DEV Community: Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi

Microsoft Entra Management Tasks: Performing Basic Group Management

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:20:56 +0000

Introduction

Groups are an important part of cloud administration because they make it easier to manage users, access, ownership, and licenses in an organized way.

As part of my cloud computing learning journey, I completed a Microsoft Entra ID lab focused on basic group management tasks. In this exercise, I practiced creating a Microsoft 365 group, creating a security group, adding members to groups, assigning group owners, and assigning licenses at the group level.

The goal of this lab was to understand how groups help administrators manage users more efficiently in a cloud environment. Instead of handling every user individually, groups allow access and resources to be managed for multiple users at once.

Below are the steps I followed for this task.

Step 1: Create a Microsoft 365 group

Open the Microsoft Entra admin center at https://entra.microsoft.com and log in using your tenant credentials.
From the menu on the left, select Groups, then choose All groups. Next, select the New group option.

Enter the requested information:

Field	Value
Group type	Microsoft 365
Group name	Project23
Group description	This group consists of members of the new AI Simulation software with codename Project23
Membership type	Assigned

Under the Members heading, select No member selected, then add Bhogeswar Kalita by marking the checkbox and choosing the Select button. After that, select the Create button.

Step 2: Create a Security group

Open the Microsoft Entra admin center at https://entra.microsoft.com
From Groups, select All groups, then select the New group option again.
Enter the requested information:

Field	Value
Group type	Security
Group name	Guest Users
Group description	This group has all the Guest users currently in the tenant.
Membership type	Dynamic User

Note: My initial tenant did not support the Dynamic User membership option, so I used a separate lab tenant with Microsoft Entra ID P2 trial enabled to complete this part of the exercise. This allowed me to test dynamic group membership and create a rule that automatically adds guest users to the group.

Under the Dynamic user members heading, select Add dynamic query.
Create a dynamic query with the following values and then select Save:

Field	Value
Property	userType
Operator	Equals
Value	Guest

Select the Create button.

From the Groups page, select Refresh, then open the Guest Users group we just created and select Members.

This verifies that the dynamic membership rule automatically added the guest user we created earlier to this group.

Step 3: Add an existing user to a new group

Open the Microsoft Entra admin center at https://entra.microsoft.com
From the menu on the left, select Groups, then All groups and then select the Project23 group we created in Task 1.

Select the Members option from the menu, then select + Add members near the top of the page.
Mark the box next to External User and use the Select button.

Sub-Step 1: Alternative method to add an existing user to a new group

Open the Users menu, then select All users and then find and select External User from the list.

Select Groups from the menu, then select + Add memberships. Choose an existing group and use the Select button to add the user to the group.

Step 4: Add licenses and owners to a group

Open the Microsoft Entra admin center at https://entra.microsoft.com
From the menu on the left, select Groups, then All groups and then select the Project23 group we created in Task 1.

Choose the Owners option from the menu.

Note: Your tenant administrator will automatically be added as the owner of a group, if no owner is specified.

Select + Add owners, mark the box next to Bhogeswar Kalita, and use the Select button.

Notice the new owner has been added to the group.

Sub-Step 1: Adding a license to a group

Open a new tab and go to the Microsoft 365 admin center at https://admin.microsoft.com.
From the menu on the left, open the Billing section and select Licenses.
Select Microsoft 365 Business, then select Assign licenses.
Search for and select the licensing group, such as Project23-License, then select Assign licenses to save.

Close the You assigned licenses notification and use the Refresh button to see the added group license assignment.

Note: Microsoft Power Automate Free was available at the user level in my tenant, but it did not appear as a group-assignable product under Billing > Licenses. Since the objective of the task was to practice group-based license assignment, I used the available Microsoft 365 Business license instead.

Also, the original Project23 group was created as a Microsoft 365 group, but it did not appear in my license assignment search results. To complete the group-based licensing part of the lab, I created a separate Security group named Project23-License, added the project users to it, and assigned the Microsoft 365 Business license to that security group.

Conclusion

Completing this Microsoft Entra ID group management lab helped me understand how groups are used to manage users, access, ownership, and licenses in a cloud environment.

In this exercise, I created a Microsoft 365 group, created a security group, added members to groups, assigned group owners, and practiced group-based license assignment. I also learned the difference between assigned membership and dynamic membership, and how licensing or tenant limitations can affect the options available in Microsoft Entra ID.

One important lesson from this lab is that groups make cloud administration easier because access and licenses can be managed for multiple users at once instead of handling each user individually.

This lab strengthened my understanding of Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365 administration as part of my wider cloud computing learning journey. It also gave me more confidence working with groups, users, licenses, and basic access management in a cloud tenant.

Microsoft Entra Management Tasks: Performing Basic User Management

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:36:57 +0000

Introduction

Identity and access management is one of the most important parts of cloud security because every organization needs to control who can access its systems, applications, and data.

As part of my learning journey in Microsoft Entra ID, I explored some basic user management tasks that are commonly performed by Identity and Access Administrators. This lab focused on creating users, assigning access, managing external users, and understanding how roles and licenses work in a tenant environment.

The goal of this exercise was to build my confidence with the Microsoft Entra admin center and understand how user access is managed in a real cloud environment.

Below are the steps needed for this task.
Step 1.

Open the Microsoft Entra admin center at https://entra.microsoft.com and Log in using the credentials for your tenant.

From the menu on the left, select Users, then choose All users. Next, select + New user and choose Create new user.

I entered the required user details as shown below:

Field	Value
User principal name	BhogeswarK
Display name	Bhogeswar Kalita

Leave the Mail nickname as is, and then take a copy of the Password (auto-generated) and store it in Notepad. You will need it later. Leave Account enabled checked.

I entered the user principal name as BhogeswarK. The domain part was automatically attached from my tenant’s primary domain.

Select the Properties tab and set the values for first and last name:

Field	Value
First name	Bhogeswar
Last name	Kalita

Note that you can set the User type to Member. If you pick Guest, it will restrict the users capabilities.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and set the Usage location to United States or to whatever region you are in. Select the Review + create and Create.

Sub-Step 1: Log in to confirm user

Open an InPrivate browsing window and connect to the Microsoft Entra admin center at the link https://entra.microsoft.com
Enter the username and password you just created.

Field	Value
Username	BhogeswarK@ your tenant name .onmicrosoft.com
Password	Auto generated password you saved

Follow the prompt and change the password, then sign in.
If prompted, follow the on-screen instructions to complete MFA setup by using the Microsoft Authenticator on your device.

Feel free to explore the Microsoft Entra admin center for a minute.

Close the InPrivate browsing window.

Step 2: Add a license to the user

Open a new tab in your browser and connect to the Microsoft 365 admin center at https://admin.microsoft.com, then sign in.

