An Azure subscription is just like a Netflix subscription, but for cloud services. You need to have a subscription to use Azure.
New users get free access to Azure products for 12 months, with a $200 credit and more than 25 always free products.
Azure Portal is your your user-friendly gateway for managing Azure services without complex coding.
Awesome - we've just learnt about the wonderful world of Azure and it's services.
Now... how do we use it?
To create and use Azure services, you need to have a subscription to Azure. It's kind of like how you need to have a Netflix subscription to start watching movies!
Subscriptions are super easy to get. All you need to do is make an Azure account.
If you're new to Azure (we're guessing that's the case), you can sign up for a free account on the Azure website to start exploring. Then when you become an Azure pro and want to do more, you can upgrade your account to a paid version. You can also create subscriptions that let you start paying for specific Azure services you want to use beyond the limits of a free account.
The Azure free account includes:
The Azure free account is an excellent way for new users to get started and explore. To sign up, you need a phone number, a credit card*, and a Microsoft or GitHub account.
*The credit card information is used for identity purposes only - you won't be charged for any services until you upgrade to a paid subscription.
We'll be creating an Azure free account in our very first exercise in this course.
The Azure free student account is a similar offer:
Creating an account works the same for both offers, but the choice is yours. You could also consider signing up for a student account first with your university email.
Then, when it's time to do your practical project, switch to creating a free account with your personal email - so you can make the most out of the USD 200 free credit!
Cloud computing services used to be a special tool just for people that knew how to navigate complex code.
Now, cloud service providers (including Azure) have made things much simpler.
The Azure Portal is a special website that makes it easy to handle all the services in Azure. You can manage everything - from simple websites to complex data - without needing to code.
Think of it as your main tool for setting up and controlling everything you do in your Azure subscription, making it simple to manage your business on Azure.
Here's a sneak peek on how it looks:
Once we've set up your Azure Account, Exercise 2 will give you a beginner-friendly tour of the Azure Portal!