DEV Community: Faith Aneke Ada

Creating an Amazon EC2 Instance

Faith Aneke Ada — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:57:29 +0000

💻 INTRODUCTION

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud.It also lets you launch virtual servers in the cloud.It provides flexible computing resources to run applications, host websites, or perform tasks without physical hardware.
This procedure shows how to create and access an EC2 instance.

🔒 IMPLEMENTATION STEPS

How to Create an EC2 Instance

🔗 Objective

To launch and configure a virtual server using Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for running applications in the cloud.

⚙️ Materials/Requirements

•AWS account with appropriate permissions
•Internet access
•SSH client (for Linux) or RDP (for Windows)
•Key pair for secure login

🛠️ Procedure

1.Login to AWS
•Open the AWS Management Console.
•Navigate or search for EC2 under the “Compute” section and select.

2.Launch an Instance
•Click “Launch Instance”.

•Give your instance a name for easy identification.

•Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) (e.g., Amazon Linux 2, Ubuntu, Windows Server).

3.Select an existing key pair or create a new one.

•If you are creating a key-pair ,give it a name (e.g., Name: Adaorakey)and create key.

4.Click “Launch Instance” to start your EC2 instance.

5.Connect to Your Instance
i.By clicking “connect to instance”(Browser SSH):

ii.Then click “Connect”, (browser-based SSH).

iii.A black terminal window will appear in your browser.

iv.Once connected, type:
“sudo su”

•This switches you to the root user, giving full administrative privileges.

V.You can now run commands and configure your instance as needed.

📝 Note:

For Windows instances, you would still use RDP via the Connect button and your key pair.

👩‍💻 Results/Expected Outcome

•A running EC2 instance visible in the EC2 dashboard.
•Ability to securely connect to the instance via SSH or RDP.
•Instance can host applications, web servers, or databases as configured.
•Billing begins only while the instance is running (stop when not in use to save cost).

📝 Notes/Best Practices

•Always use a secure key pair; never share your private key.
•Tag instances for easy identification in large environments.
•Stop or terminate instances when not needed to avoid unnecessary charges.

🔹Azure Compute Fundamentals: Creating and Managing a Virtual Machine

Faith Aneke Ada — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:16:11 +0000

🖥️ Introduction

Creating a Virtual Machine (VM) in Azure allows organizations to deploy scalable,on-demand computing resources in the cloud without investing in physical hardware. Virtual machines can host applications,run development and test environments,or support enterprise workloads securely and efficiently.
In this guide, we will walk you through how to provision and configure an Azure Virtual Machine step-by-step.

👩‍💻Implementation Steps

🖥️ Create a Virtual Machine in Azure

🎯 Objective

Provision and configure an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) to host applications or perform testing in a secure cloud environment.

⚙️ Procedure

1️⃣ Create the Virtual Machine

1.Sign in to the Azure portal.
2i.Search for Virtual machines.

2ii.Select + Create.

2iii.Select Azure virtual machine.

3.Select or create a new Resource Group.

4.Provide a Virtual machine name.

5i.Choose a Region.
5ii.Select Availability.

5iii.Select Zone options

6i.Select Security type (Standard)

6ii.Select an Image (e.g., Windows Server 2022 or Ubuntu Server).

7.Choose a Size (e.g., B1s for testing).

8.Configure Administrator account (username & password or SSH key).

9.Under Inbound port rules, allow:
•RDP (3389) which enables secure remote desktop access for administrators.
•HTTP (80) which allows public web traffic to access the hosted application.

10.Enable licensing

11.Navigate to the Management tab:
•Disable Boot diagnostics (if not required).

11.Navigate to the Tags tab.
Add relevant tags such as:
•Department = Security
•Staff= Kelvin
•Purpose = Staff Records

📝 Note:

Tags help with organization, cost tracking, and resource management.

12i.Select Review + Create → Create.

12ii.Wait for deployment to complete, then select Go to resource.

2️⃣ Configure Public IP Timeout Settings

1.On the VM Overview page, select the Primary NIC.
2.Click on the associated Public IP address.

