Posted on May 5

A Comprehensive Guide To Azure-104

🌐 What is Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform and service offered by Microsoft. It provides a wide range of cloud services, including computing, analytics, storage, networking, and more. Organizations use Azure to build, deploy, and manage applications through Microsoft-managed data centers.

☁️ Key Features of Azure

Feature	Description
Compute	Run virtual machines, containers, and apps.
Storage	Store structured and unstructured data.
Networking	Set up secure networks, load balancers, and VPNs.
Databases	Use managed SQL, NoSQL, and other database services.
AI & ML	Integrate Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Security	Identity management, encryption, firewall, DDoS protection.
DevOps	Integrate CI/CD pipelines and automation tools.

🧱 Azure Service Categories with Examples

1. Compute Services

Azure Virtual Machines (VMs): Run Linux/Windows virtual machines in the cloud.
Azure App Service: Host web apps and REST APIs without managing infrastructure.
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Deploy and manage containerized apps using Kubernetes.

2. Storage Services

Azure Blob Storage: Store massive unstructured data like images, videos.
Azure Files: Fully managed file shares in the cloud.
Azure Disk Storage: High-performance disks for VMs.

3. Database Services

Azure SQL Database: Managed relational SQL database.
Cosmos DB: Globally distributed NoSQL database service.
Azure Database for PostgreSQL/MySQL: Fully managed open-source databases.

4. Networking

Azure Virtual Network (VNet): Private network in the cloud.
Azure Load Balancer: Distribute incoming traffic for high availability.
Azure DNS: Host your domain name system (DNS) records.

5. AI and Machine Learning

Azure Cognitive Services: Pre-built AI models for vision, speech, language, and more.
Azure Machine Learning: Build, train, and deploy custom ML models.

6. Security & Identity

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): Identity and access management.
Azure Key Vault: Store and manage keys, secrets, and certificates.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Monitor security posture and protect workloads.

7. DevOps & Developer Tools

Azure DevOps: CI/CD pipelines, Git repos, and project tracking.
GitHub Actions for Azure: Automate build/test/deploy from GitHub.

💰 Pricing in Microsoft Azure

Pricing Option	Description	Billing	Ideal For	Savings/Notes
Pay-As-You-Go	Pay only for what you use, with no long-term commitment.	Per minute or per second (depending on service).	Startups, small businesses, unpredictable workloads.	Flexible, easy to scale up/down.
Reserved Instances	Commit to 1- or 3-year terms for specific resources to get discounts.	Upfront or monthly payments.	Predictable workloads, long-term projects.	Save up to 72% compared to Pay-As-You-Go.
Spot Instances	Buy unused Azure capacity at a deep discount.	Per second billing.	Batch jobs, dev/test environments, workloads tolerant to interruptions.	Up to 90% savings, but instances can be evicted when capacity is needed.
Azure Hybrid Benefit	Use existing Windows Server or SQL Server licenses to save costs.	Discounted rates applied automatically.	Businesses already using Windows Server and SQL Server on-premises.	Significant savings on Windows/Linux VMs and SQL Server workloads.
Dev/Test Pricing	Discounted rates for development and testing environments.	Discounted Pay-As-You-Go billing.	Developers and testers in non-production environments.	Available through Dev/Test subscriptions in Azure.

💸 Cost Management Tools in Azure

Tool	Purpose
Azure Cost Management and Billing	Helps monitor, analyze, and control Azure spending with detailed reports and budget alerts.
Azure Pricing Calculator	Estimates the cost of Azure services based on your configuration and usage assumptions.
Azure Advisor	Provides personalized best-practice recommendations for cost optimization, security, reliability, and performance improvements.