Azure Firewall explicit proxy is now
generally available. Explicit proxy enables customers to configure applications
and browsers to send HTTP and HTTPS traffic directly to Azure Firewall using
proxy settings, providing an alternative to route-based traffic steering and
enabling more granular control over outbound web traffic.
The GA release builds on extensive customer
validation during public preview, where explicit proxy was enabled across 300+
Azure subscriptions and adopted by approximately 40 S500 customers.
Customer feedback gathered during preview directly influenced several key
enhancements delivered as part of GA, including support for serving both HTTP
and HTTPS destinations through a single proxy endpoint, Managed Identity-based
PAC file retrieval, and an improved portal configuration experience.
A key customer use case for explicit proxy
is Azure Arc onboarding in hybrid environments. Organizations can use
Azure Firewall as a forward proxy for Arc-enabled servers, enabling secure
connectivity to required Microsoft services while maintaining centralized
outbound access controls. Combined with support for forward proxy migration
scenarios and application-level traffic steering, Explicit Proxy helps
customers simplify network operations while leveraging Azure Firewall's
existing security capabilities.
Learn
more.