3.In the Settings section, select Configuration.
4.Increase the Idle timeout (minutes) value to your desired duration.
5.Select Save to apply the changes.

📝 Note:

This ensures longer remote sessions are not disconnected due to inactivity.

3️⃣ Connect to the Virtual Machine

For Windows VM (RDP):

1.Select Connect from the virtual machine overview page → RDP.

2.Download the RDP file, (on this page you can also reset password and check VM access).

3.Open it and enter your admin credentials.

For Linux VM (SSH):

1.Select Connect → SSH.
2.Use the provided SSH command in your terminal.

4️⃣ Verify the VM is Running

1.Check the VM Status — it should show Running.
2.Confirm you can log in successfully.
3.Optionally install a web server or test application.

🧪 Testing

•Confirm remote access works (RDP or SSH).
•Install a simple application (e.g., IIS or Nginx).
•Access the public IP in a browser (if HTTP port 80 is enabled).

✅ Results

•A successfully deployed Azure Virtual Machine
•Remote access configured
•Network connectivity verified
•VM ready for application deployment

💡 Key Takeaways

•Azure VMs provide scalable, on-demand compute resources.
•Choose the right OS, size, and storage for your workload.
•SSH keys or strong passwords improve authentication security.
•Costs accrue only while the VM is running—stop or deallocate when idle.

PROVIDE STORAGE FOR A NEW COMPANY APP

Faith Aneke Ada — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:16:22 +0000

INTRODUCTION

Providing secure and scalable storage for a new company application is a foundational step in cloud architecture. A properly configured Azure Storage account ensures high availability, data protection, controlled access, and compliance with security best practices. In this exercise, we deploy and configure storage resources that support the application while maintaining strong security and governance standards.

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS

1.Create the Storage Account with Infrastructure Encryption

🎯 Objective:

Provision a secure storage account for a web application with infrastructure-level encryption enabled.

🛠️ Steps:

1i.Go to Storage accounts

1ii.→click on + Create.

2.Create a new Resource group.

3.Provide a globally unique Storage account name.

4.Navigate to the Encryption
5.Enable Infrastructure encryption (note: this cannot be changed after creation).
6.Select Review + Create → Create.

7.After deployment, select Go to resource.

2.Create and Configure a Managed Identity

2a.Create a User-Assigned Managed Identity

🎯 Objective:

Provide secure, passwordless authentication for the web app.

🛠️ Steps:

1i.Search for Managed identities

1ii. → Click +Create.

2.Select your resource group.

3.Provide a name for the manage identity.

4.Select Review + Create → Create.

2b.Assign Storage Permissions to the Managed Identity

🎯 Objective:

Grant the identity read-only access to blobs and containers.

🛠️ Steps:

1.Open the Storage account.

2.Go to Access Control (IAM).
3.Select Add role assignment.

4.Choose the role Storage Blob Data Reader.

5.Under Members, select Managed identity.

6.Choose User-assigned managed identity.
7.Select your managed identity.

8.Click Review + assign.

✅ Result:

The managed identity can securely read and list blobs without using storage keys.

3.Secure Access with Key Vault and Customer-Managed Key

3a.Assign Key Vault Administrator Role

🎯 Objective:

Grant your user account permissions to manage keys.

🛠️ Steps:

1i.Go to Resource group

1ii. Navigate to → Access Control (IAM).
2.Select Add role assignment.

3.Assign the Key Vault Administrator role to your user account.

4.Select Review + assign.

3b.Create a Key Vault

🎯 Objective:

Store encryption keys securely.

🛠️ Steps:

1i.Search for Key vaults.

1ii. Select → + Create.

2.Select your resource group.

3.Provide a globally unique name.
4.Ensure Azure role-based access control is selected.
5.Select Review + Create → Create.

6.After deployment, verify Soft-delete and Purge protection are enabled.

3c.Create a Customer-Managed Key

🎯 Objective:

Generate a key to control storage encryption.

🛠️ Steps:

1.In the key vault, select Keys → Generate/Import.

