DEV Community: Emmanuel Banjo

How to setup a Linux Virtual machine on Azure Portal

Emmanuel Banjo — Fri, 15 May 2026 19:43:21 +0000

Introduction

I always thought Linux servers were complicated and only for experts. Turns out, setting one up in Azure is pretty straightforward.
This guide shows you exactly how to create a Linux VM in Azure, connect to it from your computer, and run your first commands. No prior Linux experience needed, I also learned as I went!

Step 1: Create a Resource Group

In azure portal, search Resource group and hit ENTER!

Click on create button

Name your resource group
Choose your preferred region (choose one closest to you)
Click Review and create

Then click create

Step 2: Start Creating Your Linux VM

Go to Azure Portal and search for Virtual machines

Click + Create → Azure virtual machine

Under project details, Select your resource group

Step 3: Configure basic instance details

Virtual machine name: Type something like mylinuxvm
Region: Pick one close to you
Availability options: Choose No infrastructure redundancy required
Security type: Standard Image: Choose your Linux flavor: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS ← I recommend this for beginners
Size: I chose D2s version

Step 4: Set Up Your Login Method and configure Network Access

Here's where it gets interesting. You have two options:
- SSH Key (More Secure)
- Password (Simpler for first timers)
I went with Password because it's less complicated

Create a username (like adminuser)
Create a strong password (write it down!)
Public inbound ports: Select Allow selected ports
Select inbound ports: Choose HTTP (80) and SSH (22)

Step 5: Configure Monitoring, Validate and create

Scroll back to the top and choose the Monitoring tab
Disable boot diagnostics
Click Review and create

Your configurations are now Validated and your Virtual machine is ready to come alive, click create

Wait 2-3 minutes for deployment, then click Go to resource

Step 6: Verify your VM created and Connect

In your Linux VM resource, you would notice the public IP in the overview tab, This is what you would need to connect. Before connecting, we would need to increase the idle time of our virtual machine

Click on the Public IP

Increase the Idle time to 30 (max), then Apply

Back to the overview page, click Connect

Check network access, click check access

Once we verify the connection, then we need to connect to our Linux virtual machine. Copy the SSH command

In your terminal (for macs) or Powershell (windows), paste this SSH command and run. When it runs successfullly, it requests confirmation and ask for your password (remember the password we set in step 4).
Enter your password (usually this doesn't show up, so accuracy is important) Your linux VM connection is successful

When operating linux, we need to run commands as a root user or add "sudo" to every command. In order to make commands work smoothly, we can change the user to a root user and update our linux server.

run the command "sudo su"
run the command "apt update" apt (Advanced Package Tool) is a powerful, interactive command-line utility for managing software on Debian-based Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu and Linux Mint. It handles installation, removal, upgrading, and dependency management of .deb packages by automating retrieval from online repositories.

Step 7: Install applications on your server

Now that our linux server is up-to-date, we would proceed with installing some applications. In this exercise, I would be installing Vim and Nginx

Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to make creating and changing any kind of text very efficient.
NGINX is open-source web server software used for reverse proxy, load balancing, and caching
- Install vim with the command "apt install vim
- when prompted, confirm with a Y

Lastly, install nginx with the command "apt install nginx"
When prompted, confirm with Y

Our linux Virtual machine now has a software installed on it. Let's check it out.

Copy the Public IP in Step 6
Paste in your browser tab and hit ENTER!

If everything else is correct, you should be presented with this nice screen here!

You just created and connected to a real Linux server running in Microsoft's datacenter. The same technology that powers Netflix, Spotify, and thousands of companies.
The best part? You can destroy it and create a new one anytime.
Remember: Stop your VM when you're done playing. Future you will appreciate the lower bill!

What did you install on your Linux VM? Share in the comments! And if you got stuck anywhere, let me know; I probably hit the same issue when I started.

How to setup Virtual Machine on Azure Portal

Emmanuel Banjo — Fri, 15 May 2026 08:55:02 +0000

Introduction

I needed a computer in the cloud, something I could access from anywhere, spin up for testing, and shut down when I'm done. That's exactly what an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) is.
This guide walks you through creating your first VM, connecting to it, and understanding what you just built. No complex terminology, just the steps that worked for me.

Step 1: Create a Resource Group

In azure portal, search Resource group and hit ENTER!
Click on create button

Name your resource group
Choose your preferred region based on location
Click Review and create

Then click create

Now that you have a Resource group to place your Virtual machine, let's take one step further to create the Virtual machine resource.

Step 2: Create a Virtual Machine

Search for Virtual machines in Azure Portal and hit ENTER!

