Microsoft Azure Tutorial: Beginner to Intermediate Guide

Microsoft Azure can feel like a big, noisy marketplace at first. If you’re new (or brushing up), this Microsoft Azure tutorial breaks the noise into clear steps. I’ll walk through the essentials — cloud concepts, the Azure portal, deploying a virtual machine, simple app hosting, and cost-aware best practices. From what I’ve seen, a few practical examples and a hands-on mindset get you 80% of the value quickly.

Why learn Microsoft Azure?

Cloud computing skills are in demand. Azure sits among the top cloud platforms and ties well into enterprise ecosystems. If you want to run apps, host databases, or automate deployments, Azure gives a broad toolset — and yes, a learning curve. This tutorial focuses on beginners and intermediate users wanting usable skills fast.

Core concepts you should know

Start with the fundamentals. Short list — then we’ll apply them.

• Subscription: billing and access boundary.
• Resource Group: organizes related resources.
• Azure Portal: web UI for management.
• Virtual Machines (VMs): IaaS compute.
• App Services: managed web hosting (PaaS).
• Azure DevOps: CI/CD and project tools.
• Networking & Security: VNet, NSG, identity (Azure AD).

Getting started: Create a free account

Most beginners start with a free tier. Microsoft offers trial credits and free services — perfect for testing. For official steps and limits, check the documentation: Microsoft Azure documentation.

Walkthrough: Launch a Linux VM in the Azure portal

This is a practical first task. It shows compute, networking, and access patterns.

1. Sign in to the Azure Portal.
2. Create a Resource Group (name it rg-demo).
3. Search Virtual Machine and click Create. Choose Ubuntu LTS and a small size (B1s or B1ms) to stay in free/low-cost ranges.
4. Configure SSH public key for secure login. Allow port 22 in the network security group (for now).
5. Review and create. When ready, use SSH to connect from your terminal.

Real-world tip: use Managed Disks and enable automatic OS updates for production. In my experience that reduces maintenance surprises.

Host a simple web app with Azure App Service

If you prefer PaaS, Azure App Service removes VM maintenance. Deploy a Node.js or .NET app from GitHub directly via the portal or use Azure DevOps for CI/CD.

• Create an App Service and choose runtime stack.
• Connect to a GitHub repo and enable continuous deployment.
• Monitor with Application Insights for performance and errors.

Example: Deploy a static site

For a quick demo, use a static site in App Service or Azure Storage static website hosting — both are cheap and fast to set up.

Azure CLI vs Portal vs ARM templates

Choose your tooling by need:

• Portal — fast, visual, great for exploration.
• Azure CLI — automation and scripting (I use this daily).
• ARM/Bicep — infrastructure-as-code for repeatable deployments.

Pro tip: start in the portal, then view the generated CLI/ARM to learn commands and templates.

Comparing clouds: Azure vs AWS vs GCP

A short table helps clarify where Azure stands. This isn’t exhaustive — just practical differences for deciding where to learn or deploy.

Cost awareness: read the Azure pricing basics

Costs can sneak up. Always check pricing tiers and use the Azure Pricing Calculator for estimates. For formal pricing and service limits consult the official docs: Azure cost management docs.

Security fundamentals

Security isn’t optional. Start with these:

• Use Azure Active Directory for identity and RBAC for permissions.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication for privileged users.
• Network-level controls: NSG, private endpoints, and service endpoints.
• Encrypt data at rest and in transit.

DevOps and automation

For repeatable delivery, adopt CI/CD. Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions integrate tightly with Azure resources. In my experience, setting up a simple pipeline for builds and deployments pays off quickly.

Quick CI/CD checklist

• Build step (compile/tests)
• Package and publish artifacts
• Deploy to staging slot, run smoke tests
• Swap to production slot after validation

Monitoring and troubleshooting

Use Azure Monitor and Application Insights to gather logs, metrics, and traces. Alerts keep you proactive.

Learning path and practical exercises

Practical tasks to level up:

• Deploy a VM and configure SSH + backup.
• Host a web app in App Service with CI/CD from GitHub.
• Implement a serverless function triggered by a queue.
• Create a Bicep template to automate resource deployment.

Helpful resources and next steps

Official docs and background reading are useful. Start with the Microsoft docs and the platform history at Wikipedia: Microsoft Azure on Wikipedia.

Wrap-up and action plan

To move forward: set up a free account, run the VM and App Service labs above, and automate one repeatable task with Azure CLI or Bicep. If you do that, you’ll have a usable skillset and clear next steps.

Further reading

• Microsoft Azure documentation — deep dives and tutorials.
• Microsoft Azure (Wikipedia) — background and history.