2.Provide a name.
3.Accept defaults.
4.Select Create.

4.Configure Storage Account to Use Customer-Managed Key

4a.Assign Crypto Role to Managed Identity

🎯 Objective:

Allow the managed identity to access the encryption key.

🛠️ Steps:

1i.Go to Resource group.

1ii. Select → Access Control (IAM).
2.Select Add role assignment.

3.Choose Key Vault Crypto Service Encryption User.

4.Select Managed identity → User-assigned.
5.Choose your managed identity.

6.Select Review + assign.

4b. Enable Customer-Managed Keys on Storage Account

🎯 Objective:

Configure storage to use the Key Vault key for encryption.

🛠️ Steps:

1.Open the Storage account.

2.Navigate to Security + networking → Encryption.

3.Select Customer-managed keys.

4.Choose your Key vault and key.

5.Set Identity type to User-assigned.
6.Select your managed identity.
7.Click Save.

✅ Result:

The storage account now uses a customer-managed key stored in Azure Key Vault.

5.Configure Time-Based Retention Policy (Immutable Storage)

🎯 Objective:

Prevent modification or deletion of files for a fixed retention period.

🛠️ Steps:

1.Go to Storage account → Containers.

2.Create a container named hold.

3.Upload a file.

4.Go to Settings → Access policy
5.Under Immutable blob storage, select + Add policy.
6.Select Time-based retention
7.Set retention period to 5 days.
8.Save changes.

9.Attempt to delete the file.
10.Confirm deletion fails due to policy.

✅ Result:

Files cannot be modified or deleted until the retention period expires.

6. Configure an Encryption Scope

🎯 Objective:

Create an encryption scope with infrastructure encryption enabled.

🛠️ Steps:

1.Go to Storage account → Security + networking → Encryption.
2.Select the Encryption scopes tab.
3.Click Add.

4.Provide a name.
5.Set:
•Encryption type: Microsoft-managed key
•Infrastructure encryption: Enable
6.Create the encryption scope.

7.Create a new container.

8.Under Advanced, select the encryption scope.

9.Apply it to all blobs in the container.

✅ Result:

Blobs within the container are encrypted using the defined encryption scope with infrastructure encryption enabled.

💡 Key Outcomes

✅ Storage account secured with infrastructure encryption.
✅ Managed identity configured for secure authentication.
✅ Customer-managed encryption key stored in Azure Key Vault.
✅ Immutable storage enforced with time-based retention.
✅ Encryption scope created for granular encryption control.

PROVIDE SHARED FILE STORAGE FOR COMPANY OFFICES

Faith Aneke Ada — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:14:07 +0000

INTRODUCTION

Providing shared file storage for company offices is essential for collaboration, security, and operational efficiency. A centralized file storage solution ensures teams can securely access, manage, and share documents across departments while maintaining data protection standards. By implementing high availability, snapshots for recovery, and network access restrictions, organizations can protect critical business files, prevent accidental data loss, and control who can access sensitive information.

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS

1.Create a Storage Account for Azure Files

Objective:

Provision a premium storage account optimized for Azure File Shares with high availability.

Steps:

1.In the Azure portal, go to Storage accounts →

Click + Create.

2.Select Create new Resource group, provide a name, and click OK.

3.Provide a globally unique Storage account name.

4.Set:
•Performance: Premium

•Premium account type: File shares

•Redundancy: Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)

5.Select Review + Create, then Create.

6.After deployment, select Go to resource.

2.Create and Configure a File Share with Directory

2a.Create a File Share

Objective:

Create a shared file location for corporate office use.

Steps:

1.In the storage account, go to Data storage → File shares.

2.Select + File share.

3.Provide a Name.

4.Leave other settings as default.
5.Select Create.

2b.Create a Directory and Upload a File

Objective:

Organize files within the share and prepare for snapshot testing.

Steps:

1.Open the created file share.
2.Select + Add directory.

3.Name the directory finance.

4.Select Browse, then open the finance directory.

5.Upload a test file.

