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Build a hub-and-spoke Azure network by deciding which services belong in the hub, defining a route and DNS plan for every traffic path, and then validating the deployed routes and security rules. Peering alone does not provide transitive connectivity or send traffic through a firewall. Use this checklist to make those decisions explicit before workloads depend on the network.
1. Set the topology and address plan
- Allocate non-overlapping address ranges. Check the hub, every spoke, and connected on-premises networks for overlap. Reserve address space for future spokes. Microsoft’s hub-and-spoke topology guidance treats non-overlapping address spaces as a prerequisite for this design.
- Keep shared network services in the hub. Typical services include Azure Firewall, a VPN or ExpressRoute gateway, Bastion, and shared DNS services. Place application workloads in spokes so shared infrastructure and workloads have distinct roles.
- Decide how spokes may communicate. VNet peering is non-transitive: peering two spokes to a hub does not, by itself, make those spokes reachable from each other. Choose whether spokes stay isolated, communicate through a firewall or network virtual appliance (NVA), or use selected direct connectivity. Azure Virtual Network Manager can apply connectivity and routing configurations across network groups; manually managed peerings and route tables may suit smaller scopes. See Microsoft’s deployment guidance for hub-and-spoke topology with Azure Firewall.
- Decide which spokes need hybrid connectivity. Gateway transit can share gateway routes with spokes. Grant it selectively and review which on-premises networks each participating spoke can reach.
2. Define the intended route for each traffic class
Write down the expected path before configuring route tables. For each path, identify the source subnet, destination, next hop, inspection point, and return path. A hub firewall is not automatically in the path simply because the spokes are peered to the hub.
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| Traffic class | Design decision |
|---|---|
| Spoke to internet | Decide whether internet-bound traffic must pass through the hub firewall or NVA. For centralized inspection, direct the relevant spoke-subnet default route to that appliance. |
| Spoke to on-premises | Choose which spokes receive gateway routes, whether a firewall or NVA inspects the path, and how the return route is learned or configured. |
| Spoke to spoke | Choose isolation, inspection through a firewall or NVA, or direct connectivity for selected trusted flows. Direct connectivity can bypass central inspection. |
Microsoft’s Azure Firewall design guidance describes inspection as a routing and policy decision, not an automatic consequence of deploying a firewall.
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3. Configure routes for the chosen inspection path
- Associate a route table with each spoke subnet whose traffic must use centralized inspection.
- For internet-bound traffic, add a route for
0.0.0.0/0with next hop typeVirtualApplianceand the private IP address of the Azure Firewall or selected NVA. - For inspected inter-spoke traffic, add routes for the relevant spoke prefixes to the appliance where the chosen architecture requires them. Do not assume a default route covers every more-specific destination route.
- Review gateway route propagation and BGP-learned routes against the intended policy. Microsoft’s topology guidance notes that BGP route propagation can be disabled when necessary to prevent on-premises routes from overriding UDRs.
- Check both directions of each flow. Confirm that the destination and return path are compatible with the firewall or NVA policy; an allowed forward route alone does not establish that a connection will work.
Write firewall policy to permit only required flows. If trusted spokes use direct connectivity, account for the fact that those flows may not pass through central inspection. Microsoft’s topology guidance and firewall design guidance explain the role of peering, routes, and inspection in the traffic path.
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4. Choose firewall capabilities and subnet layout deliberately
Match the firewall tier and network layout to the capabilities and operating model the environment requires, such as forced tunneling, TLS inspection, IDPS, or URL filtering. These requirements can affect service configuration and subnet design. Microsoft’s guidance describes specific management-subnet and DNAT implications for forced tunneling with Standard and Premium; check the current service requirements before implementation rather than treating subnet rules as permanent.
For implementation details, use Microsoft’s hub-spoke topology best practices alongside the Azure Firewall design guide. Confirm current feature availability and pricing for the selected configuration before purchase.
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5. Make DNS consistent across workloads, private endpoints, and on-premises networks
- Identify the authorities. Record which DNS service resolves Azure workload names, private DNS zones, and on-premises names. Configure spokes to use the intended shared resolver or DNS service.
- Map private endpoint resolution. For each private endpoint, verify the relevant private DNS zone, its virtual network links, and the forwarding path from clients that need to resolve it. Microsoft’s Private Link in hub-and-spoke guidance explains how private zones and Azure-provided DNS fit into this architecture.
- Test hybrid name resolution in both directions. Confirm that Azure-hosted clients and on-premises clients can resolve the zones they require. A forwarding design, including Azure DNS Private Resolver where appropriate, may be needed for hybrid environments.
- Align DNS when using firewall FQDN application rules. Ensure the traffic originator and Azure Firewall resolve names consistently. Microsoft warns that different DNS providers can produce different resolutions between the firewall and the originator, which can affect FQDN-based rules.
For the broader hybrid DNS design, consult Microsoft’s hub-and-spoke architecture guidance and Cloud Adoption Framework recommendations.
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6. Use NSGs to segment spokes
Keep network security groups (NSGs) at appropriate spoke-subnet boundaries even when a central firewall inspects traffic. They provide a separate layer for workload segmentation and defense in depth.
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- Allow the required flows explicitly and deny unexpected lateral traffic; Microsoft recommends explicit deny rules as part of the design.
- Review rules at both source and destination subnet boundaries. Check rule priority and the service tags or application security groups used to express workload intent.
- Compare effective NSG rules with the actual deployed route and inspection path; a rule must permit the traffic where it is evaluated.
- For private endpoints that need restricted access from the hub or on-premises, evaluate whether an NSG on the private endpoint subnet is appropriate. Microsoft covers this option in its Private Link hub-and-spoke guidance.
For a workload-focused example of secure hub-and-spoke design, see Microsoft’s secure regional web applications guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.7. Validate the deployed network and keep it observable
Test the network from the perspective of the workloads and trust boundaries that use it. The exact checks depend on routes, DNS, hybrid connectivity, and the flows the design is intended to permit.
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- Routes: Inspect effective routes on relevant network interfaces and confirm that UDRs, gateway routes, and propagation produce the intended next hop.
- Security: Check firewall policy and effective NSG rules for both permitted and denied test flows.
- Name resolution: Test workload, private endpoint, and hybrid names from the client networks that must resolve them.
- Connectivity: Verify gateway transit, the forward and return paths, and each intended spoke-to-spoke or spoke-to-on-premises flow.
- Diagnostics: Enable useful diagnostic settings for Azure Firewall, Bastion, and gateways. Choose the logs needed to investigate failures while accounting for log volume and monitoring cost.
- Monitoring: Use Azure Network Watcher and Connection Monitor for visibility and troubleshooting. In hybrid ExpressRoute cases, consider the traffic-analysis tooling in Microsoft’s documented guidance.
Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework guidance recommends validating reachability during phased migration before decommissioning the old network.
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8. Migrate in a controlled sequence
- Move a non-critical workload first and validate its routes, DNS, firewall policy, NSGs, and required hybrid paths.
- Update DNS records or forwarding where workload addresses change, then test resolution from every client network that depends on those names.
- Verify the new paths and workload reachability before retiring the old VNet. Keep the old network available until the replacement design has passed those checks.
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