MSDN Documentation

Compute services are the backbone of modern cloud infrastructure, providing the processing power and resources necessary to run applications, process data, and host services. Microsoft's Azure platform offers a comprehensive suite of compute services designed to meet the diverse needs of developers and enterprises, from simple web applications to complex high-performance computing workloads.

This documentation provides an in-depth look at the various compute options available on Azure, helping you choose the right service for your specific requirements. We'll cover:

• Virtual Machines (VMs) for traditional infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS).
• Container services like Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Azure Container Instances (ACI).
• Serverless options such as Azure Functions and Azure Logic Apps.
• Orchestration and management tools.
• Considerations for performance, scalability, and cost.

Azure Virtual Machines offer on-demand, scalable computing resources. You can deploy Windows and Linux virtual machines in seconds and manage them as easily as your on-premises servers. Azure VMs are ideal for:

• Migrating existing applications to the cloud without code changes.
• Developing and testing applications in a flexible cloud environment.
• Extending your datacenter capacity.
• Running high-performance computing (HPC) workloads.

Key features include a wide range of VM sizes and configurations, robust networking options, and integrated security features. Learn more about Azure Virtual Machines.

Containers provide a lightweight, portable, and consistent environment for running applications. Azure offers several managed container services:

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): A managed Kubernetes service that simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications.
• Azure Container Instances (ACI): The fastest and simplest way to run a container in Azure, without managing virtual machines. Ideal for simple applications, dev/test scenarios, and event-driven tasks.
• Azure Container Registry: A private registry for storing and managing your container images.

Containerization is a modern approach to application development and deployment, enabling greater agility and efficiency. Explore Azure Container Services.

Serverless computing allows you to build and run applications without thinking about servers. Azure's serverless offerings abstract away the underlying infrastructure, allowing you to focus on your code and business logic.

• Azure Functions: An event-driven compute service that can also be used as an API, an integration pipeline, or a time-scheduled job. It supports a wide range of programming languages.
• Azure Logic Apps: A cloud-based service that helps you automate workflows and integrate apps, data, services, and systems.

Serverless is excellent for event-driven architectures, microservices, and automating tasks. Discover the power of Azure Serverless Computing.

Managing and orchestrating your compute resources at scale is crucial. Azure provides tools to simplify these tasks:

• Azure Service Fabric: A distributed systems platform for building and deploying microservices and containers.
• Azure Resource Manager (ARM): Provides a management layer that enables you to create, update, and delete resources in your Azure account.
• Azure Monitor: Collects, analyzes, and acts on telemetry from your cloud and on-premises environments.

Effective monitoring and management are key to ensuring the health, performance, and availability of your compute services. Azure Monitor provides a comprehensive solution for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry data.

With Azure Monitor, you can gain insights into the performance of your VMs, containers, and serverless functions, set up alerts, and troubleshoot issues proactively.

Azure compute services are priced based on usage, instance types, and duration. Understanding the pricing models is essential for cost optimization.

Azure offers various options, including pay-as-you-go, reserved instances, and spot instances, to help you manage your cloud spend effectively. Visit the Azure Pricing Calculator for detailed cost estimates.