[Avg. reading time: 15 minutes]
Services
Azure Core Services
Compute
Azure Virtual Machines (IaaS)
- Windows and Linux VMs
- Flexible sizing and scaling options
- Support for specialized workloads (GPU, HPC)
Azure App Service (PaaS)
- Web Apps, API Apps, Mobile Apps
- Managed platform for hosting applications
- Auto-scaling and deployment options
Azure Functions (Serverless)
- Event-driven compute platform
- Pay-per-execution pricing
- Automatic scaling
Azure Container Instances and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- Containerized application deployment
- Managed Kubernetes orchestration
- Microservices architecture support
Storage
Azure Blob Storage
- Object storage for unstructured data
- Hot, cool, and archive tiers
- Scalable and cost-effective
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2)
- Hierarchical namespace for file organization
- Built on Azure Blob Storage
- Optimized for big data analytics
- Fine-grained ACLs (Access Control Lists)
- Cost-effective storage for large-scale data analytics
- Support for both structured and unstructured data
Azure Files
- Fully managed file shares
- SMB and REST protocols
- Hybrid storage solutions
Azure Disk Storage
- Block-level storage volumes
- Ultra disks, Premium SSD, Standard SSD, Standard HDD
- VM-attached storage
General Features
| Feature | Azure Blob Storage | ADLS Gen2 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use Case | General purpose object storage | Big data analytics |
| Namespace Structure | Flat namespace | Hierarchical namespace |
| Cost | Lower cost for basic operations | Higher cost, optimized for analytics |
| Security | Basic security model | POSIX-compliant ACLs |
| Performance | Optimized for high transaction rates | Optimized for high-throughput analytics |
| Scalability | Petabyte scale | Exabyte scale |
Use Cases
| Scenario | Azure Blob Storage | ADLS Gen2 |
|---|---|---|
| Static Website Hosting | ✓ Ideal | ✗ Not recommended |
| Media Streaming | ✓ Ideal | ✗ Not optimal |
| Backup & Archive | ✓ Cost-effective | ✗ Expensive |
| Data Lake | ✗ Limited capabilities | ✓ Ideal |
| Hadoop Workloads | ✗ Not optimal | ✓ Native support |
| Real-time Analytics | ✗ Limited | ✓ Optimized |
Integration & Compatibility
| Service/Feature | Azure Blob Storage | ADLS Gen2 |
|---|---|---|
| Azure CDN | ✓ Native support | ⚠ Possible but complex |
| Azure Synapse | ⚠ Basic support | ✓ Native integration |
| HDInsight | ⚠ Limited support | ✓ Native support |
| Hadoop Compatible | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Power BI | ⚠ Basic support | ✓ Enhanced support |
Performance Characteristics
| Operation Type | Azure Blob Storage | ADLS Gen2 |
|---|---|---|
| Small File Operations | ✓ Optimized | ⚠ Not optimal |
| Large File Operations | ⚠ Basic performance | ✓ Optimized |
| Random Access | ✓ Good | ⚠ Limited |
| Sequential Access | ⚠ Basic | ✓ Optimized |
| Directory Operations | ✗ N/A | ✓ Efficient |
Security & Governance
| Feature | Azure Blob Storage | ADLS Gen2 |
|---|---|---|
| Azure AD Integration | ✓ Basic | ✓ Enhanced |
| POSIX ACLs | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Folder-level Security | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Audit Logging | ⚠ Basic | ✓ Enhanced |
| Data Lifecycle Management | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Azure Table Storage
- NoSQL key-value store
- Schema-less design
- Cost-effective storage for structured datas
Networking
Azure Virtual Network (VNet)
- Isolated network environment
- Subnet configuration
- Network security groups (NSGs)
Azure Load Balancer
- Traffic distribution
- High availability
- Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) load balancing
Azure Application Gateway
- Web traffic load balancer
- SSL termination
- Web application firewall (WAF)
Azure ExpressRoute
- Private connectivity to Azure
- Bypasses public internet
- Higher reliability and lower latency
Identity and Access Management
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)
- Cloud-based identity service
- Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Fine-grained access management
- Custom role definitions
- Resource-level permissions
Managed Identities
- Automatic credential management
- Service-to-service authentication
- Enhanced security without stored credentials
Monitoring & Management Services
Azure Monitor
- Platform metrics and logs
- Application insights
- Real-time monitoring
Azure Resource Manager
- Deployment and management
- Resource organization
- Access control and auditing
Azure Backup
- Cloud-based backup solution
- VM, database, and file backup
- Long-term retention
Azure Site Recovery
- Disaster recovery service
- Business continuity
- Automated replication and failover
Security Services
Azure Security Center
- Unified security management
- Threat protection
- Security posture assessment
Azure Key Vault
- Secret management
- Key management
- Certificate management
Azure DDoS Protection
- Network protection
- Automatic attack mitigation
- Real-time metrics and reporting
Azure Sentinel
- Cloud-native SIEM
- AI-powered threat detection
- Security orchestration and automation
DevOps in Azure
Azure DevOps
- Source control (Azure Repos)
- CI/CD pipelines
- Project management (Azure Boards)
Azure Artifacts
- Package management
- Integrated dependency tracking
- Secure artifact storage
Azure Test Plans
- Manual and exploratory testing
- Test case management
- User acceptance testing
GitHub Integration
- GitHub Actions support
- Repository management
- Code collaboration tools
Terms to knows
Subscription
- Logical container associated with a particular Azure account.
- Different subscriptions for various groups within company.
Example: Meta -> Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Oculus
Key Aspects
- Billing and Payment
- Access Control at high level
- Service Availability across Regions (US East, Asia, EU West)
- Governance Compliance and Policies
Resource Group
Container that holds related resources for an Azure solution.
- Project Based Organization
- All resources for a specific project
- Environment Based
- Dev, QA, UAT, Prod
Key Aspects
- Resources in a group share same lifecycle
- Inherited permissions to resources
- Track expenses by resource group
Best Practices
- Use consistent naming conventions
- Apply appropriate tags
- Implement least privilege access
- Regular resource group auditing
- Consider geographic location for resources