Find the menu on the left side of the screen. Open the Billing item in the menu bar, and select Licenses from the list.
When the list of licenses appears, select Microsoft Power Automate Free.
In my case, I selected the available business license in my tenant.

Select the + Assign licenses item. Then choose Bhogeswar Kalita from the list (user created in previous task), select the Assign button at the bottom of the page.

Notice the message that you have successfully assigned a license.

Close the tab with Microsoft 365 admin center.

Step 3: Invite an external user to your tenant

If not already open - Open a browser and connect to the Microsoft Entra admin center at https://entra.microsoft.com, then sign in.
Scroll through the Identity menu and select Users then select All users. At the top of the page select + New User and then choose the option to Invite external user from the dropdown.

Enter the information for your new external user:

Field	Value
Email	ExtUser@testemail.com
Display name	External User
Message	Thank you for joining the company for this short work project. We look forward to building this project together.

Select the Review + Invite button, then select Invite.

Step 4 - Assign a role to a user

If not already open - Open a browser and connect to the Microsoft Entra admin center at https://entra.microsoft.com, then sign in.
On the Identity section, select Users then select All users. Choose the user Bhogeswar Kalita created earlier.

From the newly opened menu, select Assigned roles, then select + Add assignment. From the dropdown menu, choose the role Attribute Definition Reader, select Next, and then select Add.

Note that I could not choose Eligible for Assignment type in my option because my subscription does not have Microsoft Entra ID Premium P1/P2.

Sub-Step 1 - Alternate method to assign a role to a user

In the Identity menu, select Roles & admins, then search for and select Attribute Log Reader from the list of roles.

From the top of the screen select + Add assignment, and from the list of users, choose Bhogeswar Kalita and then select Add.

Note: Because my tenant doesn't have PIM configured/licensed, the wizard skips the PIM-specific steps where you choose Active for Assignment type. In this case, my tenant uses direct role assignment.

Step 5: Bulk import users

From the Identity menu, select Users and then select All users.
From the top of the page, select the Bulk operations drop-down arrow and then select Bulk create.

Note - Selecting Bulk create will open a new tile. This tile provides a Download link to a template file that you will edit to populate with your user information and upload to add the bulk creation of users.

Select Download to see a sample bulk user CSV file, then open it.

Since a CSV sample was provided, you can open this and edit it for the number of users you want to add, and replace the UserPrincipalName with your domain name and save the file.

Note - The .csv template provides you with the fields included with the user profile. This includes the required username, display name, and initial password. You can also complete optional fields, such as Department and Usage location, at this time. You do not need to fill out all the fields.

Select the file folder icon under Bulk create users, then select Submit.

Wait for the notification that the file uploaded successfully.
Note - After the users have been created, you will be prompted that the creation has succeeded.
Check the list of users to see your bulk created users.

Conclusion

Completing this Microsoft Entra ID user management lab helped me understand how basic identity administration tasks are performed in a cloud environment. I practiced creating an internal user, confirming the user account through sign-in, assigning a license, inviting an external guest user, assigning roles, and bulk importing users with a CSV file.

One key lesson from this exercise is that user management is more than just creating accounts. It also involves controlling access, assigning the right permissions, managing licenses, and ensuring users can securely sign in to the organization’s resources.

This lab gave me more confidence using the Microsoft Entra admin center and helped me understand the daily responsibilities of an Identity and Access Administrator. It was a good foundation for learning more advanced identity concepts such as Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, MFA, and role-based access control.

Azure Monitor: Deployment and Configuration

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:02:13 +0000

Introduction

Azure Monitor is a powerful cloud-based monitoring solution that provides full visibility into the performance, health, and activity of applications and infrastructure in Microsoft Azure. As organizations increasingly rely on cloud services, the ability to track system behavior, detect issues early, and respond quickly becomes essential.

This solution collects and analyzes data from various sources, including virtual machines, applications, and network resources, allowing users to gain real-time insights and make informed decisions. Through features such as metrics, logs, and alerts, Azure Monitor helps ensure systems run efficiently, securely, and without interruption.

This environment provides a foundation for implementing Azure Monitor, enabling the collection of performance data, logs, and metrics from different resources. The configured setup allows for effective monitoring, analysis, and management of cloud resources in a controlled and structured manner.

Step 1: Prepare your bring-your-own-subscription (BYOS)
This set of lab exercises assumes that you have global administrator permissions to an Azure subscription.

In the Azure Portal, Search for and select Resource Groups.

On the Resource Groups page, select Create.

On the Create a Resource Group page, select your subscription and enter the name rg-alpha. Set the region to East US, choose Review + Create, and then choose Create.

Step 2: Create App Log Examiners security group

This part enables you to create Entra ID security group.

In the Azure Portal, search for and select Azure Active Directory (or Entra ID).

On the Default Directory page, navigate through manage then select Groups.

On the Groups page, choose New Group.

On the New Group page, enter Value as Property, Security as Group type, App Log Examiners as Group name, App Log Examiners as Group description, and then select Create.

Step 3: Deploy and configure WS-VM1
This part will enable you to deploy and configure a Windows Server virtual machine.

In the Azure Portal, search for and select Virtual Machines from the list of results.

On the Virtual Machines page, choose Create and select Azure Virtual Machine.

On the Basics page of the Create A Virtual Machine wizard, select the following settings and then choose Review + Create and create.

Property	Value
Subscription	Your subscription
Resource Group	rg-alpha
Virtual machine name	WS-VM1
Region	East US
Availability options	No infrastructure redundancy required
Security type	Standard
Image	Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition – x64 Gen2
VM architecture	x64
Size	Standard_D4s_v3 – 4 vcpus, 16 GiB memory
Administrator account	prime
Password	P@ssw0rdP@ssw0rd
Inbound ports	RDP 3389

Wait for the deployment to complete. Once deployment completes choose Go to resource.

On the WS-VM1 properties page, choose Networking, select the RDP rule. Change the Source to My IP address and choose Save.

This restricts incoming RDP connections to the IP address you’re currently using.

On the Networking page, choose + Create port rule, then choose inbound port rule.

On the Add inbound security rule page, configure the following settings and choose Add.

Property	Value
Source	Any
Source port ranges	*
Destination	Any
Service	HTTP
Action	Allow
Priority	310
Name	AllowAnyHTTPInbound

Wait for the rule to create, then on the WS-VM1 page, choose Connect and Download RDP file.

Open the downloaded file. On opening the RDP file opens the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box.
On the Windows Security dialog box, choose More Choices and then choose Use a different account.

Enter the username as .\prime and the secure password you chose in Step 3, and choose OK.

When signed into the Windows Server virtual machine, right-click on the Start hint and then choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).

At the elevated command prompt, type the following command and press Enter.

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Server -IncludeAllSubFeature -IncludeManagementTools

When the installation completes run the following command to change to the web server root directory.

cd c:\inetpub\wwwroot\

Run the following command.

Wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Azure-Samples/html-docs-hello-world/master/index.html -OutFile index.html

Error like the may occur if the command prompt is not typed correctly.

Step 4: Deploy and configure LX-VM2
This will enable you to deploy and configure a Linux virtual machine.

Navigate through that Azure portal to create a new Virtual Machine like you did before.
On the Basics page of the Create A Virtual Machine wizard, configure the following settings and then choose Review + Create.

Property	Value
Subscription	Your subscription
Resource Group	rg-alpha
Virtual machine name	LX-VM2
Region	East US
Image	Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS – x64 Gen2
Size	Standard_B2s
Authentication type	Password
Username	prime
Password	P@ssw0rdP@ssw0rd
Public inbound ports	SSH (22)

After the VM deploys, open the VM properties page and choose Extensions + Applications under Settings and choose + Add.

Select the Network Watcher Agent for Linux. Choose Next and then choose Review and Create. Choose Create.

Step 5: Deploy a web app with an SQL Database
Ensure that you’re signed into the Azure Portal.

In your browser, open a new browser tab and navigate to
https://github.com/Azure/azure-quickstart-templates/tree/master/quickstarts/microsoft.web/web-app-sql-database
On the GitHub page, choose Deploy to Azure. A new tab opens.
If necessary, re-sign into Azure with the account that has Global Administrator privileges.

On the Basics page, select Edit template. In the template editor, delete the contents of lines 158 to 174 inclusive and delete the “,” on line 157. Choose Save.

On the Basics page, provide the following information and choose Next.

Property	Value
Subscription	Your subscription
Resource Group	rg-alpha
Region	East US
Sku Name	F1
Sku Capacity	1
SQL Administrator Login	prime
SQL Administrator Login Password	P@ssw0rdP@ssw0rd

Review the information presented and select Create.

Deployment Failed: “SubscriptionIsOverQuotaForSku”

While deploying my ARM template, I ran into this error:

Validation failed for a resource
Operation cannot be completed without additional quota
Code: SubscriptionIsOverQuotaForSku

At first, this was confusing because I was using a Pay-As-You-Go subscription, so I didn’t expect any limitations.
What the Error Actually Means: Even on a Pay-As-You-Go subscription, Azure enforces regional quota limits.

Important: This is not a template issue, and it does not mean your configuration is wrong.
It simply means: You don’t have enough compute quota in that specific region. And this happened because Azure Quotas are Region-Specific.
So in my case, I changed my region from East US to Europe Central.

After the deployment completes, choose Go to resource group.

Step 6: Deploy a Linux web app
Ensure that you’re signed into the Azure Portal.

In your browser, open a new browser tab and navigate to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/samples/azure/azure-quickstart-templates/webapp-basic-linux/
On the GitHub page, choose Deploy to Azure.

On the Basics page, provide the following information and choose Next.

Property	Value
Subscription	Your subscription
Resource Group	rg-alpha2
Region	Europe (Spain) Central
Web App Name	AzureLinuxApp7482
SKU	S1
Linux Fx Version	php

Review the information and choose Create.

Deployment Failed: Web App Name Already Exists
After resolving the quota issue and proceeding with the deployment, I encountered another error: Website with given name already exists
This happened because Azure App Service (Web App) names must be globally unique across all Azure subscriptions.
This means:

i. The name is not limited to your resource group

ii. The name is not limited to your subscription

iii. It must be unique across all Azure users worldwide

To fix this: I changed the web name to AzureLinuxApp-webapp2.

Conclusion
In this lab, I successfully set up a complete Azure monitoring environment by deploying virtual machines, configuring network access, and provisioning web applications integrated with an SQL database. This provided a practical foundation for understanding how Azure Monitor can be used to observe and manage cloud resources effectively.

Along the way, I encountered real-world deployment challenges such as quota limitations (SubscriptionIsOverQuotaForSku) and global naming conflicts for web apps. These issues highlighted an important reality of working with cloud platforms:

Successful deployments are not just about correct configurations, but also about understanding platform constraints.

By resolving these issues—changing regions to meet quota requirements and using globally unique names—I was able to complete the deployment successfully.

This exercise reinforces key best practices:

Always be aware of region-specific quotas
Ensure resource names (especially web apps) are globally unique
Treat deployment errors as learning opportunities, not blockers

Overall, this setup demonstrates how Azure Monitor can be integrated into a cloud environment to provide visibility, improve reliability, and support proactive system management.

Azure Management Task 6: Cleanup Resources

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:48:36 +0000

After completing the previous exercises, several Azure resources were created, including a virtual machine, virtual network, storage account, and other supporting services. To avoid unnecessary charges and keep the environment organized, it is important to properly clean up resources once they are no longer needed.

In this final task, you will remove resource locks and delete the resource group that contains all the resources created during the project. This demonstrates how Azure administrators safely decommission infrastructure while ensuring no protected resources block the deletion process.

STEPS
1. Remove delete locks

If you attempt to delete a resource that has a delete lock, Azure will prevent the operation and display a warning that the resource cannot be removed. To proceed with deletion, the lock must first be removed.

Login to Microsoft Azure at https://portal.azure.com
From the Azure portal home page, search for and select virtual machines.

Select the virtual machine created earlier. Example:

guided-project-vm

Expand the Settings submenu and select Locks.
Select Delete on the line for the VM-delete-lock and confirm **delete on the pop-up**

Once the delete lock is removed, the virtual machine can now be deleted if needed.

If additional locks were created during the exercise, remove tem before continuing.

2. Delete the project resource group

One of the advantages of using Resource groups in Azure is the ability to delete multiple resources at once. When a resource group is deleted, all the resurces inside it are removed automatically.

From the Azure portal home page, search for and select resource groups.

Select the Resource group create during the project.

Example:

guided-project-rg

Select Delete resource group.
Enter the resource group name to confirm deletion.

Resource group name: guided-project-rg

Select Delete.

The Force delete option ensures that all resources created during the project are removed.

Confirm the deletion when prompted.

3. Delete the NetworkWatcherRG(if necessary)

Azure automatically creates a resource group call NetworkWatcherRG when networking features such as Virtual Networks are used. This resource group contains diagnostic tools used for monitoring network activity.

From the Azure portal home page, search fr and select resource groups.
Select the resource group named:

NetworkWatcherRG

Select Delete resource group.
Enter the resource group name in the confirmation box.

NetworkWatcherRG

Select Delete and confirm the action.

If the NetworkWatcherRG resource group existed before the project began, you may choose to leave it in place.

Conclusion

In this final task, you completed the cleanup process by removing resource locks and deleting the resource group used during the project. This ensured that all deployed resources were safely removed from the Azure environment.

