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Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform and online services portal that provides a broad range of cloud services, including compute, analytics, storage, and networking. It allows organisations to build, deploy, and manage applications through Microsoft's global network of data centres.
Azure was announced in 2008 and launched commercially in February 2010 as Windows Azure. It was rebranded to Microsoft Azure in 2014, reflecting its support for a wide range of operating systems, languages, and frameworks beyond Windows.
Key milestones:
Today, Azure is one of the three leading cloud platforms alongside AWS and Google Cloud.
Azure integrates deeply with the Microsoft ecosystem:
Despite its Microsoft roots, Azure supports a wide range of open-source technologies:
Azure operates in more regions than any other cloud provider, with 60+ regions across 140+ countries.
Azure offers 200+ services grouped into several categories:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Compute | Virtual Machines, App Service, Azure Functions, AKS |
| Storage | Blob Storage, File Storage, Queue Storage, Table Storage |
| Networking | Virtual Network, Load Balancer, Application Gateway, CDN |
| Databases | Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Database for PostgreSQL/MySQL |
| Identity | Entra ID, Key Vault, Managed Identities |
| AI & ML | Azure OpenAI, Cognitive Services, Machine Learning |
| DevOps | Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions integration, Container Registry |
| Monitoring | Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights |
There are several ways to interact with Azure services:
A web-based graphical interface at portal.azure.com. It provides a visual way to create, configure, and monitor resources.
A cross-platform command-line tool:
# Create a resource group
az group create --name myResourceGroup --location uksouth
# Create a virtual machine
az vm create --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myVM --image Ubuntu2204
PowerShell cmdlets for managing Azure:
New-AzResourceGroup -Name myResourceGroup -Location "UK South"
Libraries for popular languages (Python, JavaScript, .NET, Java, Go) that let you manage Azure resources programmatically.
Infrastructure-as-code tools for declaring your Azure resources in JSON (ARM templates) or a more concise DSL (Bicep).
Azure offers a generous free tier:
| Aspect | Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regions | 60+ | 30+ | 35+ |
| Enterprise focus | Strong (Microsoft ecosystem) | Broad | Data & AI focus |
| Hybrid cloud | Azure Arc, Azure Stack | Outposts | Anthos |
| Identity | Entra ID (AD integration) | IAM | Cloud Identity |
| Market share | ~23% | ~31% | ~11% |
Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud platform with strong enterprise integration, broad open-source support, and a global network of data centres. Whether you're building web applications, running containers, training machine learning models, or managing hybrid infrastructure, Azure provides the services you need. In the next lesson, we'll explore Azure's global infrastructure and how it ensures high availability.