Moving OCR out of an application can help contain network traffic, but it does not by itself make egress zero. A separate on-premises OCR worker can process documents locally; a managed OCR service reached through a private endpoint can keep that particular network path off the public internet. In either design, other application dependencies may still send traffic out.
What “zero egress” means in an OCR design
OCR placement and network boundaries are separate decisions. Taking OCR out of the application process can mean running it as a separate local service or container, or calling a cloud OCR service over a private network connection. The first can keep document processing on premises; the second still sends requests to a managed service, even if the route avoids the public internet.
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Define the boundary before claiming zero egress: does it mean no public-internet traffic, no traffic leaving a VPC, or no outbound traffic from the entire workload? Those are not equivalent. A private service path says nothing on its own about telemetry, updates, identity checks, logging, storage, or other dependencies.
Two ways to move OCR out of the application
| Pattern | What happens to the document | What to evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Local or on-premises OCR container | OCR runs in a separately deployed container within the organization’s environment. Microsoft describes an on-premises Read OCR container for governance and security needs, and says Azure AI containers do not send analyzed customer data to Microsoft. | Processing location; supported formats and languages; container version and lifecycle; operational ownership; and whether the worker has any outbound dependency. |
| Managed OCR over private connectivity | The application or worker sends a request to a cloud service through a private endpoint. AWS says a Textract VPC interface endpoint can be used without an internet gateway, NAT device, VPN, or Direct Connect, and that traffic between the VPC and Textract does not leave the AWS network. | Service region and endpoint support; identity and endpoint policies; data-handling requirements; network path; processing mode; and any remaining outbound traffic elsewhere in the application. |
Local processing: separate the worker, keep the data local
A container boundary lets a team operate OCR separately from the main application while keeping execution on premises. Microsoft’s documented Read container is Azure Vision Foundry Tools 3.2 GA. Its installation documentation lists JPEG, PNG, BMP, PDF, and TIFF inputs. Those facts apply to that specific container; they should not be generalized to every current cloud OCR offering.
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Microsoft’s OCR overview warns against using the legacy OCR API v3.2 and RecognizeText API v2.1. Because the container documentation names a particular version, check its current lifecycle and support status before adopting it. Container deployment also makes the operator responsible for packaging, deployment, version review, and the worker’s network dependencies.
Private connectivity: constrain a cloud-service path
A private endpoint changes the route to a managed service; it does not make the service local. AWS states: “Traffic between your VPC and Amazon Textract does not leave the AWS network.” That claim is specifically about the VPC-to-Textract path, not every possible outbound dependency in the application. Review endpoint properties and limitations for the intended deployment.
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Textract remains a network call to a managed service. AWS requires clients to support TLS 1.2 and recommends TLS 1.3, and says Textract communicates through HTTPS endpoints. Private routing and encrypted transport address different parts of the design, so neither should be treated as a substitute for reviewing service data handling.
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If the goal is a usable document workflow rather than text recognition alone, OCR may sit inside a longer pipeline. AWS’s illustrative guidance shows storage triggering asynchronous Textract processing, followed by classification or enrichment, validation that may include human review, and storage of verified data for downstream applications. AWS labels that guidance as not intended for production or critical data accounts, so use it as an example of workflow shape, not a production blueprint.
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Processing mode also affects the workflow: AWS describes synchronous analysis for single-page documents and directs multipage workflows to asynchronous processing. Decide whether the requirement is OCR alone or structured extraction and review, then account for latency expectations, retries, failure recovery, retention, and human validation. The cited sources do not establish comparative accuracy, throughput, pricing, or end-to-end egress for these patterns.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to verify a zero-egress boundary
- Define the boundary. State whether the target is no public-internet access, no traffic leaving a VPC, or no outbound traffic from the whole workload. Name the systems and data flows included.
- Inventory destinations and dependencies. Include the OCR worker, application, storage, identity, logging, metrics, licensing, updates, and any downstream services. A private OCR endpoint does not account for these other paths.
- Inspect DNS and routing. Confirm that service names resolve to the intended private endpoint and that route tables, firewall rules, endpoint policies, and identity permissions match the design.
- Test the stated boundary. For a strict no-egress environment, remove public routes or otherwise enforce the intended restriction, then exercise the actual workload. Confirm that document intake, OCR, retries, logging, and storage still work without an unapproved outbound path.
- Review data handling separately. Read the service-specific rules for content, logs, and retained data. AWS’s Textract data-protection documentation, for example, cautions that free-form text fields may be picked up for diagnostic logs and describes handling of custom-query adapter training content.
These are engineering verification steps, not automatic guarantees provided by either deployment pattern. Treat “zero egress” as a property to demonstrate for a defined boundary and workload, rather than an inherent result of moving OCR into another process.
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