DEV Community: Kolarinde Awopetutimileyin

Deploying Your First Linux VM on Azure: A Step-by-Step Guide with SSH Key Authentication

Kolarinde Awopetutimileyin — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 01:12:40 +0000

Introduction
This guide walks you through creating an Ubuntu Linux virtual machine on Microsoft Azure using SSH public key authentication for secure access. Perfect for beginners looking to get started with cloud computing!

Step 1: Configure Your Virtual Machine Basics
VM Configuration

On the "Create a virtual machine" page, configure the following settings:

Size: Select Standard_E2s_v3 - 2 vcpus, 16 GiB memory from the dropdown menu. This provides adequate resources for most development and testing scenarios.
Administrator Account:

Choose SSH public key as your authentication type (more secure than password authentication)
Enter your desired Username: azureuser (or any username you prefer)
SSH public key source: Select "Generate new key pair"
Key pair name: Enter azureuser (this should match your username for consistency)

Inbound Port Rules:

Select Allow selected ports
Choose SSH (22) from the dropdown to enable remote access

⚠️ Security Note: Opening SSH to all IP addresses is only recommended for testing. For production, restrict access to specific IP addresses.
Click Next: Disks > then proceed to Review + create.

Step 2: Review and Create Your VM
Review + Create

On this page, you'll see:

A validation confirmation: "✓ Validation passed"
Your VM configuration summary including:

Virtual machine name: newkolalinux-vm
Resource group: Newkolalinux-rg
Region: West US
Pricing: 0.1480 USD/hr

Review all settings carefully, then click the blue Create button at the bottom.

Step 3: Download Your SSH Private Key
Deployment in Progress
Once deployment begins:

The status will show "⏳ Deployment is in progress"
IMPORTANT: A download prompt will appear for your SSH private key (the .pem file)
Download and save this key immediately - you cannot retrieve it later!
Store it securely in your Downloads folder or a dedicated SSH keys directory

The deployment details show three resources being created:

Network interface
Network security group
Public IP address

Step 4: Wait for Deployment Completion
Deployment Complete
When deployment finishes, you'll see:

"✓ Your deployment is complete."
Resource group: Newkolalinux-rg
Virtual machine name: newkolalinux-vm

The Next Steps section shows recommended actions:

Setup auto-shutdown
Monitor VM health and performance
Run a script inside the virtual machine

Click the Go to resource button to access your VM.

Step 5: Access Your VM Overview
VM Overview Page

On your VM's overview page, you'll find essential information:
Key Details:

Status: Running ✓
Operating system: Linux (ubuntu 24.04)
Size: Standard_E2s_v3
Public IP address: 20.237.186.3 ← You'll need this for SSH connection
Private IP address: 172.16.0.4
Virtual network/subnet: vnet-westus/snet-westus-1
DNS name: Not configured
Location: West US

The top menu bar shows options including Connect, Start, Restart, Stop, and more.

Step 6: Initiate SSH Connection
Connect Page
Click the Connect button from the top menu, then select the Connect option from the left sidebar.
You'll see the Native SSH connection method with:

SSH command displayed: ssh -i azureuser@20.237.186.3
A warning: "⚠️ Private key file path missing - Edit settings"

Note the copy icon next to the SSH command for easy copying.

Step 7: Configure SSH Private Key Path
Edit SSH Settings
Click Edit settings to open the Native SSH configuration panel.
In the side panel, you'll see:

Source machine: Windows, Local IP: 102.219.153.117
Destination VM: Public IP: 20.237.186.3, Port: 22
Connection prerequisites: Check inbound NSG rules ✓

SSH command section:

Locate the field: "Provide a path to your SSH private key file on your local machine"
Paste the full path to your downloaded .pem file
Example: C:\Users\HomePC\Downloads\azureuser.pem

Important Note: "Can't find your private key? Reset your SSH private key"
After pasting the path, click Save changes.

Step 8: Locate Your Private Key File

Windows File Explorer

Navigate to your Downloads folder in Windows File Explorer:

Path: This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Users > HomePC > Downloads
Locate the file: azureuser.pem (PEM File, 3 KB)
Right-click on the file
Select Copy as path to copy the full file path with proper formatting

This path is what you'll paste into the Azure portal SSH settings.