Click + Create → Azure virtual machine

Under the Project details tab, Select your resource group

Under the Instance details tab, name your VM something simple like myFirstVM
Choose a Region (pick one close to you)
Being a test, we don't want redundancy so we would choose No infrastructure redundancy required under Availability options
Select an Image (I chose Windows 11 pro)
Pick a Size ( I chose a standard D2s type)

Under the Administrator account tab, Create a username and password (write these down!)
For Windows: Check Allow selected ports → Select RDP (3389) and HTTP port (80) to connect over the internet
Check the box for Licensing

Scroll back to the top and choose the Monitoring tab
Disable boot diagnostics
Click Review and create

Your configurations are now Validated and your Virtual machine is ready to come alive, click create

Wait 2-3 minutes for deployment, then click Go to resource

Step 3: Connect to Your VM

In the Resource overview, click Connect (Note that your VM has an associated public IP

Under the connect tab and using Native RDP connection, click Check access

Once the connection has been confirmed, click Download RDP file

Open the downloaded file, Enter your username and password
Note: If you are using another computer other than Windows, you need to download/Install the Windows app for your RDP file to work.
After successful connection, you should have a Windows screen just like this!

Understanding what was built

A complete computer with CPU, RAM, and storage
It has its own IP address
It's running 24/7 (until you stop it)

Important: Running VMs cost money per hour. Stop them when not in use!

Congratulations! You just created a computer in the cloud. You can access it from your laptop, your phone, anywhere with internet.
This is the same technology companies use to run their applications, websites, and services.
Remember: stop it when you're done playing around. Your wallet will thank you!

Got stuck on any step? Drop a comment and let me know.

How to setup Virtual Machine on Azure Portal

Emmanuel Banjo — Fri, 15 May 2026 08:55:02 +0000

Introduction

Step 1: Create a Resource Group

In azure portal, search Resource group and hit ENTER!
Click on create button

Name your resource group
Choose your preferred region based on location
Click Review and create

Then click create

Now that you have a Resource group to place your Virtual machine, let's take one step further to create the Virtual machine resource.

Step 2: Create a Virtual Machine

Search for Virtual machines in Azure Portal and hit ENTER!

Click + Create → Azure virtual machine

Under the Project details tab, Select your resource group

Under the Instance details tab, name your VM something simple like myFirstVM
Choose a Region (pick one close to you)
Being a test, we don't want redundancy so we would choose No infrastructure redundancy required under Availability options
Select an Image (I chose Windows 11 pro)
Pick a Size ( I chose a standard D2s type)

Under the Administrator account tab, Create a username and password (write these down!)
For Windows: Check Allow selected ports → Select RDP (3389) and HTTP port (80) to connect over the internet
Check the box for Licensing

Scroll back to the top and choose the Monitoring tab
Disable boot diagnostics
Click Review and create

Your configurations are now Validated and your Virtual machine is ready to come alive, click create

Wait 2-3 minutes for deployment, then click Go to resource

Step 3: Connect to Your VM

In the Resource overview, click Connect (Note that your VM has an associated public IP

Under the connect tab and using Native RDP connection, click Check access

Once the connection has been confirmed, click Download RDP file

Open the downloaded file, Enter your username and password
Note: If you are using another computer other than Windows, you need to download/Install the Windows app for your RDP file to work.
After successful connection, you should have a Windows screen just like this!

Understanding what was built

A complete computer with CPU, RAM, and storage
It has its own IP address
It's running 24/7 (until you stop it)

Important: Running VMs cost money per hour. Stop them when not in use!

*Got stuck on any step? Drop a comment and let me know. *

How I Set Up Azure Storage for My First Public Website

Emmanuel Banjo — Sat, 02 May 2026 09:19:33 +0000

Introduction

I needed a place to store images and files for a website project. Azure Blob Storage turned out to be perfect. it's basically a file system in the cloud that anyone can access via a URL.
This guide shows you exactly how to set it up, make files publicly accessible, and add some safety features so you don't lose your work if something gets deleted.

Create the Storage Account

Search for Storage accounts in Azure Portal
Click + Create
Create a new resource group (name it something like website-storage)
Name your storage account publicwebsite plus some numbers (like publicwebsite2024)
Click Review then Create
Wait for deployment, then click Go to resource

Set Up High Availability

This makes sure your files are backed up in multiple locations.

Go to Data management → Redundancy
Select Read-access geo-redundant storage You'll see two locations: primary and secondary Now if one region goes down, your files are still available. Cool, right?

Allow Public Access

By default, storage is locked down. We need to open it up for public website files.

Go to Settings → Configuration
Turn on Allow Blob anonymous access
Click Save

Create Your Container

Containers are like folders that hold your files.

Go to Data storage → Containers
Click + Container
Name it public
Click Create

Make Files Publicly Accessible

Click on your public container
Click Change access level
Select Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only)
Click OK

Now anyone with the URL can view your files!

