Forum Discussion
Central pki
Has anyone implemented a centralised PKI where the Root CA is stored in Azure Key Vault and workloads can automatically obtain the Root CA when they are deployed, as well as receive updated versions when the Root CA needs to be rotated or renewed? I’m looking to implement a centralised PKI for an Azure hub-and-spoke architecture, where workloads across the spokes can automatically obtain and trust the Root CA.
The workloads could include VMs, AKS, containers, App Services and Azure Functions. I’m aware that Azure Machine Configuration can be used to deploy certificates to VMs, but this is specific to VMs. What is the recommended approach for distributing the Root CA to the other Azure workload types using a consistent and automated mechanism? Ideally, I’d like the solution to be fully automated, so that new workloads receive the current Root CA during deployment and existing workloads automatically receive updated versions whenever the Root CA is rotated or renewed.
I will be deploying the root ca in a key vault via terraform a project for the root ca only to update whenever is needed and then each resources to be able to get the latest root ca. Has anyone implemented something similar, or could you provide guidance on the recommended architecture and distribution mechanism?
1 Reply
May consider to use Azure Key Vault for secure certificate storage combined with Microsoft Cloud PKI and Intune (for endpoint distribution), and cert-manager with Workload Identity Federation (for AKS/containers). Azure Key Vault alone does not automatically distribute trust anchors across workloads; you need automation pipelines or Intune/cert-manager integration to consistently push the Root CA.