Step 9: Connect via Command Prompt
SSH Connection Command
Open Command Prompt on your Windows machine and paste the complete SSH command:

cmdssh -i "C:\Users\HomePC\Downloads\azureuser.pem" azureuser@20.237.186.3
Command Breakdown:

ssh: The SSH client command
-i "C:\Users\HomePC\Downloads\azureuser.pem": Specifies your private key file
azureuser@20.237.186.3: Your username and VM's public IP address

Press Enter to establish the connection.
First-time connection: You may see a prompt asking to verify the host's authenticity - type yes to continue.

Write a blog showing step-by-step details with the screenshots on how you deployed the VM.

Kolarinde Awopetutimileyin — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 00:57:25 +0000

Deploying a virtual machine (VM) on Microsoft Azure is a fundamental skill for cloud computing. In this tutorial, I'll walk you through the entire process of creating and connecting to a Windows Server VM on Azure, using the screenshots from my actual deployment.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have:

An active Microsoft Azure account
A valid Azure subscription
Basic understanding of cloud computing concepts

Step 1: Navigate to Virtual Machines
First, log into the Azure Portal and navigate to the Virtual Machines service.

From the left sidebar, click on Virtual machines under the Infrastructure section. This takes you to the VM management dashboard, where you can view, create, and manage all your virtual machines.

Step 2: Create a New Virtual Machine
On the Virtual Machines page, you'll see a message indicating "No virtual machines to display" if this is your first VM.

Click the + Create button, then select Virtual machine from the dropdown menu to begin the VM creation process.

Step 3: Choose VM Type
Azure will present you with several VM creation options

For this tutorial, we're selecting Virtual Machine—the standard option that's best for lower-traffic workloads, testing, or controlling/highly customizing apps, OS, or file systems. You can later attach it to a Virtual Machine Scale Set (VMSS) if your workload grows.
Click on this option to proceed to the configuration page.

Step 4: Configure Basic Settings
Now comes the important part—configuring your VM's basic settings.

Here's what you need to configure:
Project Details

Subscription: Select your Azure subscription (leave as default: "Azure subscription 1")
Resource group: Click "Create new" to create a new resource group. This helps organize and manage your Azure resources together.

Instance Details

Virtual machine name: Give your VM a meaningful name (I used "NEWKolaride-vm")
Region: Click the dropdown and select an appropriate Azure region. Choose one closest to your users for better performance (I selected "(US) West US 2")
Availability options: Select "No infrastructure redundancy required" from the dropdown (suitable for testing/development)

Security type: Click here and set it to "Standard."

Image: Click to select the Windows Server image. I chose "Windows Server 2025 Datacenter Server Core - x64 Gen2 (free services eligible)."

VM Architecture

Select x64 architecture (Arm64 is not supported with the selected image.)

Step 5: Review Your Configuration

Subscription: Azure subscription 1
Resource group: (New) KOLA-RG
Virtual machine name: NEWKolaride-vm
Region: (US) West US 2
Availability options: No infrastructure redundancy required
Security type: Standard
Image: Windows Server 2025 Datacenter Server Core - x64 Gen2

Click Next: Disks > to continue to the next configuration page.

Step 6: Review and Create
After configuring all necessary settings (disks, networking, management, etc.), you'll reach the final review page.

On this page, you'll see:

Validation passed—indicated by a green checkmark
Price: The cost per hour for running this VM (mine showed 0.0844 USD/hr)
Terms: Review the Azure Marketplace Terms

Important Warning: You'll notice a warning that says, "You have set RDP port(s) open to the internet. This is only recommended for testing." This is fine for our testing purposes, but in production, you should implement proper security measures.
When ready, click the Create button to deploy your VM.

Step 7: Deployment in Progress
Azure will now begin deploying your virtual machine.

You'll see a deployment progress screen showing:

Deployment name: CreateVm-MicrosoftWindowsServer.WindowsServer-202...
Subscription: Azure subscription 1
Resource group: KOLA-RG
Start time: 1/22/2026, 4:34:13 AM

The deployment details section shows the progress of creating various resources:

Network interface
Public IP address
Network security group
Associated virtual network

Wait for the deployment to complete. This typically takes 3-5 minutes.

Step 8: Deployment Complete
Once deployment finishes, you'll see a success message.

The screen will show:

Your deployment is complete with a green checkmark
Deployment details with all resources showing "OK" status
Next steps with recommended actions

Click the Go to resource button to navigate to your newly created VM.

Step 9: Connect to Your VM
Now it's time to connect to your Windows Server VM.