Cleaning up unused resources is an important administrative practice in cloud environments. It helps prevent unnecessary costs, maintains a well-organized infrastructure, and ensures that temporary lab resources do not remain active after they are no longer needed.

By completing this step, you have successfully finished the Azure Management Tasks project, gaining practical experience with resource deployment, configuration, storage management, tagging, resource locks, and environment cleanup in Microsoft Azure.

Azure Management Task 5: Manage Tags and Locks

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:33:25 +0000

Introduction

After configuring the virtual network, virtual machine, and storage resources in the previous exercises, the next step is to improve how these resources are organized and protected. As cloud environments grow, managing resources efficiently becomes increasingly important for administrators.

Azure provides features such as tags and resource locks to help with this. Tags allow resources to be categorized using key-value pairs, making it easier to track things like department ownership or resource purpose. Resource locks help prevent accidental deletion or modification of critical resources, adding an extra layer of protection.

In this exercise, you will add tags to organize resources and apply a resource lock to protect the virtual machine from accidental deletion.

1. Add tags to a virtual machine

Start by adding a pair of tags to the virtual machine. One tag will identify the purpose of the virtual machine and the other will indicate the department the machine supports.

Login to Microsoft Azure at https://portal.azure.com
From the Azure portal home page, search for and select virtual machines created earlier.

Select the guided-project-vm virtual machine and from the menu pane, select Tags.

Enter the following values:

Name: Department
Value: Customer Service

Add another tag:

Name: Purpose
Value: FTP Server

Then select Apply.

2. Add a resource lock to a VM

Expand the Settings submenu and select Locks.
Select + Add.

Configure the lock using the following values:

Name: VM-delete-lock
Lock Type: Delete

You may optionally enter a note describing the reason for the lock.
Then select ok

Now the VM is protected from accidental deletion and also has tags assigned to help track its use.

2. Add tags to network resources

From the Azure portal home page, navigate to the virtual network created earlier. Example:

guided-project-vnet

From the menu pane, select Tags. Ener the following values:

Name: Department
Value: IT

Then select Apply.

Now both the virtual machine and the virtual network are organized using tags, making them easier to identify and manage within the Azure environment.

Conclusion

In this exercise, you improved the organization and protection of Azure resources by using tags and resource locks. Tags help administrators categorize resources based on attributes such as department or purpose, while resource locks prevent accidental deletion or modification of important infrastructure. These features help maintain better structure and control when managing resources in Azure environments.

Azure Management Task 4: Controlling Storage Access

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:24:28 +0000

Introduction

Modern cloud environments rely heavily on secure and scalable storage solutions. Cloud administrators must understand how to store files, manage access permissions, and control how data is shared across services and users.

In Microsoft Azure, storage accounts provide several services such as Blob storage, file shares, and secure access mechanisms that allow administrators to manage data efficiently.

In this exercise, we will work with Azure storage services by creating a storage container, uploading files, configuring access tiers, and creating a file share. We will also generate a **Shared Access Signature (SAS) **token to securely share files and learn how to revoke access by rotating storage account keys.

Steps

1. Create a storage container

Login to Microsoft Azure at https://azure.portal.com
From the Azure portal home page, search for and select storage accounts under services.

Select the storage account created during the Prepare exercise (for example guideprojectsan ).

Ensure the storage account is associated with the resource group, for example:

guided-project-rg

Under Data storage, select Containers.
Select + Add container.
Name the new container:

storage-container

Select Create.

2. Upload a file to the storage container

Open the container you just created.
Select Upload
Click Browse for files, select a file from your computer, and upload it.

After the upload is complete, you will notice that the file is assigned to an Access tier.

3. Change the access tier

Storage tiers help optimise cost depending on how frequently files are accessed.

Select the uploaded file.
Select Change tier.

Select

Cold

Click Save.

4. Create a file share

Azure file shares allow files to be accessed using standard file protocols.

From the Azure portal, search for and select storage accounts.

Select the storage account you created earlier.
Under Data storage, select File share.
Click + File share.

Enter a name:

file-share

On the Backup tab, uncheck Enable backup.
Select Review + create, then Create.

Once the file share is created, select Upload. Upload the same file you uploaded to the blob storage or a different file.

5. Create a shared Access Signature (SAS)

A Shared Access Signature (SAS) allows controlled access to storage resources without exposing accounts credentials.

Navigate to the storage account.
Select Storage browser.
Expand Blob containers and open the container you created earlier.
Click the three dots(...) next to the uploaded file.
Select Generate SAS.

Configure the following settings:

Signing method: Account key
Signing key: key 1
Stored access policy: None
Permissions: Read
Allowed protocols: Https only

Select Generate SAS token and URL.

Copy the Blob SAS URL.

Paste copied URL into a new browser tab. The uploaded file should become accessible. Keep this tab or window open.

6. Rotate access keys

Rotating storage accounts keys helps revoke access granted through SAS tokens.

Navigate through to your Storage accounts.
Select Security + networking, select Access keys.
For Key 1, select Rotate key.
Confirm by selecting Yes.

Once the key rotation is complete, return to the browser tab where youu opened the SAS URL and refresh the page. You should now receive an authentication failed error, confirming that the previously generated SAS token is no longer valid.

Conclusion

In this exercise, we explored how to manage storage resources in Azure. We created a storage container, uploaded files, and configured storage tiers to optimize data access and cost management. We also created an Azure file share to support structured file storage.

Additionally, we generated a Shared Access Signature (SAS) token to securely share storage resources without exposing account credentials. Finally, we rotated the storage account access key to invalidate the SAS token and demonstrate how administrators can revoke access when necessary.

These storage management skills are essential for maintaining secure and scalable data storage in Microsoft Azure environments.

Azure Management Task 3: Managing Virtual Machines

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:17:08 +0000

Introduction

In the previous task, we updated the virtual network by creating a new subnet and configuring a network security group to control inbound traffic. This network segmentation allows workloads to be isolated and managed more securely within Microsoft Azure.

With the network configuration in place, the next step is to manage the virtual machine itself. Cloud administrators often need to adjust virtual machine settings to meet changing workload requirements, optimize performance, or reduce operational costs.

In this task, we will move the existing virtual machine to the newly created subnet, resize the virtual machine to provide additional resources, attach a new data disk for storage, and configure automatic shutdown to control daily operating costs. These tasks simulate common administrative operations performed when managing compute resources in a cloud environment.

Steps

1. Move the virtual machine network to the new subnet

Login to Microsoft Azure at https://portal.azure.com
From the Azure portal home page, search for and select virtual machines.

Select the virual machine created earlier. Example:

guided-project-vm

If the VM is running, select Stop and confirm the prompt.

Wait until the Status field shows:

Stopped (deallocated)

Under the Networking section, select Network settings.
Click the Network interface / IP configuration link.

On the IP Configurations page, update Subnet to:

ftpSubnet

Select Apply.

