DP-420 Designing and Implementing Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Manage data plane access to Azure Cosmos DB by using Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)

Concepts

Azure Cosmos DB is a globally-distributed, multi-model database service provided by Microsoft Azure. It offers various data models, including document, key-value, graph, and column-family, to cater to different application needs. With its flexibility and scalability, Azure Cosmos DB is becoming increasingly popular for building native applications. In this article, we will explore how to manage data plane access to Azure Cosmos DB by utilizing Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).

Integrating Azure AD

Azure AD is a cloud-based identity and access management service that provides secure access and single sign-on functionality for various applications and services. By integrating Azure Cosmos DB with Azure AD, you can leverage the centralized access control and authentication mechanisms offered by Azure AD for your Cosmos DB resources.

Step 1: Create an Azure AD Application

Navigate to the Azure portal and open the Azure AD resource.
Select “App registrations” and click on “New registration”.

Provide a name for your application and select the supported account types.
In the Redirect URI section, enter the appropriate redirect URL for your application.
Once the application is created, note down the “Application (client) ID” as it will be required later.

Step 2: Configure Azure Cosmos DB to Use Azure AD Authentication

Open the Azure portal and navigate to your Azure Cosmos DB account.
In the left menu, click on “Access control (IAM)” and select the “Azure AD” tab.
Click on the “Add Azure AD admin” button and enter the email address of the Azure AD user you want to assign as the administrator.

Grant the required permissions to the Azure AD user and save the changes.

Step 3: Modify Your Application Code to Authenticate with Azure AD

To modify your application code to authenticate with Azure AD, follow these steps:

Install the appropriate Azure Cosmos DB SDK for your programming language.
Modify your connection code to include the Azure AD authentication options.

Here’s an example of modifying the connection code in C#:

using Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos; using Microsoft.Azure.Services.AppAuthentication;


string cosmosDbEndpoint = "";

string cosmosDbKey = "";
using (TokenCredential tokenCredential = new DefaultAzureCredential())

{

    CosmosClientOptions options = new CosmosClientOptions

    {

        ConnectionMode = ConnectionMode.Gateway,

        HttpClientFactory = () => new HttpClient()

        {

            DefaultRequestHeaders = { Connection = "Keep-Alive" }

        }

    };
    CosmosClient client =

        new CosmosClient(cosmosDbEndpoint, cosmosDbKey,

            () => tokenCredential.GetToken(new TokenRequestContext(new[] { "https://database.azure.com/" })), options);

}

In the above code snippet, we use the DefaultAzureCredential class to obtain an access token from Azure AD. This class automatically checks multiple sources, such as Visual Studio authentication, Azure CLI, and Azure Managed Service Identity, to acquire the token.

Step 4: Test the Azure AD Authentication

Once you have modified your application code, you can test the Azure AD authentication by following these steps:

Run your application and verify that it successfully connects to Azure Cosmos DB using Azure AD authentication.
Ensure that the Azure AD user assigned as the administrator for Cosmos DB has the necessary permissions to perform the requested operations.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage data plane access to Azure Cosmos DB using Azure AD. This integration ensures secure and controlled access to your Cosmos DB resources, allowing you to leverage Azure AD’s robust identity management features.

Note: It is important to thoroughly review and understand the security implications and best practices outlined in the official Microsoft Azure documentation before implementing Azure AD authentication with Azure Cosmos DB.

References

Azure Cosmos DB documentation

Azure AD documentation

Answer the Questions in Comment Section

MCQs:

Which authentication method is recommended for managing data plane access to Azure Cosmos DB by using Azure AD?
– a) Azure AD managed identities
– b) Shared access signatures
– c) Azure AD tokens
– d) Username and password

Correct answer: c) Azure AD tokens

Which role is required for a user to manage data plane access to Azure Cosmos DB by using Azure AD?
– a) Owner
– b) Contributor
– c) Reader
– d) User Access Administrator

Correct answer: d) User Access Administrator

True or False: Azure Cosmos DB supports Azure AD authentication and authorization for both single and multi-master accounts.

Correct answer: True

Which Azure AD authentication method should be used for applications running on virtual machines or on-premises servers?
– a) Service principal
– b) Managed identity
– c) User-delegated permissions
– d) Client secret

Correct answer: a) Service principal

What is the maximum token lifetime for Azure AD access tokens used to authenticate with Azure Cosmos DB?
– a) 1 hour
– b) 8 hours
– c) 24 hours
– d) 48 hours

Correct answer: b) 8 hours

True or False: Azure Cosmos DB provides built-in support for role-based access control (RBAC) for managing data plane access.

Correct answer: False

Which API should be used to authenticate and authorize access to Azure Cosmos DB resources from a client application?
– a) SQL API
– b) Gremlin API
– c) Azure Cosmos DB .NET SDK
– d) MongoDB API

Correct answer: c) Azure Cosmos DB .NET SDK

How can you configure Azure Cosmos DB to enforce Azure AD authentication for all requests?
– a) Enable virtual network service endpoints
– b) Enable virtual network service tags
– c) Enable Azure AD authentication on the Cosmos DB account
– d) Enable Azure Firewall

Correct answer: c) Enable Azure AD authentication on the Cosmos DB account

True or False: Azure Cosmos DB supports Azure AD conditional access policies for data plane access.

Correct answer: True

In which Azure portal section can you configure Azure AD authentication and authorization for Azure Cosmos DB?
– a) Azure AD
– b) Azure Cosmos DB
– c) Azure Monitor
– d) Azure Active Directory

Correct answer: b) Azure Cosmos DB