Azure Tutorials

Azure Tutorials Roadmap

Section 1: Azure Cloud Essentials and Fundamentals

  • Introduction to Cloud Computing:
    • What is Cloud Computing?
    • Benefits of Cloud Computing (Cost Savings, Scalability, Elasticity, Reliability, Global Presence).
    • Types of Cloud Computing (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
    • Deployment Models (Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud).
  • Introduction to Microsoft Azure:
    • What is Azure?
    • History and Global Infrastructure (Regions, Availability Zones, Geographies).
    • Key Services Overview (Compute, Storage, Database, Networking, Security, etc.).
    • Azure Portal, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, and SDKs.
  • Azure Global Infrastructure:
    • Understanding Regions and Availability Zones (AZs).
    • Why use multiple AZs?
    • Understanding Geographies and Region Pairs.
    • Understanding Edge Locations (Azure Front Door, Azure CDN).
  • Azure Shared Responsibility Model:
    • Understanding what Microsoft is responsible for ("Security of the Cloud").
    • Understanding what the customer is responsible for ("Security in the Cloud").
  • Azure Subscriptions and Management Groups:
    • Understanding Azure Subscriptions.
    • Using Management Groups for organizing subscriptions.
  • Azure Resource Groups:
    • What is a Resource Group?
    • Organizing and managing Azure resources.
    • Resource Group scopes.
  • Azure Pricing and Billing:
    • Understanding different pricing models (Pay-as-you-go, Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, Azure Savings Plans).
    • Using the Azure Pricing Calculator.
    • Understanding the Azure Free Account.
    • Introduction to Azure Cost Management tools (Cost Analysis, Budgets).
  • Setting up an Azure Account:
    • Creating an Azure account.
    • Understanding the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) tenant.
    • Initial security best practices.

Section 2: Core Azure Services - Compute

  • Azure Virtual Machines (VMs):
    • What is an Azure VM?
    • Understanding VM Sizes and Families.
    • Azure Images (Marketplace, Custom).
    • Creating and managing VMs.
    • Connecting to VMs (SSH, RDP, Azure Bastion).
    • VM Pricing (Pay-as-you-go, Reserved VM Instances, Spot VMs).
    • Understanding Network Security Groups (NSGs).
    • Understanding SSH Key Pairs for Linux VMs.
    • Network Interfaces (NICs).
  • Azure Disk Storage:
    • What is Azure Disk Storage?
    • Disk Types (Standard HDD, Standard SSD, Premium SSD, Ultra Disk).
    • Creating and attaching Disks to VMs.
    • Disk Snapshots.
    • Disk Encryption (Azure Disk Encryption, Server-Side Encryption).
  • Load Balancing (Azure Load Balancer, Application Gateway):
    • What are Azure Load Balancers?
    • Types of Load Balancers (Basic, Standard, Gateway).
    • Configuring and using Azure Load Balancer (Layer 4).
    • What is Azure Application Gateway? (Layer 7).
    • Configuring and using Application Gateway.
    • Health Probes.
  • Autoscaling (Virtual Machine Scale Sets):
    • What are Virtual Machine Scale Sets?
    • Deploying and managing a group of identical VMs.
    • Autoscaling rules (metric-based, schedule-based).
  • Containers on Azure:
    • Introduction to Containers (Docker).
    • Azure Container Instances (ACI - Serverless containers).
    • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS - Managed Kubernetes).
    • Azure Container Registry (ACR).
  • Serverless Compute (Azure Functions):
    • What is Serverless?
    • What are Azure Functions?
    • Writing and deploying Functions.
    • Function Triggers and Bindings (HTTP, Timer, Blob Storage, Cosmos DB, etc.).
    • Azure Functions Pricing.

