Azure Cheatsheet: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Introduction

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that offers a comprehensive range of services, including computing power, storage, networking, and databases. It helps businesses and developers build, manage, and deploy applications on a global scale. Since Azure offers many services, it is easy to get lost in the details. This cheatsheet will give you a quick reference to the most critical Azure services and concepts with short explanations and examples.

1. Azure Resource Group

Definition: A container that holds related resources such as virtual machines, databases, and storage.

Example: (create resource group with Azure CLI)

      
        az group create --name MyResourceGroup --location eastus

Point: All resources within a resource group share the exact lifecycle.

2. Azure Virtual Machine (VM)

Definition: A virtualized server in the cloud that allows you to run applications or host services.

Example: (create VM with CLI)

      
        az vm create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyVM --image UbuntuLTS --admin-username azureuser --generate-ssh-keys

Point: VMs are scalable, but the cost depends on usage and size.

3. Azure App Service

Definition. A managed service for hosting web apps, APIs, and mobile backends.

Example: (deploy app with CLI)

      
        az webapp up --name MyWebApp --resource-group MyResourceGroup --runtime "DOTNETCORE:6.0"

Point: No need to manage infrastructure, scaling is automatic.

4. Azure Functions

Definition: A serverless computing service that runs small pieces of code without requiring server management.

Example: (C# function trigger)

      
        [FunctionName("HelloFunction")]
public static IActionResult Run([HttpTrigger("get")] HttpRequest req)
{
    return new OkObjectResult("Hello from Azure Function");
}

Point: Pay only when the function runs.

5. Azure Storage

Definition: Storage service for files, blobs, tables, and queues.

Example: (upload file to blob storage with CLI)

      
        az storage blob upload --account-name mystorageaccount --container-name mycontainer --name myfile.txt --file ./myfile.txt

Point: Highly scalable and secure data storage.

6. Azure SQL Database

Definition : Managed relational database service based on SQL Server.

Example: (create SQL database with CLI)

      
        az sql db create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --server myserver --name mydb --service-objective S0

Point: No need to manage updates or backups manually.

7. Azure Cosmos DB

Definition: A fully managed NoSQL database service designed for high scalability and global distribution.
Point: Supports multiple APIs like MongoDB, SQL, and Cassandra.

8. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Definition: A managed Kubernetes service for deploying and managing containers.

Example: (create AKS cluster)

      
        az aks create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyAKSCluster --node-count 1 --enable-addons monitoring --generate-ssh-keys

Point: Simplifies Kubernetes setup and scaling.

9. Azure Networking (VNet, NSG, Load Balancer)

Virtual Network (VNet): Private network for Azure resources.
Network Security Group (NSG): Controls traffic with rules.
Load Balancer: Distributes incoming traffic across resources.

10. Azure Key Vault

Definition: Stores secrets, keys, and certificates securely.
Point: Enhances security by preventing the hardcoding of secrets in applications.

11. Azure DevOps

Definition: Service for source control, CI/CD pipelines, project management, and testing.
Point: Integrates with GitHub and other tools for seamless automation.

12. Azure Active Directory (AAD)

Definition: Identity and access management service for authentication.
Point: Supports single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication.

13. Azure CLI and PowerShell

Azure CLI : Cross-platform command-line tool ( az ).
Azure PowerShell: Windows PowerShell commands for Azure management.

Example: (list all resource groups)

      
        az group list --output table

14. Azure Monitor and Application Insights

Azure Monitor: Tracks performance and logs.
Application Insights: Helps monitor live applications.
Point: Useful for troubleshooting and performance optimization.

15. Azure Pricing and Cost Management

Definition: Tools for estimating and controlling cloud costs.
Point: Always set budgets and alerts to avoid unexpected bills.

Conclusion

Azure provides a wide range of services for computing, storage, networking, security, and databases. Understanding the basics of resource groups, VMs, App Service, Functions, Storage, Databases, Networking, and Security is essential for beginners. The Azure CLI and management tools make it easier to work with these services. This cheatsheet should serve as a quick reference to help you remember the essential commands and concepts while working with Microsoft Azure.