Configure server- and database-level firewall rules

Server-level firewall rules apply to all databases hosted on a particular Azure SQL server. To set up server-level firewall rules, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com), navigate to your Azure SQL server, and click on “Firewalls and virtual networks” under the Security heading.
2. By default, the firewall allows Azure services and resources to access your server. If you want to enable Azure services to access your server, ensure that the “Allow Azure services and resources to access this server” option is set to Yes.
3. To add a new client IP address, click on “Add client IP”. This option adds your current IP address to the firewall rules.
4. To configure an IP range, select “Add IP range” and specify the start and end IP addresses. This is useful when you want to specify a range of IP addresses allowed to access the server.
5. Click on “Save” to apply the changes to the server-level firewall rules.

Configuring Database-Level Firewall Rules:

Database-level firewall rules apply to a specific database within an Azure SQL server. To set up database-level firewall rules, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Azure portal, open your Azure SQL server, and click on “Firewalls and virtual networks” under the Security heading.
2. Select the specific database for which you want to configure the firewall.
3. To add a new client IP address, click on “Add client IP.” This option adds your current IP address to the firewall rules for that specific database.
4. To configure an IP range, select “Add IP range” and specify the start and end IP addresses. This narrows down access to the specific database from a range of IP addresses.
5. Click on “Save” to apply the changes to the database-level firewall rules.

It’s important to note that database-level firewall rules are cumulative with server-level firewall rules. If you have both server- and database-level rules configured, the database-level rules further narrow down the access to a specific database.

Testing Firewall Rules:

After configuring firewall rules, it’s crucial to test the connectivity to ensure that the rules are correctly set up. To test the connectivity, you can use tools such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Azure PowerShell.

Using SSMS:

1. Open SSMS and connect to your Azure SQL server.
2. Run a query to access a database on the server. If the connection is successful, it means the firewall rules are correctly set up.

Using Azure PowerShell:

1. Open Azure PowerShell and run the following command:

Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance .database.windows.net -Database -Query "SELECT GETDATE() AS CurrentDateTime"


Replace <server_name> with your Azure SQL server name and <database_name> with your database name.

2. If the output shows the current datetime value, it indicates that the firewall rules are correctly configured.

By carefully configuring and managing firewall rules at the server and database levels, you can enhance the security of your Azure SQL Solutions. This allows you to control and restrict access to your databases, protecting your data and ensuring that only authorized clients can interact with your Azure SQL resources.