2. Vertically scale the virtual machine

Scalling a Virtual Machine allows administrator to increase computer resources such as CPU and memory.

From the Azure portal home page, search for and select virtual machines.

Select the virtual machine:

guided-project-vm

Under Availability + scale, select Size.
Choose a larger VM size such as:

D2s_v5

Select Resize. (If this exact size is unavailable in your region, select a similar option.)

3. Attach a data disk to the virtual machine

Additional disks can be attached to increase storage capacity.

Navigate through the Azure portal and select the VM:

guided-project-vm

Under settings, select Disks.

Select + Create and attach a new disk.
Enter the following:


Disk name: ftp-data-disk
Size: 20 Gib

Leave the remaining settings as defaults.
Select Apply to create the and attach the disk.

The VM now has additional strage available to support

4. Configure automatic shutdown

Automatic shutdown helps reduce cloud cost by turning off unused resources.

Navigate to the virtual machine:

guided-project-vm

Under the Operations, select Auto-shutdown.
Set shutdown time to :

7:15:00 PM

Select Save.

This ensures the virtual machine automatically stops at the time each day.

Conclusion

In this exercise, we performed several management operations on the virtual machine. First, we moved the VM to the newly created subnet to ensure it operates within the correct network segment. We then vertically scaled the virtual machine to provide additional compute resources.

To support file uploads, we attached a new data disk to increase storage capacity. Finally, we configured automatic shutdown to help reduce operational costs by ensuring the virtual machine does not run continuously when it is not needed.

In the next task, we will focus on controlling storage access, including managing permissions and securing access to storage containers and file shares.

Azure Management Task 2: Updating the Virtual Network

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:04:15 +0000

Introduction

In the previous task, we prepared the Azure environment by creating the core resources required for this guided project, including a resource group, virtual network, virtual machine, and storage account in Microsoft Azure.

With the environment ready, the next step is to update the network configuration. Proper network segmentation is important when managing cloud infrastructure because it allows administrators to control traffic flow, apply security policies, and isolate workloads.

In this task, we will create a new subnet and configure network security settings that will later support the deployment of an FTP server.

Scenario

You are assisting an Azure administrator with maintaining cloud resources. While you are not responsible for managing the entire infrastructure, the administrator may assign you specific operational tasks.

Currently, there is an existing Linux virtual machine that is underutilized, and a new Linux machine needs to be deployed to function as an FTP server. To properly monitor network flow and resource usage for this server, the administrator has requested the creation of a new subnet within the existing virtual network.

The current subnet must remain unchanged because there are plans to deploy additional virtual machines in it later. Therefore, a separate subnet will be provisioned specifically for the FTP server.

STEPS
1. Create a new subnet on an existing virtual network (vNet)

Login to Microsoft Azure at https://portal.azure.com/auth/login
From the Azure portal home page, search for and select virtual networks.

Select the guided-project-vnet virtual network.

Under Settings, select Subnets and click + Subnet.
Leave Subnet purpose as Default.
Enter a name for the subnet. Example:

ftpSubnet

Keep the remaining settings as default and select Add.

2. Create a network security group

From the Azure portal, search for and select virtual networks.

Select Network security groups, then select + create.

Confirm the subscription.
Select the previously created resource group:

guided-project-rg

Enter a name for the network security group:

ftpNSG

Select Review + create, then create.

Once deployment is complete, select Go to resource.

3. Create an inbound security rule
Within the Network Security Group:

Navigate to Inbound security rules.
Select + Add.
Change the Destination port ranges from 8080 to:

Select Protocol to TCP.
Provide a name, for example:

ftpInbound

Select Add.

3. Associate the Network Security Group with the subnet

From the Azure portal home page, search for and select virtual networks.
Select guided-project-vnet.

Under settings, select Subnets.
Choose the newly created subnet ftpSubnet.
In the Security section, select the Network security group:

ftpNSG

Select save.

Conclusion

In this exercise, we updated the virtual network by creating a new subnet and configuring a network security group to control inbound traffic. Segmenting the network in this way allows administrators to isolate workloads and apply security policies specific to different services.

By associating the network security group with the newly created subnet, we ensured that only approved traffic can reach resources deployed within that network segment.

In the next task, we will focus on managing virtual machines, including modifying configurations and preparing the infrastructure for additional workloads.

Azure Management Task 1: Preparing Resources for Update and Maintenance

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 02:22:37 +0000

Introduction

Cloud environments require regular updates and ongoing maintenance to ensure resources remain secure, organized, and efficient. In this guided project based on exercises from Microsoft Learn, we perform a series of management tasks in Microsoft Azure.

The objective of this project is to simulate real administrative work by creating and managing core Azure resources such as resource groups, virtual networks, virtual machines, and storage accounts. These resources will later be modified and managed throughout the remaining exercises in the series.

In this first task, we prepare the environment by provisioning the foundational resources required for the rest of the lab.

Project Overview

In this guided project, you will perform a series of administrative tasks to manage resources in Microsoft Azure. The exercises simulate common responsibilities of a cloud administrator, such as organizing resources, configuring networking, managing compute instances, and controlling storage access.

Throughout the project, you will:

i. Modify and manage a virtual network

ii. Move a virtual machine between subnets

iii. Configure access to storage containers and file shares

iv. Apply resource tags for better organization

v. Use resource locks to protect important resources

These tasks demonstrate practical resource management techniques that are commonly used when maintaining cloud infrastructure in Azure.

Preparing the Azure Environment

Before performing the management tasks, we first need to create the core resources that will be used throughout the lab.

1. Set up the Environment
If you already have a Microsoft Azure account to use for this lab, skip to Login to Microsoft Azure. If you need to create an Azure account, complete the following steps.

Go to the Azure free account page.
Select Try Azure for free
Complete the sign-up process for an Azure account.

2. Login to Azure

Navigate to the Azure portal https://portal.azure.com/auth/login/
Sign in with your Azure account credentials

3. Create a resource group
A resource group acts as a container that holds related Azure resources.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter resource groups.
Select Resource groups under services.
Select + create.

Enter a name for the Resource group.

Example:

guided-project-rg

Leave the default Region.
Select Review + create and then click create.

Once completed, a notification will confirm that the resource group was created successfully.

4. Create a virtual network
A virtual network (VNet) enables Azure resources to communicate securely with each other.

From the Azure portal home page, search for and select virtual networks.

Select + Create.

Under Instance details, enter a name for the virtual network

Example

guided-project-vnet

Select Review + create then create.

Once deployment is complete, return to the Home page.

5. Create a virtual machine
Next, we deploy a Linex virtual machine.

From the Azure portal, search for and select virtual machines.

Select + Create → Virtual machine

Choose the Resource group created earlier.
Enter a Virtual machine a name.
Example:

guided-project-vm

For Image, select:

Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS - x64 Gen2

If the default size is unavailable in your region, select another available size.

