Azure Compute Services

Virtual Machines

Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) provide on-demand, scalable computing resources. You can use VMs to deploy and run applications, host websites, and much more.

Key Features:

• Wide range of VM sizes and configurations optimized for various workloads.
• Support for Windows and Linux operating systems.
• Scalability: Easily scale up or down based on demand.
• High availability and disaster recovery options.
• Integration with other Azure services for a comprehensive cloud solution.

Getting Started:

To create your first Azure VM, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Azure portal.
2. Click "Create a resource" and search for "Virtual machine".
3. Select a VM image, size, and configure networking and storage.
4. Review and create your VM.

For more detailed instructions, refer to the official Azure VM documentation.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes. AKS provides a managed Kubernetes control plane, allowing you to focus on your applications rather than infrastructure management.

Benefits of AKS:

• Automated upgrades and patching for the Kubernetes control plane.
• Simplified cluster scaling.
• Integrated CI/CD experiences.
• Secure and reliable container orchestration.

Use Cases:

• Microservices architectures.
• Batch processing jobs.
• Machine learning model training and deployment.

Learn more about deploying applications on AKS in the AKS tutorials.

Azure Functions

Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that lets you run code on-demand without explicitly provisioning or managing infrastructure. It's ideal for event-driven scenarios.

Supported Triggers and Bindings:

• HTTP requests
• Timers
• Azure Blob Storage events
• Azure Service Bus messages
• And many more...

Languages Supported:

• C#
• Java
• JavaScript
• PowerShell
• Python
• TypeScript

Start building event-driven applications with Azure Functions documentation.

// Example Azure Function in JavaScript
module.exports = async function (context, req) {
    context.log('JavaScript HTTP trigger function processed a request.');
    const name = (req.query.name || (req.body && req.body.name));
    const responseMessage = name
        ? "Hello, " + name + ". This HTTP triggered function executed successfully."
        : "This HTTP triggered function executed successfully. Pass a name in the query string or in the request body for a personalized response.";

    context.res = {
        body: responseMessage
    };
};
            

Azure Container Instances (ACI)

Azure Container Instances (ACI) offers the fastest and simplest way to run a container in Azure. It allows you to deploy containers without managing virtual machines or becoming an expert in Kubernetes.

When to use ACI:

• Simple applications or microservices.
• Task automation.
• Build jobs or CI/CD tasks.

Explore ACI deployment options in the ACI quickstarts.