Azure Cheatsheet
Services Overview
Use this Azure reference while you build software engineering projects, review code for technical interview prep, or polish examples for a software engineer resume.
Azure Cloud Project Reference
Use this Azure cheatsheet when you need cloud infrastructure for software engineering portfolio projects: static sites on Blob Storage, full stack projects on App Service, AI projects that need Functions or storage queues, and backend practice with databases, monitoring, and deployment basics.
Core Service Categories
| Category | Key Services | Use When |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | VMs, App Service, Functions, AKS, Container Instances | Running code, apps, containers |
| Storage | Blob, Files, Queues, Tables, Disks | Persisting data, files, messages |
| Networking | VNet, Load Balancer, Application Gateway, DNS, CDN | Connectivity, routing, security |
| Databases | Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis | Structured/NoSQL/cache workloads |
| AI / ML | Azure OpenAI, Cognitive Services, ML Studio | Inference, training, vision, speech |
| Identity | Entra ID (AAD), Managed Identity, Key Vault | AuthN/Z, secrets, certificates |
| DevOps | Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Container Registry | CI/CD, artifact storage |
| Monitoring | Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights | Observability, alerting, tracing |
| Messaging | Service Bus, Event Hub, Event Grid | Queues, streaming, fan-out events |
| Integration | Logic Apps, API Management, Data Factory | Workflows, gateways, ETL |
Compute Quick-Pick
Need to run: Use: ──────────────────────────────────────────────────── A full OS / custom software Virtual Machine A web app (PaaS, no infra) App Service Event-driven short tasks Functions (Consumption plan) Docker containers, no k8s Container Instances (ACI) Docker containers + orchestration AKS (Kubernetes) Batch HPC / parallel jobs Batch
Storage Quick-Pick
| Service | Best for | Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Blob Storage | Files, backups, static assets | HTTPS / REST |
| Azure Files | Shared SMB/NFS mounts | SMB 3.0, NFS 4.1 |
| Queue Storage | Simple async messages | REST |
| Table Storage | Key-value NoSQL, cheap | REST |
| Managed Disks | VM OS / data disks | Block (iSCSI) |
Database Quick-Pick
| Service | Engine | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Azure SQL Database | SQL Server | Fully managed PaaS |
| Azure Database for PostgreSQL | PostgreSQL | Flexible Server (recommended) |
| Azure Database for MySQL | MySQL | Flexible Server |
| Cosmos DB | Multi-model (NoSQL) | Global distribution, 99.999% SLA |
| Azure Cache for Redis | Redis | In-memory cache/session |
| Azure SQL Managed Instance | SQL Server | Near 100% compat, VNet-native |
Global Infrastructure
Regions → 60+ geographic regions (e.g. eastus, westeurope, southeastasia) Availability → Zones: 3+ isolated datacenters per region (Zone 1/2/3) Sets: fault/update domain spreading within a region Paired → Each region paired for DR (eastus ↔ westus) Sovereignty → Azure Government, China (21Vianet), Germany sovereign clouds
Resource Hierarchy
Azure AD Tenant └── Management Groups (optional governance layer) └── Subscriptions (billing + access boundary) └── Resource Groups (lifecycle container) └── Resources (VMs, storage accounts, etc.)
Common Free-Tier Highlights
- App Service — F1 (1 GB RAM, shared, no custom domain)
- Functions — 1 M requests + 400,000 GB-s/month free forever
- Blob Storage — 5 GB LRS / 20,000 reads / 10,000 writes (12-month trial)
- Azure SQL — 100,000 vCore-seconds serverless + 32 GB storage (12-month trial)
- Cosmos DB — 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB free forever
- Container Registry — 1 geo-replication, 10 GB (Basic tier — $5/mo, not free)
Full free-tier details: azure.microsoft.com/free
Key Naming Conventions
| Resource | Max length | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
| Resource Group | 90 chars | Alphanumeric, underscores, parentheses, hyphens, periods |
| Storage Account | 3–24 chars | Lowercase letters and numbers only, globally unique |
| VM | 1–15 (Windows) / 1–64 (Linux) | Alphanumeric + hyphens |
| App Service / Function App | 2–60 chars | Alphanumeric + hyphens, globally unique |
| AKS Cluster | 1–63 chars | Alphanumeric + hyphens |