How to deploy an Azure Virtual Machine

· Category: Cloud Computing

Short answer

Azure VMs provide on-demand scalable computing resources running Windows or Linux in Microsoft datacenters.

Steps

  1. Select an image (Ubuntu, Windows Server, etc.).
  2. Choose a size based on CPU, memory, and disk needs.
  3. Configure authentication (SSH key or password).
  4. Set networking (virtual network, subnet, public IP).
  5. Deploy via portal, Azure CLI, or ARM templates.

Tips

  • Use Availability Sets or Availability Zones for SLA-backed uptime.
  • Managed disks simplify storage management.
  • Azure Bastion provides secure browser-based SSH/RDP without public IPs.

Common issues

  • Choosing an undersized VM causes performance problems.
  • Public RDP/SSH without restrictions is a major security risk.