Here’s a breakdown of Azure Databricks private endpoints, their uses, and configuration:

What are Azure Databricks Private Endpoints?

• Private Link Connections: Azure Private Endpoints are network interfaces that securely connect your Azure Virtual Network (VNet) directly to your Azure Databricks workspace.
• Enhanced Security: This keeps the data traffic between your Databricks workspace and your other Azure resources (or on-premises networks connected to your VNet) entirely within the Microsoft Azure backbone network, minimizing exposure to the public internet.
  • Control Plane and Data Plane: Azure Databricks supports two general areas of connectivity via Private Link: Front-end Private Link (User to Workspace), which connects users and services to the web application, REST APIs, and Databricks Connect API.
  • Back-end Private Link (Workspace to Data Sources): Allows Databricks clusters to securely connect to Azure data sources like Azure Storage, Azure Cosmos DB, etc.

Why Use Private Endpoints with Azure Databricks?

• Increased Security: Isolating your Databricks workspace within your private network limits public internet exposure and reduces risks.
• Compliance: Private endpoints are essential if your organization has strict data security regulations that demand restricted internet access.
• Hybrid Connectivity: Securely connect your Azure Databricks workspaces to on-premises networks using technologies like ExpressRoute or VPN gateways.
• Private Access to Data Sources: Access Azure data services securely without requiring them to be publicly exposed.

How to Configure Azure Databricks Private Endpoints

1. Virtual Network: Create an Azure VNet and subnets for your private connections. If necessary, consider creating separate subnets for front-end and back-end connections.
2. Private DNS Zones: Create private DNS zones linked to your VNets to resolve private IP addresses within the workspace and connected resources.
   • Create Private Endpoints: Go to your Databricks workspace in the Azure Portal.
   • Under “Networking,” create the necessary private endpoints (front-end and back-end) linked to your VNet and specific subnets.
   • DNS Configuration: Update your DNS zones with the appropriate records to map the workspace’s domain names to the private IP addresses associated with the private endpoints.

Important Considerations:

• Region Matching: Private endpoints and their target resources must often be in the same Azure region.
• Browser Authentication Endpoint: If you don’t allow public internet access, you’ll likely need a separate browser authentication private endpoint to enable single sign-on functionality.
• Cost: Private endpoints can have cost implications, so consider this in your architecture.

References:

• • Microsoft Documentation: Configure private connectivity to Azure Databricks
  • Enable Azure Private Link
• Databricks Blog: Securely Accessing Azure Data Sources from Azure Databricks