🌐 What is Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform and service offered by Microsoft. It provides a wide range of cloud services, including computing, analytics, storage, networking, and more. Organizations use Azure to build, deploy, and manage applications through Microsoft-managed data centers.

☁️ Key Features of Azure

Feature Description
Compute Run virtual machines, containers, and apps.
Storage Store structured and unstructured data.
Networking Set up secure networks, load balancers, and VPNs.
Databases Use managed SQL, NoSQL, and other database services.
AI & ML Integrate Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Security Identity management, encryption, firewall, DDoS protection.
DevOps Integrate CI/CD pipelines and automation tools.

🧱 Azure Service Categories with Examples

1. Compute Services

  • Azure Virtual Machines (VMs): Run Linux/Windows virtual machines in the cloud.
  • Azure App Service: Host web apps and REST APIs without managing infrastructure.
  • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Deploy and manage containerized apps using Kubernetes.

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2. Storage Services

  • Azure Blob Storage: Store massive unstructured data like images, videos.
  • Azure Files: Fully managed file shares in the cloud.
  • Azure Disk Storage: High-performance disks for VMs.

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3. Database Services

  • Azure SQL Database: Managed relational SQL database.
  • Cosmos DB: Globally distributed NoSQL database service.
  • Azure Database for PostgreSQL/MySQL: Fully managed open-source databases.

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4. Networking

  • Azure Virtual Network (VNet): Private network in the cloud.
  • Azure Load Balancer: Distribute incoming traffic for high availability.
  • Azure DNS: Host your domain name system (DNS) records.

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5. AI and Machine Learning

  • Azure Cognitive Services: Pre-built AI models for vision, speech, language, and more.
  • Azure Machine Learning: Build, train, and deploy custom ML models.

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6. Security & Identity

  • Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): Identity and access management.
  • Azure Key Vault: Store and manage keys, secrets, and certificates.
  • Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Monitor security posture and protect workloads.

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7. DevOps & Developer Tools

  • Azure DevOps: CI/CD pipelines, Git repos, and project tracking.
  • GitHub Actions for Azure: Automate build/test/deploy from GitHub.

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💰 Pricing in Microsoft Azure

Pricing Option Description Billing Ideal For Savings/Notes
Pay-As-You-Go Pay only for what you use, with no long-term commitment. Per minute or per second (depending on service). Startups, small businesses, unpredictable workloads. Flexible, easy to scale up/down.
Reserved Instances Commit to 1- or 3-year terms for specific resources to get discounts. Upfront or monthly payments. Predictable workloads, long-term projects. Save up to 72% compared to Pay-As-You-Go.
Spot Instances Buy unused Azure capacity at a deep discount. Per second billing. Batch jobs, dev/test environments, workloads tolerant to interruptions. Up to 90% savings, but instances can be evicted when capacity is needed.
Azure Hybrid Benefit Use existing Windows Server or SQL Server licenses to save costs. Discounted rates applied automatically. Businesses already using Windows Server and SQL Server on-premises. Significant savings on Windows/Linux VMs and SQL Server workloads.
Dev/Test Pricing Discounted rates for development and testing environments. Discounted Pay-As-You-Go billing. Developers and testers in non-production environments. Available through Dev/Test subscriptions in Azure.

💸 Cost Management Tools in Azure

Tool Purpose
Azure Cost Management and Billing Helps monitor, analyze, and control Azure spending with detailed reports and budget alerts.
Azure Pricing Calculator Estimates the cost of Azure services based on your configuration and usage assumptions.
Azure Advisor Provides personalized best-practice recommendations for cost optimization, security, reliability, and performance improvements.