DEV Community: Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi

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.

From PowerShell to Bash: The Folder That Almost Broke Me

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:41:44 +0000

I didn’t expect creating a folder to become the most stressful part of my day.

I’ve been comfortable using PowerShell for a while. It’s familiar, predictable, and most of the time it feels straightforward. But I kept hearing about how important Linux and Bash are, especially if you’re doing development or working with servers.

So I decided to make the switch..... Or at least… start learning.

I installed Ubuntu using WSL and connected it to VS Code. Everything seemed smooth at first. The terminal opened, the prompt appeared, and I felt like I was officially stepping into the Linux world.

Then the confusion started.

The First Shock: The Linux Filesystem

The first thing that caught me off guard was the folder structure.

When I tried to open a folder in VS Code through File → Open Folder at the top left of the editor, instead of seeing something familiar, I saw this list:

bin
boot
dev
etc
home
lib
mnt
opt
proc
root

My immediate reaction was: What is all this?

Coming from PowerShell, I’m used to navigating something that feels closer to Windows. But Linux exposes its entire filesystem structure, and at first it looks intimidating.

I eventually learned that the place I actually needed was inside:

/home

Then inside my username directory:

/home/fadeyi_peter

That’s basically the Linux equivalent of your personal workspace.

The Folder That Caused All the Stress

I wanted to create a folder called:

Linux Servers

Simple, right?

Apparently not.

When I tried creating it from the terminal using:

mkdir Linux Servers

Linux interpreted that as two separate folders: Linux and Servers.

That’s when I started getting errors like:

mkdir: cannot create directory 'Linux': File exists
mkdir: cannot create directory 'Servers': File exists

At this point I started blaming myself.

I remember thinking:

“Why did I leave PowerShell? This never stressed me like this.”

I tried deleting folders, recreating them, navigating around, and things just felt messy.

Eventually I switched to creating the folder directly from the VS Code explorer panel instead of the terminal.

And it worked.

The Next Confusing Moment

After finally creating the folder, I closed VS Code and reopened it.

And guess what happened?

It opened the HOME folder again instead of my new folder.

I thought I had done something wrong again.

But the truth is much simpler: VS Code just opens your home directory by default when working with WSL. Your folder is still there — you just need to navigate back to it.

That realization alone removed a lot of unnecessary stress.

The First Command That Made Sense

One command that quickly became useful was:

pwd

At first I had no idea what it meant.

It turns out pwd stands for:

Print Working Directory

In simple terms, it tells you where you are in the filesystem.

Example:

pwd

Output:

/home/fadeyi_peter/Linux Servers

That command alone made navigating much easier because I could always confirm where I was in the filesystem.

What finally worked was going back to File → Open Folder, selecting home, then my username, and finally the folder I created before clicking OK.

The Lesson I Took From This

Switching environments is never just about learning new commands.

It’s about adjusting how you think.

PowerShell and Bash approach things differently, and the Linux filesystem is much more exposed than what many Windows users are used to.

But the biggest lesson for me today was this:

Frustration is part of the learning process.

At one point I was genuinely stressed over creating a folder.

Now it feels almost funny.

Advice for Anyone Moving From PowerShell to Bash

If you're making the same transition, here are a few things that helped me:

Your personal files live inside /home/your-username.

Avoid spaces in folder names when using the terminal.

Use commands like pwd, ls, and cd to understand where you are.

Don’t panic when you see folders like bin, etc, or lib. They’re just part of the Linux system structure.

Most importantly:

Be patient with yourself.

The first day with Bash might feel confusing, but every small thing you figure out adds up.

Even if that small thing is just learning how to create a folder in Bash.

If you’ve recently switched from PowerShell to Bash, I’d love to hear what confused you the most during your first experience.

Choosing and Configuring Azure Storage for Your Company Application

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:19:46 +0000

Beyond simple storage: Implementing Managed Identities, Encryption, and Immutability.

Setting up storage for a modern app isn't just about creating a folder; it’s about building a secure data lifecycle. In this guide, we’ll move from basic setups to an enterprise-grade configuration using Managed Identities, Azure Key Vault, and Immutable Policies.

The Technical Roadmap: From Architecture to Execution
With the strategy in place, we now move into the implementation phase. Follow the verified blueprint below to deploy a hardened, enterprise-grade storage environment for your application. Note: Pay close attention to the encryption settings—once committed, they become the permanent foundation of your data security.

Phase 1: Create the storage account and managed identity.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

Select ** + Create**.

For resource group, click Create new, give it a name and select OK to save your changes. Then provide a unique Storage account name.

Move to the Encryption tab, check the box for Enable infrastructure encryption. Notice the warning, This option cannot be changed after this storage account is created and leave other default settings. Click Review + create, then create. Wait for Deplotment to complete and click Go to resource.

In the portal, search for and select Managed identities

Select + Create.

Select your resource group from the drop down, give your managed identity a name. Then select Review and create, then Create. Click Go to resource.

Search for and select your storage account.

Click Access Control (IAM) blade and then select ** Add role assignment**.

On the Job functions roles page, search for and select the Storage Blob Data Reader role, then click Next.

On the Members page, select Managed identity. Select + Select members. In the Managed identity drop-down select User-assigned managed identity. Then select the managed identity you created in the previous step. Click Select and then click Review + assign twice to add the role assignment.

Phase 2: Identity & Access Management (IAM)

In the portal, search for and select Resource groups, then select the resource group you created.

