Learn Microsoft Azure by building it. This course walks you through the services you actually operate — Entra ID, virtual networks, VMs, storage, databases, serverless, and containers — one runnable az CLI command at a time.
This course is hands-on — every lesson is az CLI commands you run yourself. Set up the CLI before you start.
Identity & Access — Entra ID, RBAC & Resource Groups
Sign in, organize everything into resource groups, and control who can do what with Microsoft Entra ID and role-based access control (RBAC) — including service principals and managed identities for apps.
Virtual Networks — Your Private Network
Build an Azure Virtual Network from scratch: define an address space, carve it into public and private subnets, control traffic with network security groups, and give private resources outbound internet with a NAT gateway.
Virtual Machines
Launch and manage Azure VMs: pick a VM size and image, attach managed disks, open ports, give a VM a fixed public IP, configure it at boot with cloud-init, and cut costs with Spot and reserved pricing.
Scaling & Load Balancing
Make your app survive traffic spikes and failures: define a VM Scale Set that grows and shrinks automatically with autoscale rules, and spread traffic across instances with a load balancer and health probes.
Blob Storage
Store files in the cloud with Azure Blob Storage: create a storage account and containers, upload and download blobs, pick access tiers to cut costs, automate cleanup with lifecycle rules, and host a static website.
Azure DNS
Turn a domain name into a working address with Azure DNS: host a DNS zone, add the record types that matter, point a name at an Azure resource with an alias record, and verify resolution.
Azure SQL Database
Run a managed SQL database without servers: create a logical server and database, open the firewall, connect with a client, scale the compute tier, and protect data with automated and long-term backups.
Cosmos DB — NoSQL at Any Scale
Learn Azure's globally-distributed NoSQL database by doing: create an account and container with the right partition key, write and query items, model data for your access patterns, and tune throughput.
Azure Monitor — Metrics, Logs & Alerts
See what your infrastructure is doing: read built-in metrics, collect and query logs in a Log Analytics workspace, and raise alerts with action groups when something crosses a threshold.
Cache & CDN — Redis and Front Door
Make your app fast: cache hot data in memory with Azure Cache for Redis, and serve content from edge locations near your users with Azure Front Door — including caching and purging after a deploy.
Azure Functions — Serverless
Run code without managing servers: create a Function App, deploy a function, trigger it from HTTP and timers, give it access to other services with a managed identity, and read its logs.
Containers — ACR, Container Apps & AKS
Run containerized apps on Azure: push images to Azure Container Registry, run them serverlessly on Azure Container Apps with autoscaling, and understand when to reach for AKS (managed Kubernetes) instead.
Communication Services — Sending Email
Send transactional email from your app with Azure Communication Services: create a resource, connect an email domain, verify it, send a message, and watch delivery so you protect your sender reputation.