Understand Azure visually

A virtual server where you choose the OS and hardware profile yourself

Azure Virtual Machines are cloud servers that let you run Windows or Linux with full operating system control. You choose CPU, memory, storage, and networking to fit the workload, then resize or replicate instances as demand changes.

Managed web app hosting without day-to-day server administration

Azure App Service is a managed platform for web apps, APIs, and mobile backends. It supports common runtimes, deployment pipelines, scaling, custom domains, and HTTPS without requiring host-level setup.

Serverless code that runs only when an event occurs

Azure Functions is an event-driven serverless compute service. It runs code in response to HTTP requests, timers, queues, file uploads, or data changes, and it scales with execution demand instead of keeping idle servers alive.

Managed Kubernetes for container orchestration on Azure

Azure Kubernetes Service runs Kubernetes clusters while Azure manages the control plane. Teams focus on deploying and scaling containers while Azure handles the cluster management layer that would otherwise become its own operational burden.

Object storage for large-scale unstructured data

Azure Blob Storage stores files and other unstructured objects such as images, videos, logs, and backups. It organizes data into storage accounts, containers, and blobs, and supports access tiers that trade retrieval speed for lower storage cost.

Managed relational database hosting on Azure

Azure SQL Database is a managed relational database service based on SQL Server. It moves patching, backups, and much of the high-availability setup to the platform so teams can focus more on schema design and query behavior.

A globally distributed NoSQL database with flexible data models

Azure Cosmos DB is a managed NoSQL database designed for global distribution, horizontal scale, and multiple API styles. It partitions data automatically, replicates it across regions, and lets teams choose consistency levels based on latency and correctness needs.

A private network boundary for Azure resources

Azure Virtual Network lets teams define private address space, subnets, security rules, and routing inside Azure. It is the network foundation used to place compute and data resources into controlled traffic boundaries.

Layer 4 traffic distribution for backend server pools

Azure Load Balancer spreads TCP and UDP traffic across healthy backend instances. It uses health probes to remove unresponsive targets and keeps a single entry point in front of multiple backends.

Centralized identity, authentication, and access policy for Azure and SaaS

Microsoft Entra ID is a cloud identity platform for users, applications, and services. It issues tokens, applies access policies, and centralizes authentication and authorization across Azure resources and external software.

Central storage for secrets, cryptographic keys, and certificates

Azure Key Vault stores API keys, connection strings, encryption keys, and TLS certificates in a dedicated security service. It combines centralized storage with identity-based access control and auditability.

A reliable broker for asynchronous messaging

Azure Service Bus is a managed messaging service for moving work and events between applications asynchronously. It supports queues for one-to-one delivery and topics plus subscriptions for fan-out patterns, while adding retry, dead-lettering, and enterprise messaging controls.

A unified observability platform for Azure resources and applications

Azure Monitor collects metrics, logs, and traces from Azure resources and connected applications. It supports dashboards, queries, alerts, and automated actions so teams can observe system health and react before users are the first to notice a problem.

Managed OpenAI model access on top of Azure enterprise infrastructure

Azure OpenAI Service exposes OpenAI models through Azure-managed endpoints. It combines model inference with Azure-style network isolation, identity integration, and operational controls for teams that need enterprise deployment patterns around generative AI.