Result:

•The finance directory contains the uploaded file.

•File structure is ready for snapshot protection.

3.Configure and Test Snapshots

3a.Create a Snapshot

Objective:

Protect files from accidental deletion using file share snapshots.

Steps:

1.Open the file share.
2.Go to Operations → Snapshots.
3.Select + Add snapshot.

4.Optionally add a comment.
5.Select OK.

6ii.Open the snapshot and verify the finance directory.

6i.Confirm if file exist.

3b.Restore a File from Snapshot

Objective: Practice restoring deleted files using snapshots.

Steps:

1.Return to the live file share.
2.Navigate to the finance directory.
3.Select the uploaded file → Delete → Confirm.

4.Go to Snapshots.
5.Select the snapshot.

6.Locate the deleted file.
7.Select Restore.

8.Provide a new file name.
9.Confirm the restored file appears in the directory.

Result:

•File successfully restored from snapshot.
•This demonstrates recovery capability.

4.Restrict Storage Access to a Virtual Network

4a.Create a Virtual Network and Configure Service Endpoint

Objective:

Prepare a virtual network to restrict storage access.

Steps:

1.Search for and select Virtual networks

→ click + Create.

2.Select your resource group and provide a Virtual network name.
3.Accept defaults → Review + Create

→ Create.

4.After deployment, select Go to resource.

5.Go to Settings → Subnets.

6.Select the default subnet.

7.Under Service endpoints, select Microsoft.Storage.

8.Click Save.

4b.Restrict Storage Account to Selected Virtual Network

Objective:

Ensure the storage account is only accessible from the configured virtual network.

Steps:

1.Return to the storage account.
2.Go to Security + networking → Networking.

3.Change Public network access to:
•Enabled from selected virtual networks and IP addresses

4.Under Virtual networks, select Add existing virtual network.

5.Choose your virtual network and subnet.

6.Click Add, then Save.

Testing Network Restriction:

1.Open Storage browser.
2.Attempt to access the file share.
3.Confirm you receive the message:
•Not authorized to perform this operation

Result:

•Storage account is now restricted to the specified virtual network.
•Access from outside the VNet is blocked.

Key Outcomes

•Premium Azure File storage account deployed with Zone redundancy.
•File share and directory created for structured storage.
•Snapshots configured to protect against accidental deletion.
•Files successfully restored from snapshot.
•Storage account access restricted to a specific virtual network.

Provide private storage for internal company documents

Faith Aneke Ada — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 13:21:47 +0000

The Importance of Private Storage in Organizations

Providing private storage for internal company documents in an organization is critical for security, compliance, and business continuity. Here’s why it matters:
1️⃣ Protection of Sensitive Information
2️⃣ Data Security
3️⃣ Access Control
4️⃣ Regulatory Compliance
5️⃣ Data Integrity
6️⃣ Business Continuity
7️⃣ Protecting Company Reputation

PROCEDURE

Create a Storage Account with High Availability

Objective:

Provision secure storage for internal company documents with geo-redundant replication to protect against regional outages.

Steps:

1.In the Azure portal, go to Storage accounts

2.select + Create.

3.Select an existing Resource group.

4.Set the storage account name to private (must be globally unique).

5.Select Review + Create, then Create.

6.After deployment, select Go to resource.

Configure Redundancy:

1.In the storage account, go to Data management → Redundancy.

2.Select Geo-redundant storage (GRS).

3.Review the primary and secondary region information.
4.Click Save.

2.Create a Private Container and Restrict Access

Objective:

Ensure corporate files are not publicly accessible.

Steps:

1.Go to Data storage → Containers.

2.Select + Container.

3.Name the container private and click create.

4.Set Public access level to Private (no anonymous access).

5.Select OK

Testing Access Restriction:

1.Select container created.

Click upload to upload a test file to the container.
Select browse for file to select which file to upload and click upload

4.Select the file and copy the URL from the Overview tab.

5.Paste the URL into a browser.
6.Confirm access is denied (authentication required).

