Deploy Azure Virtual Machines

Overview

Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) provide scalable, on-demand computing resources. This guide walks you through four common deployment methods:

• Azure Portal (graphical UI)
• Azure CLI (cross‑platform command line)
• Azure PowerShell (Windows‑focused scripting)
• Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates (infrastructure as code)

Prerequisites

• An active Azure subscription.
• Permission to create resources in the target resource group.
• For CLI/PowerShell: az or Az module installed.
• Optional: SSH key pair (Linux) or Windows admin password.

Deploy via Azure Portal

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
2. Click Create a resource > Compute > Virtual machine.
3. Configure the basics:
   • Subscription, Resource group, VM name
   • Region, Availability options
   • Image (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
   • Size (e.g., Standard_B2s)
4. Set up authentication (SSH public key or password).
5. Review networking, management, and advanced settings as needed.
6. Click Review + create, then Create.

Provisioning typically takes 2‑5 minutes.

Deploy via Azure CLI

Run the following command in Bash, PowerShell, or a Cloud Shell session:

az vm create \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
  --name MyVm01 \
  --image UbuntuLTS \
  --size Standard_B2s \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --ssh-key-values ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub \
  --tags Project=Demo Environment=DevCopy

To open an SSH session after creation:

az vm ssh --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyVm01Copy

Deploy via Azure PowerShell

Open a PowerShell prompt with the Az module loaded:

Connect-AzAccount
New-AzResourceGroup -Name "MyResourceGroup" -Location "EastUS"
$cred = Get-Credential -Message "Enter a local admin password"
New-AzVM `
  -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" `
  -Name "MyVm01" `
  -Location "EastUS" `
  -VirtualNetworkName "MyVnet" `
  -SubnetName "MySubnet" `
  -SecurityGroupName "MyNSG" `
  -PublicIpAddressName "MyPublicIP" `
  -OpenPorts 22 `
  -Image "Canonical:UbuntuServer:22_04-lts:latest" `
  -Size "Standard_B2s" `
  -Credential $credCopy

Deploy via ARM Template

Save the following JSON as vm-deploy.json and run:

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": {
    "vmName": {"type":"string","defaultValue":"myVm"},
    "adminUsername": {"type":"string","defaultValue":"azureuser"},
    "adminPassword": {"type":"secureString"}
  },
  "resources": [
    {
      "type":"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines",
      "apiVersion":"2022-08-01",
      "name": "[parameters('vmName')]",
      "location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
      "properties": {
        "hardwareProfile": { "vmSize": "Standard_B2s" },
        "osProfile": {
          "computerName": "[parameters('vmName')]",
          "adminUsername": "[parameters('adminUsername')]",
          "adminPassword": "[parameters('adminPassword')]"
        },
        "storageProfile": {
          "imageReference": {
            "publisher":"Canonical",
            "offer":"UbuntuServer",
            "sku":"22_04-lts",
            "version":"latest"
          },
          "osDisk": {
            "createOption":"FromImage",
            "managedDisk": { "storageAccountType":"Standard_LRS" }
          }
        },
        "networkProfile": {
          "networkInterfaces": [
            {
              "id": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces','myNic')]"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}Copy

Deploy with:

az deployment group create \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
  --template-file vm-deploy.json \
  --parameters adminPassword=MySecretP@ssw0rdCopy