Microsoft Docs – Azure

Introduction to Azure Core Concepts

Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud computing platform that offers a range of services to help you build, deploy, and manage applications at scale. Understanding the core concepts is essential for making the most of Azure's capabilities.

Key Pillars

• Compute – Virtual machines, containers, serverless functions, and more.
• Storage – Secure, durable, and highly available data storage solutions.
• Networking – Virtual networks, load balancers, and content delivery networks.
• Identity & Security – Azure Active Directory, role-based access control, and security center.
• Management & Governance – Monitoring, policies, and cost management.

Resource Model

Azure resources are organized in a hierarchical model:

Subscription → Resource Group → Resource

Resource groups allow you to manage related resources as a single entity for lifecycle and access control.

Deploying Resources

You can provision resources using the Azure portal, CLI, PowerShell, or ARM templates. Below is a simple Azure CLI snippet that creates a storage account:

az storage account create \
    --name mystorageaccount \
    --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
    --location eastus \
    --sku Standard_LRS

Next Steps

Explore the detailed sections to dive deeper into each core service:

• Virtual Machines
• Storage Services
• Networking Essentials
• Identity and Access Management
• Best Practices & Architecture