Select Access Control (IAM) blade and then click Add role assignment.

On the Job functions roles page, search for and select the Key Vault Administrator role, then selct Next.

On the Members page, select User, group, or service principal, select + Select members, search for and select your user account. Your user account is shown in the top right of the portal. Click Select and then Review + assign twice to add role assignment.

In the portal, search for and select Key vaults.

Select + Create.

Select your resource group, and provide a unique name for the key vault.

Ensure on the Access configuration tab that Azure role-based access control (recommended) is selected. Then select Review + create and create.

Wait for Deployment to complete and click Go to resource.

On the Overview blade, ensure both Soft-delete and Purge protection are Enabled, but if any/both are Disabled, kindly click and change it to Enabled.

In your key vault, in the Objects section, select the Keys blade and click Generate/Import.

Name the key, take the default settings for the rest of the parameters, and click Create.

Phase 3: Configure the storage account to use the customer managed key in the key vault

In the portal, search for and select Resource groups through to your resource group, then click Access Control (IAM) blade and then select Add role assignment

On the Job functions roles page, search for and select the Key Vault Crypto Service Encryption User role.

On the Members page, select Managed identity, then select + Select members. In the Managed identity drop-down select User-assigned managed identity, select your managed identity, click Select and then Review + assign twice to add the role assignment.

Return to your the storage account. In the Security + networking section, select the Encryption blade and then select Customer-managed keys and also select Select a key vault and key.

Select Key vaults and then select your key vault and key, then Select to confirm your choices.

Ensure the Identity type is User-assigned, else select Select an identity. Select your managed identity, click Add and Save your changes to update your storage account.

Phase 4: Configure an time-based retention policy and an encryption scope

Navigate to your storage account. In the Data storage section, select the Containers blade and click + Add container. Give it a name and take the defaults, be sure to Create the container.

Upload a file to the container.

In the Settings section, select the Access policy blade. In the Immutable blob storage section, select + Add policy. And for the Policy type, select time-based retention. Set the Retention period, keep other defaults and be sure to Save your changes.

Try to delete the file in the container. Verify you are notified failed to delete blobs due to policy.

Navigate back to your storage account. In the Security + networking blade and select Encryption.

In the Encryption scopes:

i. select Add

ii. give your encryption scope a name

iii. let the Encryption type be Microsoft-managed key

iv. set Infrastructure encryption to Enable.

v. click Create

Return to your storage account and create a new container. Notice in the Advanced section you can select the Encryption scope you created and apply it to all blobs in the container.

Summary
This guide transforms a standard cloud storage setup into an enterprise-grade, "Zero-Trust" data environment. By moving through these four phases, you have successfully shifted from basic file hosting to a hardened application data lifecycle.

Provide Shared File Storage for Company Offices: A Practical Guide

Peter Olanrewaju Fadeyi — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 22:01:09 +0000

As companies grow across multiple offices, one challenge becomes constant: how do we securely share files between teams in different locations without creating chaos?

If your teams rely on emailing attachments, USB drives, or disconnected local servers, it’s time to modernize your shared file storage strategy.
In this post, we move beyond individual virtual machines to build a Single Source of Truth using Azure Files.

The Architecture: Launching Your Shared Drive
1. *Create a storage account for the finance department’s shared files.
*

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

Select + Create.

For Resource group, select Create new. Give your resource group a name and select OK to save your changes.

Provide a Storage account name. Ensure is it unique.

Set the Performance to Premium, set the _ Premium account type_ to File shares, set the Redundancy to Zone-redundant storage and click Review + create and then create.

Wait for Deplyment to complete then click Go to resource.

2. Create and configure a file share with directory for the corporate office.

Search for Data storage and select File shares in the storage account. Then select + File share

Give a Name, review the other options, stick to default then select Create once the validation is passed.

Select + Add directory, give a name and press OK

Select Browse then finance

Notice you can Add directory to further organize your file share but click Upload, select Browse for file and then press Upload.

3. Configure and test snapshots: Protect against accidental deletion of files

In the Operations section, select the Snapshots blade and select + Add snapshot. The comment is optional so select OK.

Select your snapshot and verify your file directory and uploaded file that are included in it.

Practice using snapshots to restore a file by:

Clicking ob Browse, then select the file icon, then select the context menu, select delete and click Yes.

To restore, navigate through the snapshots, select the file and click restore, then overwrite name, then OK. Then your file will be back where it was deleted.

4. Configure restricting storage access to selected virtual networks.

In the search bar, search for and select Virtual networks.
Select + create

Select your resource group from the drop down.

Give the virtual network a name, take the defaults for other parameters, select Review + create, and then Create.

Wait for the resource to deploy, select Go to resource.

In the settings section, select Subnets and then select the Default subnet.

In the Service endpoints section choose Microsoft.Storage in the Services drop-down, keep other default settings and click Save.

Return to files storage account. Search and select for Networking In the Security + networking section. Then click Manage under Public network access.

Under the Public network access, Enable from selected networks, then under Virtual Networks, select + Add a virtual network and Add existing virtual network. Then select your virtual network and subnet, select Add and be sure to Save your changes.

Then select the Storage browser and navigate to your File shares and select office.

Verify the prompt message "This request is not authorized to perform this operation".

Summary
Providing shared storage isn't just about "saving files"—it's about Unified Collaboration. By moving to Azure Files, you eliminate physical boundaries, allowing your teams to work as one, regardless of where they are sitting.