On the VM overview page, you'll see:

Status: Running
Operating system: Windows (Windows Server 2025 Datacenter)
Size: Standard B2as v2 (2 vcpus, 8 GiB memory)
Public IP address: 4.155.130.79

Click on the Connect dropdown button at the top, then select Connect from the menu to access connection options.

Step 10: Download RDP File
On the Connect page, you'll see connection options.

You'll see:

Native RDP option (marked as "MOST POPULAR")
Source machine: Windows
Destination VM:

VM IP address: Public IP | 4.155.130.79
VM port: 3389

Username: kola001

Click the Download RDP file button to download the Remote Desktop connection file to your computer.

Step 11: Open the RDP File
Navigate to your Downloads folder and locate the RDP file (NEWKolaride-vm.rdp).

When you double-click the file, you'll see a security warning:
"The publisher of this remote connection can't be identified. Do you want to connect anyway?"
This warning appears because the certificate is not from a trusted certifying authority. For our testing purposes, this is normal.
Click the Connect button to proceed.
Step 12: Certificate Warning
You'll see another security warning about the certificate.

The warning states: "The identity of the remote computer cannot be verified. Do you want to connect anyway?"
Details shown:

Certificate name: NEWKolaride-vm
Certificate error: The certificate is not from a trusted certifying authority

You can optionally check "Don't ask me again for connections to this computer" to skip this warning in the future.
Click Yes to continue with the connection.

Step 13: Windows Setup - Diagnostic Data
After authenticating, Windows Server will start its initial setup process.

You'll see a screen titled "Send diagnostic data to Microsoft" with options to:

Include Optional diagnostic data (default selection)
Learn more about privacy settings

Click Accept to continue with the setup.

Step 14: User Profile Service Loading
The system will now load your user profile.

You'll see a screen showing:

User profile icon
Username: "newkola"
Message: "Please wait for the User Profile Service"

This typically takes 30-60 seconds. Be patient while Windows configures your profile.

Step 15: Windows Desktop Ready
Congratulations! You've successfully connected to your Azure Windows Server VM.

You'll now see the Windows Server desktop with:

Recycle Bin icon
Microsoft Edge browser icon
Windows Start menu and taskbar
Settings panel on the right side
System time showing: 2:16 PM, 1/22/2026

Your VM is now fully operational and ready for use!

The Core Architectural Components of Azure

Kolarinde Awopetutimileyin — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 18:40:47 +0000

Microsoft Azure has become one of the leading cloud platforms, powering millions of applications worldwide. Whether you're preparing for Azure certifications or architecting cloud solutions, understanding Azure's core architectural components is essential. In this article, we'll explore the fundamental building blocks that make up Azure's infrastructure.

Azure Regions and Availability Zones Azure's global infrastructure is built on the foundation of regions and availability zones, providing high availability and disaster recovery capabilities. Azure Regions

An Azure region is a set of datacenters deployed within a latency-defined perimeter and connected through a dedicated regional low-latency network. As of 2025, Azure operates in over 60 regions worldwide, more than any other cloud provider.

Key characteristics of Azure Regions:

Each region contains multiple centers.
Regions are paired for disaster recovery (Region Pairs)
Data residency and compliance requirements can be met by selecting appropriate regions
Pricing may vary between regions

Availability Zones
Availability Zones are physically separate locations within an Azure region. Each zone consists of one or more data centers equipped with independent power, cooling, and networking.
Benefits of Availability Zones:

Protection against center failures
99.99% VM uptime SLA when deployed across zones
Synchronous replication for high availability
Low-latency connections between zones

Resource Groups and Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Resource groups are fundamental organizational units in Azure that hold related resources for an Azure solution.

Resource Groups
Think of resource groups as logical containers that group related Azure resources together for management purposes.
Best practices for resource groups:

Group resources by lifecycle—resources that share the same deployment, update, and deletion cycle
Apply consistent naming conventions
Use tags for cost tracking and organization
Implement role-based access control (RBAC) at the resource group level
A resource can only exist in one resource group at a time

Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
ARM is the deployment and management service for Azure. It provides a consistent management layer that enables you to create, update, and delete resources in your Azure account.
ARM Features:

Declarative templates (ARM templates or Bicep)
Dependency management during deployment
Access control through RBAC
Tagging for logical organization
Consistent management across portal, CLI, PowerShell, and APIs

Azure Compute Services Azure offers multiple compute options to meet different application requirements.