3.Configure a Shared Access Signature (SAS)

Objective:

Provide temporary, restricted access to an external partner for 24 hours.

Steps:

1.Select the uploaded blob.
2.Navigate to the Generate SAS tab.

3.Under Permissions, select Read only.
4.Set the Start time to now and Expiry time to 24 hours.
5.Select Generate SAS token and URL.
6.Copy the Blob SAS URL.

Testing SAS Access:

1.Paste the SAS URL into a browser.
2.Confirm the file opens successfully.
3.Verify that access will expire after the specified time.

4.Implement Lifecycle Management (Move to Cool Tier)

Objective:

Reduce storage costs by automatically moving older blobs from the Hot tier to the Cool tier after 30 days.

Steps:

1.Return to the storage account.
2.Go to Data management → Lifecycle management.

3.Select Add rule.

4.Name the rule movetocool.
5.Apply the rule to All blobs in the storage account.

Under conditions:

•Select Last modified
•Set to More than 30 days ago

Under actions:

•Select Move to cool storage

6.Click Add to save the rule.

5.Configure Object Replication (Backup Public Website)

Objective:

Back up public website content to the private storage account for redundancy and protection.

Steps:

1a.In the private storage account, create a new container by clicking Add container

1b.Give it a name,example “backup” and select create.

2.Navigate to the publicwebsite storage account earlier or any other storage account already created that requires backup .

3.Go to Data management → Object replication.

4.Select Create replication rule and Configure:
•Source container: public
•Destination storage account: private
•Destination container: backup
5.Select Create to create the replication rule.

Testing Replication:

1.Upload a file to the public container.
2.Wait a few minutes.
3.Refresh the backup container in the private storage account.
4.Confirm the file appears automatically.

Key Outcomes

• ✅ Geo-redundant storage ensures high availability during regional outages.
• ✅ Private containers prevent anonymous access to sensitive documents.
• ✅ SAS provides secure, time-bound delegated access.
• ✅ Lifecycle management optimizes storage costs automatically.
• ✅ Object replication provides asynchronous backup between storage accounts.

Provide storage for the public website

Faith Aneke Ada — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 06:24:16 +0000

CONFIGURATION STEPS :

Create a storage account with high availability:

Creating a storage account with high availability ensures that data is replicated across multiple locations or zones, providing resilience against hardware failures or outages and guaranteeing reliable access for applications and users.
Ensure the storage account has anonymous public access:

Enabling anonymous public access allows the storage account or container to serve files over the internet without authentication. This is essential for hosting publicly accessible content, such as website documents, while ensuring ease of access for all users.
Create a blob storage container for the website documents:

Creating a blob storage container organizes and stores the website’s documents and assets within the storage account, providing a dedicated space for files such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media content.
Enable soft delete so files can be easily restored:

Enabling soft delete ensures that deleted files are retained for a configurable period, allowing accidental deletions to be recovered easily and enhancing data protection.
Enable blob versioning:

Enabling blob versioning automatically maintains previous versions of files, allowing changes to be tracked and older versions to be restored if needed, thereby improving data management and recovery.

EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS

1.Provisioning the Storage Account

Objective:

Create a storage account that supports high availability and public website hosting.

Steps:

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

2. Select + Create.

3. For Resource group, select New, provide a name, and select OK.

4. Set the Storage account name to publicwebsite (ensure uniqueness by adding an identifier).

5. Accept default settings for all other options.
6. Select Review + Create, then Create.

7. Wait for the deployment to complete, then select Go to resource.

2.Enable High Availability

Objective:

Ensure the storage account remains accessible during regional outages.

Steps:

In the storage account, navigate to the Data management → Redundancy blade.

2. Select Read-access Geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS).

3. Review the primary and secondary location information.

Note: RA-GRS replicates data to a secondary region, providing read access if the primary region becomes unavailable.

3.Enable Anonymous Public Access

Objective:

Allow website content to be accessed by users without authentication.

Steps:

1.In the storage account, go to Settings → Configuration.

2.Enable the Allow blob anonymous access setting.

