Using the right authentication method for securing your real-time inference web service on Azure Container Instances (ACI)
Question
You have deployed your real-time inference web service on the Azure Container Instances (ACI) environment.
You need to ensure that only consumer services having the appropriate authentication credentials can have access to it.
Which authentication method can you use?
Answers
Explanations
Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer
A. B. C. D.Answer: B.
Option A is incorrect because Azure ML provides two ways to control access to web services: Kea and Token.
User/Password is not applicable here.
Option B is CORRECT becauseusing a Key is the only way to authenticate consumers of a real-time inference service on ACI.
The Key has to be included in the Authorization header of the request.
Option C is incorrect because the SQL engine.
Option D is incorrect because while using time limited tokens for authentication can be an option for inference models, it is not supported for ACI; it is only available for AKS.
Reference:
To secure your real-time inference web service deployed on the Azure Container Instances (ACI) environment, you can use one of the following authentication methods:
A. User/Password: User/Password authentication is a traditional method of authentication, in which users are required to enter their username and password to access the resource. This method is not recommended for securing a web service as it requires transmitting the credentials over the network, which can lead to a security risk if intercepted.
B. Key: A key-based authentication method is used to authenticate the service's consumer. It involves generating a unique key, which is required for the consumer to access the web service. The key is usually a long, randomly generated string that can be passed as a header or a query parameter in the HTTP request. This method provides a higher level of security than user/password authentication, as the key is not transmitted over the network.
C. SAS: Shared Access Signature (SAS) authentication is a method that uses a token to authenticate the service's consumer. SAS provides a secure way to grant access to your storage account to resources like containers and blobs. The SAS token contains specific permissions, start and expiry time, and an encrypted signature to ensure authenticity. The token can be added as a query parameter to the URL, providing secure access to the resource.
D. Token: Token-based authentication is similar to key-based authentication but provides more functionality. In this method, the consumer is issued a token, which contains the authentication information. The token can be passed as a header or a query parameter in the HTTP request. The token can be set to expire after a specific time, providing an additional level of security.
In conclusion, the recommended authentication methods to secure your real-time inference web service on the Azure Container Instances (ACI) environment are Key and SAS. Key-based authentication provides a secure way to authenticate the service's consumer, while SAS-based authentication provides a secure way to grant access to your storage account to resources like containers and blobs.
