Get Started with Azure Quickly
Welcome to the Azure Quickstart documentation. This section provides concise, step-by-step guides to help you deploy and manage essential Azure services rapidly.
What is Azure?
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of services, including computing, analytics, storage, and networking. It helps organizations build, deploy, and manage applications and services through a global network of data centers.
Core Azure Concepts
Before diving into specific services, it's helpful to understand some fundamental Azure concepts:
Resource Groups
A logical container for Azure resources. You can manage related resources for an application or solution together.
Resources
Any manageable item in Azure, such as virtual machines, storage accounts, or databases.
Subscriptions
A logical container for Azure services and resources. It's used for billing and access control.
Deploying Your First Virtual Machine
This guide walks you through deploying a simple Windows or Linux virtual machine in Azure.
Steps:
Navigate to Virtual Machines
In the Azure portal, search for "Virtual machines" and select it.
Create a VM
Click "+ Create" and choose "Virtual machine".
Configure Basics
Select your subscription, resource group, VM name, region, image (e.g., Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS), and administrator credentials.
Review and Create
Adjust networking and disk settings as needed, then click "Review + create" followed by "Create".
Once deployment is complete, you can connect to your VM using SSH or RDP.
Creating a Simple Web App
Deploy a basic web application to Azure App Service.
Prerequisites:
An Azure subscription. A simple static HTML file or a basic application (e.g., Node.js, Python).
Steps:
Search for App Services
In the Azure portal, search for "App Services" and select it.
Create App Service
Click "+ Create" and choose "Web App".
Configure
Provide subscription, resource group, a unique app name, runtime stack, and region. Choose a pricing tier (e.g., Free F1 for testing).
Deployment Options
You can deploy code directly, via Git, or through other CI/CD methods. For this quickstart, we'll assume you'll upload later or use a sample.
Review and Create
Click "Review + create" and then "Create". Your web app will be available at <your-app-name>.azurewebsites.net.
Setting up an Azure SQL Database
A quick guide to create a basic Azure SQL Database.
Steps:
Search for SQL Databases
In the Azure portal, search for "SQL databases" and select it.
Create Database
Click "+ Create". Select "SQL database".
Basics & Server
Choose a subscription and resource group. Click "Create new" for the server, provide server name, admin login, and password. Select desired database name.
Compute + Storage
Select a pricing tier. For quickstarts, a Basic or Standard tier is often sufficient. Configure storage size as needed.
Networking & Security
Configure firewall rules to allow access from your IP address. Enable Azure services to access the server if needed.
Review and Create
Click "Review + create" and then "Create".
Running a Container with Azure Container Instances (ACI)
Deploy a simple container image using ACI.
Steps:
Search for Container Instances
In the Azure portal, search for "Container instances" and select it.
Create Container Instance
Click "+ Create".
Configure Basics
Select subscription, resource group, a unique name for your container instance, and region. For the Image source, select Docker Hub and enter an image name (e.g., mcr.microsoft.com/azuredocs/aci-helloworld).
Networking
Enable "Public IP address" and choose a DNS name label if you want to access it via a hostname.
Review and Create
Click "Review + create" and then "Create". Your container will be running shortly.
Setting up a Virtual Network (VNet)
Create a basic virtual network for your Azure resources.
Steps:
Search for Virtual Networks
In the Azure portal, search for "Virtual networks" and select it.
Create Virtual Network
Click "+ Create".
Basics
Select subscription, resource group, and region. Provide a name for your virtual network (e.g., "myVNet").
IP Addresses
Specify an IP address range for your VNet (e.g., 10.0.0.0/16). You can create a default subnet or define your own.
Review and Create
Click "Review + create" and then "Create".
Essential Azure Security Practices
Quick tips to enhance the security of your Azure deployments.
Key Practices:
Identity and Access Management (IAM): Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to grant the least privilege necessary. Avoid using shared accounts.
Network Security: Implement Network Security Groups (NSGs) to filter traffic to and from Azure resources. Use Azure Firewall for advanced threat protection.
Data Protection: Encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit. Use Azure Key Vault to manage secrets, keys, and certificates.
Monitoring and Logging: Enable Azure Monitor and Azure Security Center for threat detection and security posture management.