Virtual Machines (VMs)
Azure VMs provide infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) with full control over the operating system and software stack.
Common use cases:

Lift-and-shift migrations
Development and testing environments
Running applications requiring specific OS configurations
Hosting databases and enterprise applications

Azure App Service
Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering for building and hosting web applications, REST APIs, and mobile backends.
Key features:

Built-in auto-scaling
Continuous deployment support
Multiple language support (NET, Java, Node.js, Python, PHP)
Managed service with automatic patching

Azure Container Instances and Azure Kubernetes Service
For containerized workloads, Azure provides both simple container hosting (ACI) and full orchestration capabilities (AKS).
AKS benefits:

Managed Kubernetes control plane
Integrated CI/CD experience
Enterprise-grade security and governance
Auto-scaling and self-healing capabilities

Azure Networking Components Networking is the backbone that connects all Azure services together.

Virtual Network (VNet)
VNets are the fundamental building block for private networks in Azure, enabling Azure resources to securely communicate with each other, the internet, and on-premises networks.
VNet capabilities:

Isolation and segmentation using subnets
Communication with the internet through public IPs
Communication between Azure resources
On-premises connectivity via VPN or ExpressRoute
Network traffic filtering using Network Security Groups (NSGs)

Load Balancer and Application Gateway
Azure Load Balancer operates at Layer 4 (Transport layer) and distributes network traffic across multiple servers.
Application Gateway is a Layer 7 (application layer) load balancer with additional features like SSL termination, cookie-based session affinity, and URL-based routing.

Azure VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute
VPN Gateway establishes encrypted connections between Azure and on-premises networks over the public internet.
ExpressRoute provides private, dedicated connections between Azure and on-premises infrastructure, bypassing the public internet entirely for better reliability and performance.

Azure Storage Services Azure Storage is a massively scalable object store for data objects, providing different storage types for various needs.

Storage Account Types
Azure offers several storage services within a storage account:
Blob Storage - Optimized for storing massive amounts of unstructured data like images, videos, and documents.

Hot tier: Frequently accessed data
Cool tier: Infrequently accessed data stored for at least 30 days
Archive tier: Rarely accessed data stored for at least 180 days

Azure Files - Fully managed file shares in the cloud accessible via SMB and NFS protocols.
Queue Storage - Messaging store for reliable messaging between application components.
Table Storage - NoSQL key-value store for structured data.
Redundancy Options
Azure Storage offers multiple redundancy options:

Locally Redundant Storage (LRS): 3 copies within a single datacenter
Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS): 3 copies across availability zones
Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS): LRS + async replication to paired region
Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage (GZRS): ZRS + async replication to paired region

Azure Identity and Access Management Security and identity management are critical components of any cloud architecture.

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)
Microsoft Entra ID is Azure's cloud-based identity and access management service.
Core capabilities:

Single sign-on (SSO) to thousands of applications
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Conditional access policies
Identity protection and monitoring
Application management
Device management

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
RBAC enables fine-grained access management for Azure resources by assigning roles to users, groups, or service principals at specific scopes.
Built-in roles include:

Owner: Full access including the ability to delegate access
Contributor: Create and manage resources but cannot grant access
Reader: View resources only
Custom roles: Create specific permission sets

Azure Monitor and Diagnostics Observability is crucial for maintaining healthy cloud applications.

Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor collects, analyzes, and acts on telemetry data from Azure and on-premises environments.
Key components:

Metrics: Numerical time-series data
Logs: Event and diagnostic data stored in Log Analytics
Alerts: Proactive notifications based on conditions
Application Insights: Application performance management (APM)

Log Analytics
A tool in the Azure portal used to query and analyze log data collected by Azure Monitor.
Use cases:

Troubleshooting application issues
Performance analysis
Security auditing
Compliance reporting

Azure Database Services Azure provides multiple managed database services for different workloads. Azure SQL Database Fully managed relational database service based on Microsoft SQL Server, offering PaaS capabilities with automatic updates, backups, and high availability. Deployment options:

Single database: Independent database with dedicated resources
Elastic pool: Collection of databases sharing resources
Managed instance: Near 100% SQL Server compatibility

Azure Cosmos DB
Globally distributed, multi-model NoSQL database service designed for low-latency and high-availability applications.
Key features:

Turnkey global distribution
Multiple consistency models
Single-digit millisecond latency
Multiple APIs (SQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin, Table)