In the Administrator account section:

Authentication type: Password

Example Username:

guided-project-admin

Enter and confirm your password.

Leave the remaining settings as defaults.

Select Review + create and select create.

Azure will display an estimated hourly cost for running the VM.

6. Create a Storage account
Finally, we create a storage acount to manage the storage resources.

From the Azure portal, search for and select storage accounts.

Select + Create.
Entr a Storage account name.
Storage account must be globally unique, so you may need to try multiple variations.
Leave the default settings.
Select Review + create, then create.

Once deployment is complete, return to the portal home page.

Conclusion

In this task, we prepared the Azure environment by creating the foundational resources required for the rest of the guided project. This included setting up a resource group, deploying a virtual network, provisioning a virtual machine, and creating a storage account.

These resources will be used in the following exercises to perform administrative tasks such as updating network configurations, managing virtual machines, controlling storage access, and applying resource governance.

In the next task, we will update the virtual network configuration by creating a new subnet to support additional infrastructure requirements.

Provisioning a Virtual Network and Virtual Machine in Azure with Azure CLI

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 23:30:04 +0000

Introduction

In a previous guide, I demonstrated how to set up a development environment using Visual Studio Code, configure the Azure CLI, and interact with Microsoft Azure from the terminal using Bash and PowerShell. We also created a Resource Group to organize and manage our cloud resources.

With the environment ready, the next step is to begin deploying actual infrastructure in Azure.

In this guide, we will create a Virtual Network and deploy a Virtual Machine using Azure CLI. A Virtual Network provides a secure and isolated environment where Azure resources can communicate with each other, while a Virtual Machine allows us to run operating systems and applications in the cloud.

By the end of this walkthrough, you will understand how to provision networking resources and launch a virtual machine directly from the terminal, continuing the process of building cloud infrastructure using command-line tools.

Before we begin, we can verify that our Azure account is active and correctly configured by running:

az account show

This command displays the currently active subscription and account details.

Now, let's walk through the process step by step.

1. Create a Resource Group

Set a variable for the resource group. This prevents typos throughout the rest of the lab and makes the script easily reusable. Since we are using Bash, we can define variables once and reuse them throughout the commands. This helps prevent typos and makes the script easier to maintain. We can define multiple variables using a line continuation character (). For example, run:

RG="azurecli-11-rg" \
LOCATION="koreacentral"

Create the resource group. Azure requires every resource to live inside a resource group. They make it easy to manage, monitor, and delete everything together at the end of the lab. Run:

az group create --name $RG --location $LOCATION

Kindly check the provisioningState for confirmation.

You can also check if the resource group was created by running:

az group list --output table

*2. Create a Virtual Network
*

Virtual Machines and other infrastructure need a secure, isolated private network to communicate with each other. Kindly notice the provisioningState, location and name to confirm that it was created.

To create this, run:

az network vnet create \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --name lab-vnet \
  --address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16 \
  --location $LOCATION

You can check by running:

az network vnet list

You can also check by navigating to the Azure portal to check. On the Azure portal, you will also notice the resource group we created earlier.

3. Create a subnet
Segmenting networks allows you to apply different routing and firewall rules to different types of resources.

To create the subnet, run:

az network vnet subnet create \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --vnet-name lab-vnet \
  --name lab-subnet \
  --address-prefix 10.0.1.0/24

Check the provisioningState to confirm creation.
You can as well check from the Azure portal to confirm if it was created or not.

You can as well check from the Azure portal to confirm if it was created or not.

4. Create a Network Security Group (NSG).
If a Network Security Group is not configured, Azure blocks all inbound traffic by default while allowing outbound traffic.
Creating an NSG allows us to define specific firewall rules that control which traffic is allowed into the network.

To create NSG, run:

az network nsg create \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --name lab-nsg

You can as well run: az network nsg list to check.

5. Create open port 22 (SSH)
You'll need SSH to log in and configure the server.

To create, run:

az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --nsg-name lab-nsg \
  --name AllowSSH \
  --priority 1000 \
  --destination-port-ranges 22 \
  --access Allow \
  --protocol Tcp \
  --direction Inbound

Check to confirm creation.

6. Create port 80 (HTTP)
Port 80 allows HTTP traffic, which enables users to access web pages hosted on the virtual machine.

To create HTTP, run:

az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --nsg-name lab-nsg \
  --name AllowHTTP \
  --priority 1010 \
  --destination-port-ranges 80 \
  --access Allow \
  --protocol Tcp \
  --direction Inbound

Confirm provisioningState, priority, destination range and other things to be sure it was created successfully.

7. Attach NSG to Subnet
Applying the NSG to the subnet ensures that any VM created in that subnet automatically inherits those exact firewall rules — protecting the entire subnet.

To attach, run:

az network vnet subnet update \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --vnet-name lab-vnet \
  --name lab-subnet \
  --network-security-group lab-nsg

Provision a Linux Virtual Machine

1. Allocate a Public IP
Without a public IP, the VM can only be accessed internally through the VNet or a VPN. You need this to reach your web server from your browser.

To allocate a public IP, run:

az network public-ip create \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --name lab-public-ip \
  --allocation-method Static \
  --sku Basic

Confirm that the public IP address has been allocated successfully. You may also notice a warning message about future changes in Azure's default behavior when no availability zone is specified.

You can as well confirm from your Azure portal or run az network public-ip list to confirm.

2. Create the VM
This is the actual cloud compute instance that will run your web application code without you having to run it on your system.
One common challenge when deploying virtual machines is that certain VM sizes may not be available in all Azure regions.
If the selected size is unavailable, Azure will return a capacity restriction error.

To create a VM, run:

az vm create \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --name lab-vm \
  --image Ubuntu2204 \
  --size Standard_B2ats_v2 \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --vnet-name lab-vnet \
  --subnet lab-subnet \
  --public-ip-address lab-public-ip \
  --nsg lab-nsg

Confirm the status of the VM. Also note the important information written on yellow about the resource storage and the location.
You can as well run:

az vm list

to confirm if the VM was created with the CLI.
Navigate to the Azure portal to confirm too.

3. Retrieve the public IP
The public IP is needed to access the VM and to test the web application.

To retrieve, run:

az network public-ip show \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --name lab-public-ip \
  --query ipAddress \
  --output tsv

4. Verify the VM is running
Always verify provisioning success before attempting connections.

To verify, run:

az vm show \
  --resource-group $RG \
  --name lab-vm \
  --show-details \
  --query '{Name:name, State:powerState, IP:publicIps}' \
  --output table

The VM query staus shows running and it shows the public ip too.

Conclusion

In this guide, we used Azure CLI to provision core infrastructure components in Microsoft Azure. We created a Resource Group, configured a Virtual Network and subnet, defined firewall rules using a Network Security Group, and deployed a Linux Virtual Machine connected to the network.

