Microsoft Azure Cheat Sheet: Key Services & Commands Guide
Introduction
Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud computing platform offering a wide range of services to support various business needs. Its flexibility and scalability have made it a popular choice for organizations of all sizes. This cheat sheet aims to provide a concise overview of essential Azure services and commands, empowering you to navigate this powerful platform with ease.
Compute Services
Virtual Machines (VMs)
* **What they are:** Virtual machines provide a highly flexible environment for running applications and workloads.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az vm create` – Create a new virtual machine
* `az vm list` – List all virtual machines
* `az vm start` – Start a stopped virtual machine
* `az vm stop` – Stop a running virtual machine
* `az vm delete` – Delete a virtual machine
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
* **What it is:** AKS offers a managed Kubernetes service for deploying and managing containerized applications.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az aks create` – Create a new AKS cluster
* `az aks get-credentials` – Download kubectl configuration for the cluster
* `kubectl get pods` – List all pods in a Kubernetes cluster
* `kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml` – Apply a deployment configuration
Azure Functions
* **What they are:** Serverless compute service for executing code in response to events.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az functionapp create` – Create a new Azure function app
* `az functionapp deployment source config-zip` – Configure deployment with a ZIP file
* `func host start` – Run the Azure function app locally
Storage Services
Azure Blob Storage
* **What it is:** A service for storing unstructured data like images, videos, and documents.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az storage blob upload-blob` – Upload a blob to Azure Blob Storage
* `az storage blob list` – List all blobs in a container
* `az storage blob download-blob` – Download a blob from Azure Blob Storage
* `az storage container create` – Create a new Blob storage container
Azure Disk Storage
* **What it is:** Provides persistent storage for virtual machines.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az disk create` – Create a new managed disk
* `az disk attach` – Attach a disk to a virtual machine
* `az disk detach` – Detach a disk from a virtual machine
Azure File Share
* **What it is:** Enables shared file storage accessible by various applications.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az storage share create` – Create a new file share
* `az storage share list` – List all file shares in a storage account
* `az storage share delete` – Delete a file share
Database Services
Azure SQL Database
* **What it is:** A fully managed relational database service with high availability and scalability.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az sql db create` – Create a new SQL database
* `az sql db show-connection-string` – Get connection string to connect to the database
* `az sql db query -d DATABASE_NAME` – Execute a SQL query
Azure Cosmos DB
* **What it is:** A fully managed NoSQL database service for modern applications.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az cosmosdb create` – Create a new Cosmos DB account
* `az cosmosdb database create` – Create a new database within an account
* `az cosmosdb collection create` – Create a new collection within a database
Azure MySQL
* **What it is:** A managed MySQL database service, compatible with the popular open-source database.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az mysql server create` – Create a new MySQL server
* `az mysql db create` – Create a new MySQL database
* `az mysql server show-connection-string` – Get connection string to the server
Networking Services
Azure Virtual Network (VNet)
* **What it is:** Provides a private network infrastructure within Azure for virtual machines and other services.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az network vnet create` – Create a new virtual network
* `az network vnet subnet create` – Create a subnet within a virtual network
* `az network vnet ip-address create` – Assign an IP address to a virtual machine within the network
Azure Load Balancer
* **What it is:** Distributes incoming traffic across multiple virtual machines, providing high availability and scalability.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az network load-balancer create` – Create a new load balancer
* `az network load-balancer backend-pool create` – Create a backend pool for load balancing
* `az network load-balancer rule create` – Define rules for load balancer traffic
Azure DNS
* **What it is:** Provides a hosted Domain Name System (DNS) service for managing domain names and resolving DNS records.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az network dns record-set create` – Create a new DNS record set
* `az network dns record-set list` – List all DNS record sets
* `az network dns record-set delete` – Delete a DNS record set
Management and Security Services
Azure Resource Group
* **What it is:** A logical grouping of related Azure resources, making management easier.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az group create` – Create a new resource group
* `az group list` – List all resource groups
* `az group delete` – Delete a resource group
Azure Security Center
* **What it is:** Provides enhanced security posture monitoring and threat protection for Azure resources.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az security center policy create` – Create a new Security Center policy
* `az security center policy list` – List all Security Center policies
* `az security center alert list` – List all Security Center alerts
Azure Monitor
* **What it is:** Collects and analyzes performance and health data from Azure resources.
* **Key Commands:**
* `az monitor log-analytics workspace create` – Create a Log Analytics workspace
* `az monitor metric alert create` – Create an alert based on performance metrics
* `az monitor log-analytics query` – Query logs in a Log Analytics workspace
Conclusion
This cheat sheet provides a comprehensive overview of key Azure services and commands, giving you a foundational understanding of this cloud platform. Remember, this is just a starting point. Explore additional documentation and resources within the Microsoft Azure portal to further enhance your knowledge and expertise.
