> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getbifrost.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Azure AI Language PII

> Use Azure AI Language PII detection with Bifrost Guardrails for configurable PII detection, blocking, and redaction.

## Overview

Bifrost Enterprise supports **Azure AI Language PII** as a guardrail provider for detecting personally identifiable information in request and response text.

This provider is separate from [Azure Content Safety](/integrations/guardrails/azure-content-safety). Azure Content Safety focuses on harmful content, jailbreaks, and blocklists. Azure AI Language PII focuses on PII entity recognition.

## How It Works

1. You create an Azure AI Language resource.
2. You create a Bifrost guardrail provider with `provider_name: "azure-pii"`.
3. You optionally choose PII categories, language, model version, and domain.
4. You attach the provider to one or more guardrail rules.
5. Bifrost calls Azure Language PII analysis for selected request or response text.
6. Bifrost applies the configured `action`.

Azure AI Language PII currently evaluates text content. It does not inspect image pixels or arbitrary binary file contents.

## Capabilities

* PII detection through Azure AI Language
* Category filtering with `pii_categories`
* Optional `phi` domain for protected health information scenarios
* API key, default credential, and Entra ID authentication
* `detect_only`, `block`, and `redact` actions
* Bifrost-managed redaction strategies and modes

## Configuration Fields

| Field                | Type    | Required    | Default            | Description                                                                      |
| -------------------- | ------- | ----------- | ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `endpoint`           | string  | Yes         | -                  | Azure AI Language endpoint. Supports `env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_ENDPOINT`.              |
| `auth_type`          | enum    | No          | `api_key`          | `api_key`, `default_credential`, or `entra_id`.                                  |
| `api_key`            | string  | Conditional | -                  | Required when `auth_type` is `api_key`. Supports `env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_KEY`.       |
| `client_id`          | string  | Conditional | -                  | Required when `auth_type` is `entra_id`.                                         |
| `client_secret`      | string  | Conditional | -                  | Required when `auth_type` is `entra_id`.                                         |
| `tenant_id`          | string  | Conditional | -                  | Required when `auth_type` is `entra_id`.                                         |
| `scopes`             | array   | No          | Azure default      | OAuth scopes for token authentication.                                           |
| `api_version`        | string  | No          | `2026-05-01`       | Azure Language API version.                                                      |
| `language`           | string  | No          | `en`               | Document language.                                                               |
| `model_version`      | string  | No          | `latest`           | Azure model version.                                                             |
| `domain`             | enum    | No          | `none`             | `none` or `phi`.                                                                 |
| `pii_categories`     | array   | No          | all categories     | Azure PII categories to detect.                                                  |
| `action`             | enum    | No          | `detect_only`      | `detect_only`, `block`, or `redact`.                                             |
| `redaction_strategy` | enum    | No          | `replace`          | `replace`, `mask`, or `hash`. Used when `action` is `redact`.                    |
| `redaction_mode`     | enum    | No          | `runtime`          | `runtime`, `logs_only`, or `runtime_reversible`. Used when `action` is `redact`. |
| `logging_opt_out`    | boolean | No          | Azure default      | Requests Azure not to log input text when supported by the service.              |
| `string_index_type`  | string  | No          | `UnicodeCodePoint` | Must be `UnicodeCodePoint`; other Azure offset modes are rejected.               |
| `timeout`            | integer | No          | provider default   | Provider execution timeout in seconds.                                           |

For the full redaction behavior matrix, see [Guardrail Redaction](/enterprise/guardrails/redaction).

## Configuration

<Tabs group="azure-language-pii-config">
  <Tab title="Web UI">
    1. Go to **Guardrails** > **Providers**.
    2. Select **Azure AI Language PII**.
    3. Click **Add Configuration**.
    4. Enter the endpoint and authentication settings.
    5. Optionally choose PII categories, language, model version, and domain.
    6. Choose an action. Select **Redact** to enable Bifrost-managed redaction.
    7. If redacting, choose the redaction strategy and mode.
    8. Save the configuration and attach it to a guardrail rule.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/guardrails/azure-pii \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "name": "azure-language-pii-redaction",
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "endpoint": "env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_ENDPOINT",
          "auth_type": "api_key",
          "api_key": "env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_KEY",
          "language": "en",
          "domain": "none",
          "pii_categories": ["Email", "PhoneNumber", "USSocialSecurityNumber"],
          "action": "redact",
          "redaction_strategy": "replace",
          "redaction_mode": "runtime_reversible",
          "logging_opt_out": true
        }
      }'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="config.json">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "guardrails_config": {
        "guardrail_providers": [
          {
            "id": 31,
            "provider_name": "azure-pii",
            "policy_name": "azure-language-pii-redaction",
            "enabled": true,
            "timeout": 10,
            "config": {
              "endpoint": "env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_ENDPOINT",
              "auth_type": "api_key",
              "api_key": "env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_KEY",
              "language": "en",
              "domain": "none",
              "pii_categories": ["Email", "PhoneNumber", "USSocialSecurityNumber"],
              "action": "redact",
              "redaction_strategy": "replace",
              "redaction_mode": "runtime_reversible",
              "logging_opt_out": true
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Helm">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    bifrost:
      guardrails:
        providers:
          - id: 31
            provider_name: "azure-pii"
            policy_name: "azure-language-pii-redaction"
            enabled: true
            timeout: 10
            config:
              endpoint: "env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_ENDPOINT"
              auth_type: "api_key"
              api_key: "env.AZURE_LANGUAGE_KEY"
              language: "en"
              domain: "none"
              pii_categories:
                - "Email"
                - "PhoneNumber"
                - "USSocialSecurityNumber"
              action: "redact"
              redaction_strategy: "replace"
              redaction_mode: "runtime_reversible"
              logging_opt_out: true
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Authentication Modes

| `auth_type`          | Required fields                                       | Notes                                                                              |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `api_key`            | `endpoint`, `api_key`                                 | Simple key-based authentication.                                                   |
| `default_credential` | `endpoint`                                            | Uses Azure default credentials, such as managed identity or Azure CLI credentials. |
| `entra_id`           | `endpoint`, `client_id`, `client_secret`, `tenant_id` | Uses an Entra ID service principal.                                                |

## Category Filters

Leave `pii_categories` empty to let Azure evaluate all supported categories for the selected language, model, and domain. Set `pii_categories` when you want a narrower policy, such as `Email`, `PhoneNumber`, or `USSocialSecurityNumber`.

<Note>
  Bifrost requires `string_index_type: "UnicodeCodePoint"` because Azure's returned offsets must map correctly back to Bifrost's text ranges. Other Azure string index modes are rejected during configuration validation.
</Note>

## Operational Notes

* The default action is `detect_only`, so set `action: "redact"` or `action: "block"` when you want enforcement.
* `domain: "phi"` enables Azure's protected health information domain where supported by the service.
* `logging_opt_out` controls Azure service-side logging behavior; it is separate from Bifrost's own content logging settings.
* Redaction modes affect Bifrost runtime payloads, Bifrost logs, and trace-export connectors as described in [Guardrail Redaction](/enterprise/guardrails/redaction).