Allowing multiple IP address connections to Windows Azure SQL Server

Question

I'm new to web development and I'm developing a web app in MVC 5 / C# where I want to access data from the SQL server from multiple devices (laptop, PC, iPad etc).

I've setup a small test website and SQL database on the Azure account and have been able to run CRUD operations from the website from a single device.

The problem I'm facing is when trying to access the data from another device. I'm constantly needing to manually add new IP address to the SQL firewall. To make matters worse my ISP has me on a dynamic IP.

Eventually I'm planning to provide a subscription service where clients can login via the website and access their data. Is there any way to allow multiple connections to an Azure SQL database without having to manually update the firewall?

Would setting up an Azure VPN an a VM running SQL server be the way to go?

Regards, Marc

Answer 1

Might be worth taking a look at Windows Azure Mobile Services. Mobile Services provides a REST interface over your Windows Azure SQL Database automatically. Could be a good option, especially if looking to access the database from multiple devices.

http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/documentation/articles/mobile-services-windows-store-dotnet-get-started-data/

Answer 2

In general, under NO circumstances should you ever make your database server directly accessible to the general public. There are far too many security risks associated with doing so- by exploiting vulnerabilities in the SQL capabilities, you (as a hacker) could quite easily take full control of the instance. That's one reason why you have to constantly update your firewall settings.

To solve your issue with the ISP re-assigning IP addresses, I would ask the ISP for a static number. It will probably cost you on the order of $10 per month, but worth the saved headache in my opinion. I am fortunate to have Comcast, and they do not reassign IP addresses randomly, but I know several other ISPs who do.

The generally-accepted way to make your data available is through a REST-based web service.