Azure Bastion
Azure Bastion is a fully managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) that provides secure and seamless Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Secure Shell (SSH) connectivity to virtual machines (VMs) directly through the Azure portal over TLS. It eliminates the need for public IP addresses on VMs, jump hosts, or VPN connections by creating a private, encrypted tunnel from the Azure portal to the target VM. This service enhances security by reducing the attack surface and simplifying remote access management for Azure-based resources.
Developers should use Azure Bastion when managing Azure VMs that require secure remote access without exposing them to the public internet, such as in production environments, compliance-sensitive workloads (e.g., healthcare or finance), or hybrid cloud setups. It is particularly valuable for scenarios where traditional RDP/SSH methods pose security risks, as it integrates with Azure Active Directory for authentication and provides audit logs, reducing the need for complex network configurations like VPNs or bastion hosts.