Section 3: Core Azure Services - Storage

  • Azure Blob Storage:
    • What is Blob Storage? (Object Storage).
    • Storage Accounts (General-purpose v2, Blob Storage).
    • Containers and Blobs.
    • Blob Tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive).
    • Blob Versioning.
    • Blob Encryption (Server-Side Encryption, Client-Side Encryption).
    • Blob Access Control (Access Tiers, Shared Access Signatures - SAS, Azure AD).
    • Static Website Hosting.
    • Lifecycle Management Policies.
    • Blob Replication (LRS, GRS, RA-GRS, ZRS, GZRS, RA-GZRS).
  • Azure File Storage:
    • What is Azure File Storage? (Managed file shares).
    • Use cases for Azure Files (shared file system for VMs).
    • Creating and mounting File Shares.
    • Azure File Sync (synchronizing on-premises file shares to Azure Files).
  • Azure Queue Storage:
    • What is Queue Storage? (Simple message queueing).
    • Storing large numbers of messages.
    • Decoupling application components.
  • Azure Table Storage:
    • What is Table Storage? (NoSQL key-value store).
    • Storing structured, non-relational data.
  • Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2:
    • What is Data Lake Storage Gen2?
    • Building data lakes on Azure.
    • Integration with Azure Analytics services.
  • Azure Archive Storage:
    • Understanding the Archive tier for Blob Storage.
    • Retrieval options and costs.

Section 4: Core Azure Services - Databases

  • Azure SQL Database:
    • What is Azure SQL Database? (Managed relational database service).
    • Deployment options (Single Database, Elastic Pool, Managed Instance).
    • Understanding Service Tiers and vCore/DTU models.
    • High Availability and Disaster Recovery options.
    • Security features.
  • Azure Database for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB:
    • Managed service for open-source relational databases.
    • Deployment options (Single Server, Flexible Server, Hyperscale - PostgreSQL).
  • Azure Cosmos DB:
    • What is Cosmos DB? (Globally distributed, multi-model database).
    • Understanding APIs (Core (SQL), MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin, Table).
    • Understanding Request Units (RUs).
    • Consistency Models.
  • Azure Cache for Redis:
    • What is Azure Cache for Redis? (In-memory data store).
    • Improving application performance with caching.
  • Azure Synapse Analytics:
    • What is Azure Synapse Analytics? (Integrated analytics service).
    • Combining data warehousing, data integration, and big data analytics.
  • Other Database Services (Brief Overview):
    • Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra.
    • Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Hyperscale (Citus).

Section 5: Core Azure Services - Networking and Content Delivery

  • Azure Virtual Network (VNet):
    • What is a VNet?
    • Understanding VNets, Subnets.
    • Public IP Addresses.
    • Network Security Groups (NSGs).
    • Route Tables.
    • VNet Peering.
    • Service Endpoints and Private Endpoints.
    • Azure Bastion (secure RDP/SSH access).
  • Azure DNS:
    • What is Azure DNS? (Hosting DNS domains).
    • Managing DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, AAAA, TXT, etc.).
    • Public and Private DNS Zones.
  • Azure Front Door:
    • What is Azure Front Door? (Global, scalable entry point).
    • Building fast, highly available, and secure global applications.
    • Load balancing, WAF, CDN capabilities.
  • Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN):
    • What is Azure CDN?
    • Caching content at POPs (Points of Presence).
    • Improving performance and reducing load on origin servers.
  • Azure ExpressRoute:
    • What is ExpressRoute?
    • Creating a private connection from on-premises to Azure.
    • Use cases.
  • Azure Virtual WAN:
    • What is Virtual WAN?
    • Unified connectivity solution for large-scale branching scenarios.