By performing these steps through the command line instead of the Azure portal, we gain a deeper understanding of how cloud resources are structured and managed programmatically. This approach is especially useful for automation, scripting, and infrastructure-as-code workflows commonly used in cloud engineering and DevOps environments.

With the virtual machine now running and accessible through its public IP address, the next step is to connect to the server and configure services such as a web server. In future guides, we will continue building on this environment by installing and managing applications inside the virtual machine.

Switching from PowerShell to Bash: Setting Up WSL and Running Azure CLI in Visual Studio Code

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:50:06 +0000

If you’ve been using PowerShell but keep seeing tutorials written for Bash, switching environments can feel confusing. In this guide, I show how I installed Windows Subsystem for Linux, opened Bash inside Visual Studio Code, and used Azure CLI to create and manage resources in Microsoft Azure.

Setting up a development environment is often one of the first steps when working with cloud platforms and command-line tools. In a previous guide, I configured my environment using Visual Studio Code and explored how to run commands through the default PowerShell terminal while interacting with Microsoft Azure using Azure CLI.

While working with variables and commands in PowerShell, I ran into several syntax-related errors. One of the most common issues was forgetting that PowerShell requires variables to begin with the $ symbol. These small syntax rules caused unexpected errors and made me realize how much command behavior can differ between shell environments.

This curiosity led me to explore another widely used shell in development and cloud environments: Bash. Many Linux systems and cloud tutorials rely on Bash, so understanding how it works is an important skill for anyone working with servers, DevOps tools, or cloud platforms.

In this guide, I’ll walk through how I switched from the default PowerShell terminal to Bash using Windows Subsystem for Linux inside Visual Studio Code. Along the way, I’ll show how to install WSL, open a Bash terminal, and run Azure CLI commands while highlighting the key differences between PowerShell and Bash.

Discovering Shell Differences

After encountering repeated syntax issues, I became curious about how different shell environments handle variables and commands. This led me to explore another shell commonly used in development environments — Bash.

Many cloud platforms and Linux-based systems commonly use Bash, so I decided to switch my terminal to Bash to explore the differences.

Switching from PowerShell to Bash

Switching between these shells helped me better understand why some commands worked in one environment but produced errors in another.
To use Bash on Windows, I first needed to install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which allows Linux tools and distributions to run directly inside Windows.
STEPS:

1. Installing Windows Subsystem for Linux
To install WSL, open PowerShell as an administrator and run wsl --install.

Understanding the WSL Installation Behavior

When running the wsl --install command for the first time, the installation process may not immediately download Ubuntu. This happens when the required Windows features needed to run Linux environments are not yet enabled on the system.

If Windows Subsystem for Linux and Virtual Machine Platform are disabled, the command will first prepare the system by enabling these features.

During this stage, the command will:

Enable the required Windows components needed to support WSL.
Display a message indicating that the changes will not take effect until the system is restarted.

At this point, Ubuntu has not yet been installed. After restarting the computer, running the wsl --install command again will continue the installation process.

Another way to install WSL
Click the Windows Start icon and:

search for and open Turn Windows features on or off
wait for the popup then, scroll down and tick Windows Subsystem for Linux and Virtual Machine Platform
select ** Ok*, then click **Restart*.

After that, you can open PowerShell and run wsl --install

The system will then:

Download the Ubuntu distribution
Install the Linux environment
Prompt you to create a UNIX username and password to complete the setup.

This will serve as your Linux environment login credentials.
Note that the password may not appear while you are typing. This is normal and is done for security reasons.

2. Opening the Bash Terminal in Visual Studio Code
After installing WSL and completing the Ubuntu setup, we can now open a Bash terminal inside Visual Studio Code.

Visual Studio Code automatically detects installed Linux distributions and allows them to be used as a terminal profile.

STEPS

Open Visual Studio Code
Click Terminal in the top menu
Select New Terminal

Click the dropdown arrow next to the plus icon in the terminal panel

Select Ubuntu (WSL)

The terminal will now switch from PowerShell to Bash.

In the Bash Terminal, you should see something similar to: username@DESKTOP:~$ depending on your system configuration.

If you already created folder earlier, you can run cd "Linux Servers" to switch the terminal to that directory.

To shorten the Bash prompt so it only shows the hostname and the current folder, you can modify the PS1 variable by running PS1='\h:\W$ '

The long prompt appears because Bash displays the full directory path by default. Since the folder was created inside the Windows file system, Bash shows the path beginning with /mnt/c/.
Modifying the PS1 variable allows you to shorten the prompt so it displays only the hostname and the current directory.

## PowerShell vs Bash Variable Syntax

One of the first differences I noticed between PowerShell and Bash was how variables are defined. In PowerShell, variables must begin with the $ symbol while in Bash, variables are defined without the $ symbol.

Creating a Resource Group with Azure CLI

Now that the Azure CLI is installed and authenticated, we can create a Resource Group directly from the terminal.

A Resource Group in Azure is a container that holds related resources for an application such as virtual machines, storage accounts, and databases.
STEPS

Define your variables. You can define variables on separate lines like this:

RG="Testing-10-rg"
LOCATION="eastus"

You can also define them together using the line continuation character :

RG="Testing-10-rg" \
LOCATION="eastus"

This allows you to organize variables across multiple lines when writing longer commands.

Write the command to create the resource group. For example, run az group create --name $RG --location $LOCATION When referencing a variable in a command, you must prefix it with the $ symbol so Bash knows to substitute the variable’s value. Also check the provisioningState to know if the resource group was created or not.

You can also run az group list --output table to see the resource group on Visual Studio Code.

Now navigate to the Azure portal, search for and select Resource group to confirm from there too.

Now you can create different Azure resource depending on your task.

Delete Resource through the Visual Studio Code
Just as you can create resources through Visual Studio Code, you can also delete them from the terminal. For example, to delete the Resource group created, run az group delete --name $RG

Azure will ask for confirmation: Are you sure you want to perform this operation? (y/n)

Enter yes or y to confirm deletion.
Navigate to the Azure portal to confirm.

Conclusion

Switching between shell environments can feel confusing at first, especially when small syntax differences cause commands to behave unexpectedly. Moving from PowerShell to Bash helped me better understand how different shells handle variables, commands, and filesystem navigation.

By installing Windows Subsystem for Linux and using it inside Visual Studio Code, I was able to run a Linux-based Bash environment directly on Windows while still managing resources in Microsoft Azure through Azure CLI.

Although the transition introduced some challenges—such as differences in variable syntax and directory paths—it also made me more comfortable working across multiple terminal environments. These skills are especially useful when working with cloud infrastructure, Linux servers, and automation tools.

