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tcp-session-behavior |

Security

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Understand Azure Firewall compliance certifications | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/compliance-certifications | | Enforce Azure Firewall security using Azure Policy | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-azure-policy | | Configure TLS inspection certificates for Firewall Premium | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/premium-certificates | | Deploy Enterprise CA chain for Azure Firewall Premium | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/premium-deploy-certificates-enterprise-ca | | Protect AKS clusters using Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/protect-azure-kubernetes-service | | Azure Firewall roles, permissions, and required access | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/roles-permissions | | Configure Azure Firewall threat intelligence filtering | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/threat-intel | | Deploy and configure Azure Firewall in portal | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-firewall-deploy-portal | | Configure Azure Firewall DNAT for inbound filtering | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-firewall-dnat | | Configure Azure Firewall for hybrid network security | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-hybrid-portal |

Configuration

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Create and manage Azure Firewall IP Groups | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/create-ip-group | | Set customer-controlled maintenance windows for Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/customer-controlled-maintenance | | Deploy and configure Azure Firewall policy via PowerShell | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/deploy-ps-policy | | Bulk manage Azure Firewall rules with PowerShell | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/deploy-rules-powershell | | Configure and monitor Azure Firewall DNAT rules | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/destination-nat-rules | | Configure DNS servers and DNS proxy for Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/dns-settings | | Use Azure Firewall Policy Draft and Deployment | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/draft-deploy | | Configure Azure Firewall explicit proxy mode | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/explicit-proxy | | Analyze Azure Firewall data using workbooks | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-workbook | | Use Azure Firewall FQDN tags in application rules | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/fqdn-tags | | Configure FTP modes and security on Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/ftp-support | | Configure and use IP Groups in Azure Firewall rules | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/ip-groups | | Configure monitoring and logging for Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/monitor-firewall | | Use Azure Firewall monitoring data and logs with Azure Monitor | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/monitor-firewall-reference | | Implement Azure Firewall Premium advanced features | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/premium-features | | Track Azure Firewall rule changes with Resource Graph | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/rule-set-change-tracking | | Configure SNAT private IP ranges in Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/snat-private-range | | Configure Azure Firewall application rules with SQL FQDNs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/sql-fqdn-filtering | | Configure Azure Firewall DNAT policy for inbound traffic | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-firewall-dnat-policy |

Integrations & Coding Patterns

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Access Azure Storage via SFTP through Azure Firewall | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-sftp |

Deployment

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Deploy and configure Azure Firewall Premium environments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/premium-deploy | | Deploy Azure Firewall and IP Groups using Bicep | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/quick-create-ipgroup-bicep | | Deploy Azure Firewall and IP Groups via ARM template | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/quick-create-ipgroup-template | | Deploy Azure Firewall and IP Groups using Terraform | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/quick-create-ipgroup-terraform | | Deploy Azure Firewall with Azure DDoS Protection | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/tutorial-protect-firewall-ddos |