Section 6: Azure Security, Identity, and Compliance

  • Azure Active Directory (Azure AD):
    • What is Azure AD? (Cloud-based identity and access management service).
    • Understanding Users, Groups, Roles.
    • Azure AD Editions (Free, Office 365 Apps, Premium P1, Premium P2).
    • Single Sign-On (SSO).
    • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
    • Conditional Access Policies.
    • Integrating with on-premises Active Directory (Azure AD Connect).
  • Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):
    • Understanding RBAC roles (Owner, Contributor, Reader, etc.).
    • Custom Roles.
    • Assigning roles at different scopes (Subscription, Resource Group, Resource).
  • Azure Key Vault:
    • What is Key Vault? (Managed service for storing and managing secrets, keys, and certificates).
    • Storing secrets (passwords, connection strings).
    • Storing cryptographic keys.
    • Storing certificates.
  • Azure Security Center / Microsoft Defender for Cloud:
    • What is Microsoft Defender for Cloud? (Cloud security posture management and threat protection).
    • Monitoring security posture, receiving security recommendations, detecting threats.
  • Azure Sentinel / Microsoft Sentinel:
    • What is Microsoft Sentinel? (Cloud-native SIEM and SOAR solution).
    • Collecting security data, detecting threats, investigating incidents, responding to threats.
  • Azure Firewall:
    • What is Azure Firewall? (Managed, cloud-based network security service).
    • Protecting your Azure Virtual Network resources.
    • Filtering traffic based on IP addresses, ports, protocols, FQDNs, network threat intelligence.
  • Azure DDoS Protection:
    • Protecting Azure resources from DDoS attacks.
    • Basic vs. Standard tiers.
  • Azure Policy:
    • What is Azure Policy?
    • Enforcing organizational standards and assessing compliance.
    • Defining policies (JSON).
    • Assigning policies at different scopes.
    • Initiatives (collections of policies).
  • Azure Blueprints:
    • What are Azure Blueprints?
    • Defining a repeatable set of Azure resources that implements and adheres to an organization's standards, patterns, and requirements.
    • Packaging Azure Policy, RBAC assignments, Resource Manager templates, and Resource Groups.

Section 7: Management, Monitoring, and Governance

  • Azure Monitor:
    • What is Azure Monitor?
    • Collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from your Azure and on-premises environments.
    • Azure Monitor Metrics (collecting and analyzing numerical data).
    • Azure Monitor Logs (collecting and analyzing log data - Log Analytics).
    • Azure Monitor Alerts (setting thresholds and receiving notifications).
    • Application Insights (monitoring application performance).
  • Azure Log Analytics:
    • What is Log Analytics? (Service within Azure Monitor Logs).
    • Querying and analyzing log data using Kusto Query Language (KQL).
  • Azure Resource Manager (ARM):
    • What is ARM?
    • The deployment and management service for Azure.
    • Understanding ARM Templates (JSON).
    • Deploying resources using ARM Templates.
  • Azure Automation:
    • What is Azure Automation?
    • Automating cloud management tasks.
    • Runbooks (PowerShell, Python, Graphical).
    • Desired State Configuration (DSC).
    • Update Management.
  • Azure Advisor:
    • What is Azure Advisor?
    • Providing recommendations on High Availability, Security, Performance, Cost, and Operational Excellence.
  • Azure Service Health:
    • Monitoring the health of your Azure services and regions.
  • Azure Cost Management and Billing (revisited):
    • Deep dive into Cost Analysis, Budgets, Reservations, and Savings Plans.

Section 8: Developer Tools and Application Integration

  • Azure DevOps:
    • What is Azure DevOps? (Set of services for the software development lifecycle).
    • Azure Repos (Git repositories).
    • Azure Pipelines (CI/CD).
    • Azure Boards (Agile planning).
    • Azure Test Plans (Testing solutions).
    • Azure Artifacts (Package management).
  • Azure Functions (revisited):
    • Building serverless APIs with API Management.
    • Integrating with other Azure services.
  • Azure API Management:
    • What is API Management?
    • Publishing, securing, transforming, maintaining, and monitoring APIs.
  • Azure Logic Apps:
    • What are Logic Apps? (Serverless workflow engine).
    • Automating workflows and integrating applications and services.
    • Connectors to various services (Azure, SaaS, on-premises).
  • Azure Service Bus:
    • What is Service Bus? (Enterprise message broker).
    • Queues and Topics (publish-subscribe).
    • Decoupling enterprise applications.
  • Azure Event Grid:
    • What is Event Grid? (Serverless event routing service).
    • Delivering events from Azure services and custom sources to various handlers.
  • Azure Event Hubs:
    • What are Event Hubs? (Big data streaming platform).
    • Ingesting large amounts of streaming data.

