Azure is Microsoft’s cloud platform. It helps you run websites, store data, use databases, build apps, and more.
It offers:-
IaaS (you manage apps, Azure manages hardware) PaaS (Azure handles most of the setup for you) It works well with Microsoft tools and supports many programming languages. Azure runs in over 60 regions worldwide, so it’s fast and reliable almost anywhere.
Azure vs AWS Resources(services) Comparison:-
1> Compute Azure: Virtual Machines, VM Scale Sets, Azure Functions. AWS: EC2, Auto Scaling, Lambda.
2> Storage Azure: Blob Storage, File Storage, Disk Storage, Archive Storage AWS: S3, EFS, EBS, Glacier
3> Database Azure: Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, MySQL, PostgreSQL AWS: RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora, Redshift
4> Networking Azure: Virtual Network, Load Balancer, Application Gateway. AWS: VPC, ELB, API Gateway.
5> Identity Azure: Azure Active Directory(intra ID) AWS: IAM
Azure Resource Manager :-
It is the deployment and management system for Azure. It lets you organize, deploy, and manage all your cloud resources (like VMs, storage, databases, etc.) in a consistent way.
Resource Group: A container to group related resources.
ARM Template: A JSON file used to automate and repeat deployments (like Infrastructure as code).
Declarative: You define what you want, and ARM handles how to create it.
TENANT:-
An Azure tenant is essentially your organization’s secure identity provider and represents your organization within Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem.
A tenant is like your organization’s secure container in Azure where all users, groups, and permissions are stored and managed.
A tenant is tied to a specific domain, like https://www.google.com/search?q=cloudblitz.in.onmicrosoft.com.
It holds:
- Users and groups
- Applications and service principals
- Access and identity settings
- One tenant can manage Multiple Azure subscriptions.(without tenant we can’t create subscription)
- It’s the top-level boundary for identity and access control.
Subscription:-
In Azure, a subscription is like a container for your resources and a billing unit.
A subscription in Azure is where you create, manage, and pay for your cloud resources (like VMs, databases, storage, etc.).
It tracks usage and costs for billing purposes.
You can have multiple subscriptions under a single Azure account - useful for separating:
- Teams -Projects -Environments (dev, test, prod)
Subscriptions are linked to an Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) tenant for identity and access management.
just like :- Azure Account → contains → Subscriptions → contain → Resource Groups → contain → Resources.
RESOURCE GROUP:-
A Resource Group is like a folder or logical container that groups Azure resources (like VMs, databases, storage) that belong together.
- You create, manage, and delete resources together.
- Helps with organization, access control, and billing.
- You can apply tags, policies, and permissions at the resource group level.
- Deleting a resource group deletes all resources inside it.
- We can move resources from one r.g to another r.group.(creat new R.G) centarl-us to east-us
Active Directory
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) service. Azure AD helps you sign in and access Microsoft services like Azure, Microsoft 365, and custom apps - securely.
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Sign in once and access multiple apps.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Extra security with phone or app verification.
- Access Control: Manage who can access what.
- Directory Services: Like storing and managing users, groups, and devices.
Types of Users in Azure:-
1> Microsoft Account Users
- Personal accounts like [email address removed].
2> Work Account Users:-
- Created through Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
- Used for employees or team members of an organization.
3> Guest Users (B2B Collaboration)
- External users invited to your tenant.
- Can be assigned limited permissions.
roles in Azure:-
- Azure RBAC Roles (Manage resources):-
a> Used to manage Azure resources like VMs, storage, etc. b> Owner - Full access to resources including delegation. c> Contributor - Can create/manage resources but cannot grant access. d> Reader - Can view resources but cannot make changes. e> Custom roles - customize permissions for specific needs.
Azure Contributor is like a manager who can:
- Create new resources (like virtual machines, databases, websites)
- Change existing resources (update settings, modify configurations)
- Delete resources they don’t need anymore
***But they have one key limitation:
They cannot give other people permission to access these resources.
2. Azure AD Roles (Manage Identities) Used to manage users, groups, directory settings.
| Role Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| - Global Administrator | Full control over Azure AD and Microsoft services. |
| - User Administrator | Can create and manage users and groups. |
| - Billing Administrator | Manages subscriptions and billing. |
| - Application Administrator | Manages app registrations and permissions. |
Types of Azure Policies:-
- Built-in Policies:- Predefined by Microsoft. Examples: -
- Only allow specific VM sizes.
- Require tags on all resources.
- Deny unapproved regions.
- Custom Policies:-
- Created by you or your organization.
- Useful when built-in policies don’t meet your exact needs.
- Written in JSON format.
Storage Account In Azure
A Storage Account gives you access to Azure Storage services, which include:-
- Blob Storage - for unstructured data (like images, videos, backups).
- File Storage - managed file shares (like SMB/NFS protocol).
- Queue Storage - for message queuing.
- Table Storage - for NoSQL key-value data.
main points:-
- Unified storage solution for various data types (blobs, files, queues, tables).
- Highly available and durable with redundancy options.
- Secure access through multiple authentication methods.
- Scalable to handle growing storage needs.
Storage Account Types
- Standard general-purpose v2:
- Cost-effective option for most scenarios
- Premium performance:
- For high-throughput applications
- BlockBlobStorage:
- Optimized for block blob operations
-
FileStorage: -
-
Optimized for file share operations
-
Storage v1 (legacy): -
-
Older generation (not recommended for new applications)
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| General Purpose v2 (GPv2) | Most commonly used. Supports all types: blobs, files, queues, tables, disks. |
| General Purpose v1 (GPv1) | Older version. Cheaper but fewer features. Generally not recommended now. |
| Blob Storage | Optimized for storing unstructured object data (like media, logs, backups). |
| File Storage | Used for cloud-based file shares (via SMB protocol). |
| BlockBlobStorage | Premium storage for high-performance workloads. |
| Premium File Storage | For I/O-intensive enterprise file workloads. |
Azure Blob Storage offers three different blob types, each designed for specific purposes:
1. Block Blobs:-
- Structure: Composed of individually managed blocks of data (up to 100 MB each)
- Maximum size: Up to 190.7 TB
Use cases:
- Text and binary files (documents, images, videos)
- Media storage and streaming
- Backup and restore operations
- Distributed access applications
- Web content storage
2. Page Blobs:-
- Structure: Collection of 512-byte pages optimized for random read/write operations
- Maximum size: Up to 8 TB
Use cases:
- Virtual machine disks (VHD files)
- Database files requiring random access
- Applications that need frequent read/write operations
- Scenarios requiring random access to parts of the file
3. Append Blobs:-
- Structure: Optimized for append operations, built from blocks like block blobs
- Maximum size: Up to 195 GB
Use cases:
Logging (application logs, device telemetry) Audit trails Event data collection Any scenario where data is continuously added but rarely modified
Access Tiers (For Blob Storage type):-
| Tier | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Hot | Frequent access data |
| Cool | Infrequently accessed data |
| Archive | Rarely accessed, long-term data |
| cold |
Common Use Cases
- Storing application data
- Hosting websites and web applications
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Big data analytics
- Content distribution