Upload and Test a File

In your container, click Upload
Choose any image or text file
Click Upload
After upload, click on your file
Copy the URL from the Overview tab
Paste it in a new browser tab If you see your file, it worked! 🎉

Set Up Soft Delete (The Undo Button)

This is like having a recycle bin. If you accidentally delete something, you can get it back for 21 days.

Go back to your storage account overview
Find Properties → Blob service section
Click Blob soft delete
Check Enable soft delete for blobs
Set it to 21 days
Click Save

Testing Soft Delete

Go to your container
Select a file and click Delete
Toggle Show deleted blobs (top right)
Select the deleted file
Click the three dots and choose Undelete

Your file is back!

Enable Versioning

This keeps a history of your file changes, like version control for your files.

Back in storage account Properties
Find Blob service → Versioning
Check Enable versioning for blobs
Click Save

Now when you upload a new version of a file, the old one is saved automatically.

You just set up cloud storage that's accessible from anywhere on the internet. This is the same technology that powers file hosting for major websites and apps.

One Important Warning
Since you made this publicly accessible, never upload sensitive information. Anything you put here can be accessed by anyone with the URL. No passwords, no private data, no confidential documents.

Got stuck anywhere? Drop a comment and I'll help you out. We're all figuring this stuff out together! Please like and share!!!

Setting Up Your First Azure Storage Account

Emmanuel Banjo — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 08:44:49 +0000

Introduction

Starting with Azure can feel overwhelming. There are so many options, settings, and configurations that it's hard to know where to begin. But here's the good news: setting up a storage account doesn't have to be complicated.
I recently went through the process of creating my first Azure Storage Account for a learning project, and I want to share what I learned. This guide will walk you through each step in plain language.
We'll create a storage account that's perfect for learning and testing i.e one that's secure, won't rack up unexpected charges, and follows good practices from the start. No prior Azure experience needed!

Step 1: Creating a Resource Group

What's a Resource Group?
Think of a resource group like a folder on your computer. Just like you'd put all your vacation photos in one folder, you put all your related Azure resources in one resource group. It makes everything easier to organize and manage.
The cool part? When you delete the resource group later, everything inside gets deleted too. No hunting down individual items. Perfect for learning projects!

Let's Create One quickly

Open the Azure Portal and type Resource groups in the search bar

Click the + Create button

Give it a simple name like my-storage-project or learning-storage
Pick a region (like East US or West Europe)just choose one close to you
Click Review and create

then Create

Creating Your Storage Account
Now let's create the actual storage account

Search for Storage accounts in the Azure Portal

Click + Create

Select the resource group you just created
Give your storage account a name (it needs to be unique across all of Azure, so try something like mystoragelearn123)
Keep Performance set to Standard (this is the cheaper option and perfect for learning)
Click Review + Create

Then Create

Wait a minute for it to deploy, then click Go to resource

Done! You now have your own storage account in the cloud.

Step 2: Choosing How Your Data is Stored

What's Redundancy?
When you store data in Azure, it automatically makes copies in case something goes wrong. The question is: how many copies do you need?

LRS **(Locally Redundant Storage): Makes 3 copies in one location - cheapest option
**ZRS, GRS, GZRS: More copies in more places - costs more money

For learning and testing, LRS is perfect. You save money and still have backup copies.

Setting it to LRS

In your storage account, find Data management on the left menu, then click Redundancy

Change the dropdown to Locally-redundant storage (LRS)
Click Save

That's it! You just cut your storage costs significantly.

Step 3: Making It Secure

Now let's make sure your storage is secure. Don't worry, it's just a few simple settings.

Use HTTPS (Keep Your Data Safe in Transit)
You want all your data to travel securely over the internet, like using HTTPS on a website.
- Go to Settings → Configuration
- Make sure Secure transfer required says Enabled

That's it. Now all your data travels encrypted.

Use Modern Security (TLS 1.2)
This is like saying "only let in people with new security badges,

not old ones that can be faked."
- Still in Settings → Configuration
- Check that Minimum TLS version is set to Version 1.2

Control Who Can Access It
If you're not using the storage right now, you can turn off access:
- In Settings → Configuration
- Find Allow storage account key access and set it to Disabled
- Click Save

You can always turn this back on when you need it.

Step 4: Allow Network Access

Go to Security + networking → Networking
Make sure Public network access is set to Enabled from all networks
Click Save

Congratulations! You just set up your first Azure Storage Account. I know it might have seemed like a lot of steps, but you did it!

Did this guide help you? Drop a comment and let me know how your setup went! And if you got stuck anywhere, ask away. we're all learning together.

Helpful Links

What is Azure Storage? - Official Microsoft docs
Azure Free Account - Get free credits to practice with