Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud computing platform offering over 200 services spanning compute, storage, networking, databases, AI, and developer tools. Azure operates across 60+ global regions and provides infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and serverless computing models for building, deploying, and managing applications. At its core, Azure uses resource groups as logical containers to organize resources, while subscriptions define billing boundaries and access control hierarchies. Understanding Azure's shared responsibility model is critical—Microsoft secures the physical infrastructure and host OS, while you secure your data, identity, applications, and network controls depending on the service model chosen. The hierarchical organization (Management Groups → Subscriptions → Resource Groups → Resources) enables governance at scale through Azure Policy, RBAC, and cost management boundaries.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 16 focused tables and 119 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Compute Services
Azure's compute portfolio spans IaaS VMs, fully managed PaaS runtimes, serverless functions, and managed Kubernetes—each with a distinct cost, control, and operational trade-off. Choosing the right tier prevents both over-engineering and unnecessary operational burden.
| Service | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
az vm create --name myVM --image Ubuntu2204 | • IaaS service providing on-demand Windows or Linux VMs with full OS control • supports multiple VM series (General Purpose, Compute Optimized, Memory Optimized, GPU, Storage Optimized) and flexible scaling options | |
az webapp create --name myapp --runtime "PYTHON:3.11" | • Fully managed PaaS for hosting web apps, RESTful APIs, and mobile backends • supports .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, PHP with built-in autoscaling, deployment slots, and CI/CD integration | |
func new --template HttpTrigger --name ProcessOrder | • Serverless event-driven compute — no infrastructure management • supports triggers (HTTP, Timer, Queue, Event Grid, Blob) and bindings (input/output data connections) • three hosting plans: Consumption (pay-per-execution), Premium, and Dedicated. | |
az aks create --name myCluster --node-count 3 | • Managed Kubernetes with automated control plane management, patching, and upgrades • supports system node pools (run critical system pods) and user node pools (run application workloads) • two modes: Standard (manual config) and Automatic (fully managed, production-ready defaults). |