Section 9: Big Data, Analytics, and AI/Machine Learning (Introduction)

  • Azure Databricks:
    • What is Azure Databricks? (Apache Spark-based analytics service).
    • Processing and analyzing large datasets.
  • Azure Data Factory:
    • What is Azure Data Factory? (Cloud-based ETL and data integration service).
    • Creating, scheduling, and orchestrating data pipelines.
  • Azure Synapse Analytics (revisited):
    • Exploring its capabilities for data warehousing, data integration, and analytics.
  • Azure Stream Analytics:
    • What is Stream Analytics?
    • Real-time analytics on streaming data.
  • Azure Machine Learning:
    • What is Azure Machine Learning? (Cloud-based environment for ML).
    • Building, training, and deploying ML models.
  • Azure Cognitive Services:
    • Introduction to AI services (Vision, Speech, Language, Web Search, Decision).
    • Adding AI capabilities to applications.

Section 10: Other Important Azure Services and Concepts

  • Azure Site Recovery:
    • What is Site Recovery? (Disaster recovery service).
    • Replicating and failing over VMs and physical servers.
  • Azure Backup:
    • What is Azure Backup? (Backup service).
    • Backing up Azure VMs, on-premises servers, SQL Server, SharePoint.
  • Azure Migrate:
    • What is Azure Migrate?
    • Discovering, assessing, and migrating on-premises workloads to Azure.
  • Azure Lighthouse:
    • What is Azure Lighthouse?
    • Enabling cross-tenant management for service providers and enterprises.
  • Azure Hybrid Cloud Solutions (Brief Overview):
    • Azure Arc (managing resources outside of Azure).
    • Azure Stack (extending Azure to on-premises).

Section 11: Advanced Topics and Specializations

  • Networking Deep Dive:
    • Advanced VNet configurations.
    • ExpressRoute Gateway.
    • Azure Traffic Manager (DNS-based traffic routing).
  • Security Deep Dive:
    • Azure AD Federation scenarios.
    • Azure Private Link (more depth).
    • Security Automation with Azure Services.
    • Identity Protection in Azure AD.
  • High Availability and Disaster Recovery:
    • Designing for HA across Availability Zones and Regions.
    • DR strategies using Azure Site Recovery and Azure Backup.
  • Performance Optimization:
    • VM size selection.
    • Disk performance tuning.
    • Database performance tuning.
    • Caching strategies.
  • Cost Optimization Strategies:
    • Leveraging Reserved VM Instances and Azure Savings Plans.
    • Using Spot VMs.
    • Right-sizing resources.
    • Using Azure Cost Management effectively.
  • Azure DevOps and CI/CD:
    • Implementing complete CI/CD pipelines with Azure Pipelines.
    • Using Infrastructure as Code (ARM Templates, Bicep, Terraform).
  • Azure AI/ML Deep Dive:
    • More in-depth on Azure Machine Learning.
    • Exploring Azure Cognitive Services in detail.
  • Data Analytics Deep Dive:
    • Working with Data Lakes on ADLS Gen2.
    • Using Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Synapse Analytics.
  • Serverless Architecture:
    • Designing applications using Azure Functions, Logic Apps, Event Grid, Service Bus, Cosmos DB.
    • Serverless deployment frameworks.
  • Container Orchestration (AKS Deep Dive):
    • Managing AKS clusters.
    • Networking and storage for AKS.
    • CI/CD for AKS.

Section 12: Practice, Certification, and Continuous Learning

  • Hands-on Practice:
    • Use the Azure Free Account to experiment.
    • Build small projects using the services you learn.
    • Utilize Microsoft Learn Sandboxes and Labs.
  • Azure Certifications:
    • Understanding the different certification paths (Fundamentals, Associate, Expert, Specialty).
    • Preparing for the AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals).
    • Preparing for Associate level certifications (AZ-104 Administrator, AZ-204 Developer, AZ-400 DevOps Engineer).
  • Stay Updated:
    • Follow the Azure Blog and Announcements.
    • Attend Microsoft Ignite and other Microsoft events (virtually or in person).
    • Explore new services and features as they are released.
  • Community and Resources:
    • Microsoft Learn Documentation (the ultimate source of truth).
    • Azure Documentation.
    • Microsoft Training and Certification resources.
    • Online communities and forums.
    • Third-party training providers.