3.Save your changes.

Use case: This setting is essential for serving website files such as HTML, CSS, images, and documents to all users.

4.Create a Blob Storage Container with Anonymous Read Access

Objective:

Organize website assets (images, documents) in a dedicated container and allow public access without requiring authentication.

Steps:

1.In your storage account, go to Data storage → Containers.

2.Select + Container.

3.Set the container name to public and select Create.

4.Configure anonymous read access:

Open the newly created container.

On the Overview blade, select Change access level.

Set Public access level to Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only).
Select OK.

5.Testing Uploads and Access:

Upload a test file to the public container by selecting the public container created

Select Upload, browse to a file (image or text), and select Upload.

Refresh the container and confirm the file is uploaded.

6.Test public access:

Select the uploaded file, copy the URL from the Overview tab, and open it in a browser.

Images should display directly; other file types may be downloaded.

5.Configure Soft Delete

Objective:

Protect against accidental deletions by retaining deleted files for a specified period.

Steps:

1.In the storage account, go to Overview → Properties → Blob service → Blob soft delete.

2.Enable Soft delete for blobs and set Keep deleted blobs for 21 days.

3.Save your changes.

4.Testing Soft Delete:

Navigate to your container and delete a file. Confirm deletion.

Toggle Show deleted blobs on the container Overview page.
Select the deleted file, click the ellipsis, and choose Undelete.

Refresh the container to confirm the file has been restored.

6.Configure Blob Versioning

Objective:

Maintain historical versions of files to track changes and allow recovery.

Steps:

1.In the storage account, navigate to Overview → Properties → Blob service → Versioning.

2.Enable Versioning for blobs and configure options to keep or delete previous versions as needed.
3.Save your changes.

4.Testing Versioning:

Upload a new version of an existing file in the container (overwrite the previous file).
Previous versions are available under the Show deleted blobs page.
Experiment with restoring older versions to verify versioning functionality.

✅ Key Benefits of These Configurations
• Anonymous Public Access: Serves website files without authentication.
• Soft Delete: Protects against accidental file deletions.
• Blob Versioning: Tracks changes and enables recovery of previous file versions.
• High Availability: Ensures data remains accessible even during outages or hardware failures.

Provide storage for the IT department testing and training

Faith Aneke Ada — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:39:12 +0000

Create a resource group and a storage account.

A resource group is like a container (or folder) that holds related resources in Azure.
It organizes resources such as VMs, storage, networks, etc.

In the Azure portal, search for and select Resource groups.

Select + Create.

Give your resource group a name. For example, storagerg.Remember the name must be globally unique
Select a region. Use this region throughout the project.
Select Review and create to validate the resource group.

Select Create to deploy the resource group.

Create and deploy a storage account to support testing and training

A storage account in Azure is a cloud-based container that holds your data.
Inside a storage account, you can store different types of data:
• 📁 Files – documents, PDFs, images
• 📦 Blobs – videos, backups, large unstructured data
• 📊 Tables – structured (NoSQL) data
• 📬 Queues – messages between applications

In the Azure portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

Select + Create.

On the Basics tab, select your Resource group.

Provide a Storage account name. The storage account name must be unique in Azure.
Set the Performance to Standard.
Select Review, and then Create.

Wait for the storage account to deploy and then Go to resource.

Configure simple settings in the storage account.

The data in this storage account doesn’t require high availability or durability. A lowest cost storage solution is desired.

In your storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.

Select Locally-redundant storage (LRS) in the Redundancy drop-down. Be sure to Save your changes.

Refresh the page and notice the content only exists in the primary location.
In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.

Ensure Secure transfer required is Enabled.
Ensure the Minimal TLS version is set to Version 1.2.
Ensure Allow storage account key access is Disabled.
Be sure to Save your changes.

In the Security + networking section, select the Networking blade.

Ensure Public network access is set to Enabled from all networks.

Be sure to Save your changes.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a storage account for IT department testing and training. This setup provides a reliable and scalable solution for managing data, supporting both development and learning environments effectively.