Azure NAT Gateway is a managed Network Address Translation service that provides outbound-only internet connectivity for private resources in an Azure Virtual Network using one or more Azure Public IPs or Public IP Prefixes as stable egress IPs, while reducing operational management compared with self-managed NAT instances and mitigating SNAT port exhaustion risks.
Published Oct 14, 2026
| Aspect | Azure NAT Gateway | AWS NAT Gateway | Google Cloud Cloud NAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Usage-based: published hourly resource charge plus published data-processed fees (region-dependent). Example figures are commonly cited but must be verified per region. | Charged with a published hourly component plus published per-data-processed fees; rates vary by region. | Charged based on the provider's managed NAT usage model with published usage fees; see provider pricing for details. |
| Typical Use Case | Azure VNets needing subnet-level outbound with stable egress IPs and SNAT exhaustion mitigation. | VPC private subnet egress; widely used managed pattern. | VPC egress for GCE and GKE workloads; managed NAT construct. |
| Key Strengths | Azure-native, subnet-level outbound enablement and integration with Azure networking constructs; Microsoft documents port behavior intended to reduce SNAT-related failures. | Mature offering with guidance on placement and availability zone considerations. | Deep integration with GCP networking and managed configuration for VMs and containers. |
| Key Weaknesses | Adds published per-data processing cost; outbound-only and limited to TCP/UDP; not a security inspection product. | Potential for combined hourly and per-data fees to increase costs unexpectedly. | Can incur unexpected costs if traffic unintentionally traverses NAT; similar user concerns about cost attribution. |
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