Understanding how both PowerShell and Bash work gives developers and cloud engineers more flexibility when working across different systems.


vbnet
If you're also learning Azure or DevOps tools, feel free to share what confused you the most when switching between PowerShell and Bash.

Setting Up Visual Studio Code and Azure CLI on Windows Using PowerShell

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 23:53:23 +0000

Setting up a development environment is one of the first steps when starting any technical project. However, the process can sometimes be confusing, especially when different tools, terminals, and command-line environments are involved.

As I began exploring cloud technologies and command-line tools, I needed to prepare my local environment to interact with Microsoft Azure. This meant installing a code editor, configuring a terminal environment, and setting up Azure CLI so that I could manage cloud resources directly from my computer.

In this article, I will walk through how I installed Visual Studio Code, opened and used the integrated PowerShell terminal, and installed Azure CLI to connect to Microsoft Azure. Along the way, I’ll demonstrate a few basic terminal commands and explain some small syntax details that can sometimes cause confusion when working in PowerShell.

If you're new to cloud tools or command-line environments, this guide will help you set up a simple and functional development environment on Windows.

Below is a clean walkthrough you can follow in your blog after the introduction.

1. Installing Visual Studio Code

To begin setting up the development environment, I installed Visual Studio Code, a popular and lightweight code editor used by developers. From your browser, search for, download and install Visual Studio Code depending on your operating system (I will be working with Windows).

2. Launching Visual Studio Code

Once the installation is complete, click Finish to open Visual Studio Code.
You can also launch it later by:

Clicking the Start Menu, searching for Visual Studio Code and open it. When the editor opens, you will see the main workspace interface.

3. Opening a Project Folder
Before using the terminal, it is good practice to create and open a working folder.
STEPS:

On your welcome screen, search for and select File and from the drop-down menu, select Open Folder.
On your system folder, select New folder at the top left, name it and click Select folder.
This folder will serve as your working directory for commands and files used during the setup.

4. Opening the Integrated Terminal
After creating and opening a working folder, the next step is to access the integrated terminal inside Visual Studio Code. The integrated terminal allows you to run command-line instructions without leaving the editor, making it easier to manage files and execute commands in one place.
Do not forget to close the Welcome message and the chat box page on the screen.
STEPS:

From the top menu bar, click Terminal then New Terminal.
A terminal panel will open at the bottom of the editor.
By default on Windows systems, the terminal opens using Windows PowerShell.
You should see something similar to:

The PS prefix indicates that the terminal is running PowerShell.

5. Install Azure CLI
First, install Azure CLI, which is the command-line tool used to manage resources in Microsoft Azure.

STEPS:

Open your web browser and search for Azure CLI download.
Scroll down and copy the installer package for your operating system, but in my case I'm downloading i for Windows.

Paste the command into the terminal in Visual Studio Code and press Enter to complete the setup.
In my case, already have it installed.
Verify the installation by typing az --version and press enter.

If the installation worked correctly, it will display the installed Azure CLI version.

6. Log in to Azure
Next, authenticate your CLI with Microsoft Azure.

Run: az login and sign in or select the Azure account you want to log into.

Return a JSON output showing your subscription details. NOTE: you need to select your subscription number(type 1 or any other number depending on your subscription and press enter).

In case you noticed, the Terminal shows PS C:\Users\Fadeyi Peter> instead of showing the folder we created earlier. To correct the Directory, Run cd "your folder name" for example: cd "Linux Servers". Then your Terminal shows it.

7. Confirm Your Account

You can verify your active account by running: az account show
This displays the state and the currently active subscription in Azure CLI.

8. Running Basic Commands in PowerShell
After successfully signing in to Microsoft Azure using Azure CLI, it is helpful to run a few basic commands to understand how the terminal works.

Since the integrated terminal in Visual Studio Code opens Windows PowerShell by default on Windows, we can begin by testing a few simple commands.

Display the Current Directory. Run pwd to see the current working directory. This command shows the folder where your terminal is currently operating.

List Files and Folders To display the files and folders in the current directory, run: ls. If the folder is empty, nothing will be displayed. Once files are created, they will appear in the list.

Create a Test File. You can create a simple file using: New-Item test.txt and Run ls again and it should now display the file you just created.

You can display Text in the Terminal. Another simple command like running echo "PowerShell is working".

This prints text to the terminal, confirming that commands are being executed correctly.

9. Defining Variables in PowerShell
While experimenting with commands, I attempted to define variables within the PowerShell environment. However, I quickly ran into several errors because PowerShell requires a specific syntax when declaring variables.

In PowerShell, variables must begin with the $ symbol.

If the $ symbol is omitted, PowerShell does not recognize the variable and returns an error. This small syntax requirement initially caused confusion and led to several failed command attempts.

Creating a Resource Group with Azure CLI

In this section, we will define variables and create a Resource Group using PowerShell with Azure CLI. This allows us to reuse values such as the resource group name and location when running commands.

Later in the series, we will explore how to switch from PowerShell to Bash using Windows Subsystem for Linux and examine how command syntax and variable handling differ between these environments.

STEPS

i. Define your variables.
You can define variables like this:

$RG = "Testing-09-rg"
$LOCATION = "eastus"

Write each variable and press enter, then define the next.

ii. Run az group create --name $RG --location $LOCATION to create a resource group.
When referencing a variable in a command, you must prefix it with the $ symbol so PowerShell substitutes the value stored in the variable. Also check the provisioningState to know if the resource group was created or not.

iii. You can also run az group list --output table to see the resource group on Visual Studio code.

iv. If navigate to the Azure portal, and check your Resource group, you will also see that it's there.

Now you can create different Azure resource depending on your task.

Delete Resource through the Visual Studio code
As you can create a resource through the Visual Studio code, you can as well delete through it. Example, to delete the Resource group created, run az group delete --name $RG

Azure will ask for confirmation: Are you sure you want to perform this operation? (y/n)

Enter yes or y to confirm deletion.
Run az group list --output table, you will see that it will not show the resource group again.

You can also navigate to the azure portal to confirm.

Conclusion

Setting up a development environment is an important first step when working with cloud platforms and command-line tools. In this guide, we walked through the process of installing Visual Studio Code, opening and using the integrated PowerShell terminal, and installing Azure CLI to connect to Microsoft Azure.

Along the way, we explored a few basic PowerShell commands, learned how to navigate directories, create files, and verify our Azure account directly from the terminal. We also discovered how small syntax rules—such as the requirement to use the $ symbol when defining variables in PowerShell—can sometimes lead to errors if overlooked.

Understanding these fundamentals makes it much easier to work with command-line tools and cloud resources. With this environment now set up, we are ready to move on to more advanced tasks such as automating cloud resource creation and exploring other shell environments like Bash.

In the next article, we’ll explore how to switch from PowerShell to Bash using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and examine how variable syntax and command behavior differ between these two environments.