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Enterprise-Grade Cloud Architecture: Secure 3-Tier Application Deployment on Azure

Comprehensive guide to designing and implementing secure, scalable cloud architecture using Azure services, Infrastructure as Code, and enterprise security best practices.

3 min read

Dependency-Track is an intelligent component analysis platform that helps DevOps teams reduce risks in the software supply chain.

With modern applications relying heavily on open-source components, securing dependencies is critical. Dependency-Track:

  • Continuously monitors SBOMs (Software Bills of Materials)
  • Detects vulnerabilities before they reach production
  • Automates policy enforcement across teams

In this guide, I’ll show you how to deploy Dependency-Track securely on Azure using private endpoints and Azure Active Directory (AAD) authentication.

Use Case

We want a secure and scalable solution where:

  • Only internal users can access Dependency-Track.
  • All traffic stays within private endpoints in the Azure virtual network (VNet).
  • Azure AD provides identity and access management.

Architecture & Azure Components Overview

High-level flow:

Frontend → Azure Static Web App

API → Azure App Service (Docker container)

Database → Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server

Networking → Private Endpoints for all components

Prerequisites

  • An Azure subscription with admin permissions
  • Access to Azure Active Directory for app registration
  • A DNS zone (e.g., example.com)
  • An existing virtual network (VNet)

Step-by-step deployment (overview)

1) Configure Azure AD for OIDC

  • Register an app in Azure AD for Dependency-Track
  • Enable ID tokens (Implicit Grant) if needed
  • Add required API permissions (openid, profile, email)
  • Configure redirect URIs used by the frontend

2) Networking

  • Create subnets for private endpoints (e.g., snet-deptrack)
  • Create delegated subnet for App Service (e.g., snet-deptrack-del)
  • Configure Private DNS zones and mappings for each service

3) Frontend

  • Deploy the frontend to Azure Static Web Apps
  • Secure with a Private Endpoint and configure private DNS

4) API

  • Deploy API as an App Service (Docker) with VNet integration
  • Use private endpoints to keep traffic internal
  • Set environment variables for DB connections and OIDC settings

5) PostgreSQL

  • Deploy Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server
  • Restrict public access and secure it with Private Endpoints

6) OIDC & Login

  • Configure the frontend to use Azure AD for authentication
  • Map Azure AD groups to Dependency-Track teams for authorization

Notes & Tips

  • Use managed identities where possible to avoid embedding credentials.
  • Use Azure Key Vault to store secrets and connection strings.
  • Monitor resources and set up alerts for critical events.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully deployed Dependency-Track on Azure with private endpoints and Azure AD authentication. This architecture keeps the system isolated from the public internet while allowing secure access to authorized users.

If you want, I can expand this guide with ARM/Bicep or Terraform examples, CI/CD pipeline configs for deployment, and step-by-step CLI commands.