DEV Community: Simonpeter Ebuka

Deploy a Virtual Machine Using an ARM Template on azure

Simonpeter Ebuka — Mon, 26 May 2025 19:15:12 +0000

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a game-changer for repeatable, scalable cloud deployments. In this guide, you'll learn how to deploy a Virtual Machine (VM) on Azure using an ARM (Azure Resource Manager) template — a powerful JSON-based tool for automating your infrastructure setup.

What is an ARM Template?
Prerequisites
Step 1: Create the ARM Template
Step 2: Deploy the Template via Azure Portal
Step 3: Deploy the Template via Azure CLI
Verify the Deployment
Conclusion

What is an ARM Template?

An ARM template is a JSON file that defines the infrastructure and configuration for your project. You can use it to declaratively deploy Azure resources such as Virtual Machines, Networks, Storage, and more.
ARM = Azure Resource Manager, which is Azure's deployment and management service.

Prerequisites

•An Azure Account
•Azure CLI or access to the Azure Portal
•Basic understanding of JSON

Step 1: Create the ARM Template

A. On your vs code, click on open folder and create a new folder and select.

B. After selecting, create a file by clicking on the file sign and then name your json file using the json extension.

C. create your content following json file format. save after creating it. It will automatically save on the new folder created.

Step 2: Deploy the Template via Azure Portal

1.Go to the Azure Portal
2.Search for Deploy a custom template
3.Choose Build your own template in the editor
4.Paste your azuredeploy.json content
5.Click Save
6.Fill in required parameters (VM name, admin username, password)
7.Click Review + Create, then Create

Template export:

If you want to recreate the VM next time with the same configuration, on the VM overview,
go to automation and click export template. You can download or copy content.

Arm template upload via azure portal.
Another way to create resources using arm template on the azure portal is the use of the upload option. follow below steps.

search for deploy a custom template and enter
Build your own template in the editor
upload file
Fili up the parameters
Review and create

Resources deployed

Step 3: Deploy the Template via Azure CLI

If you prefer command-line, you can also deploy using the Azure CLI:
First of all you need to install azure CLI. Using this link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/install-azure-cli-windows?view=azure-cli-latest&tabs=azure-cli&pivots=msi
Install the latest version and run below azure CLI

Log in to Azure

az login. This command opens a web browser to authenticate your account. After authentication, on your terminal, select git bash to run below vm create commands.

az vm create --resource-group RG1
--name MyVM --image Ubuntu2204
--admin-username azureuser `
--generate-ssh-keys

If VM is successfully created, you will see below image. If not failed, you will get error an message.

Verify the Deployment
Once deployed:
•Go to Azure Portal → Resource Groups → RG1
•You should see a VM and related resources (depending on your full template setup)
•You can also SSH into the VM (if you configure a public IP and open port 22)

Check out these command lines

**#to start a VM
az vm start --resource-group RG1 --name MyVM

to stop a VM

az vm stop --resource-group RG1 --name MyVM

to delete a VM

az vm delete --resource-group RG1 --name MyVM –yes**

to delete the VM just created, let us run commadn line az vm delete --resource-group RG1 --name MyVM

To delete the resource group run this command az group delete --name RG1 --yes --no-wait.

To confirm deletion was successful, you can run az group show --name RG1. It will show resource group not found. You can also check via the portal.

Use below link to find many azure command lines.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tC5e8LCrlR-2nLL33VF3nzIOXAXQ0K4FMxRNTx_qyaw/edit?tab=t.0

Conclusion

You’ve just learned how to:
•Write a basic ARM template
•Deploy it through Azure Portal and Azure CLI
•Automate VM deployments with Infrastructure as Code
ARM templates give you the flexibility and control to provision complex environments with a single JSON file.

Step by step process of deploying a static website on azure.

Simonpeter Ebuka — Wed, 21 May 2025 16:00:05 +0000

Setting up CI/CD pipelines to automatically deploy your app to Azure App Service not only saves time but also ensures smoother, faster, and more reliable releases. In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
• Deploy a web app to Azure App Service
• Connect it to GitHub for CI/CD
• Enable automatic deployment on commit

Prerequisites
Step 1: Create a Web App Service Plan on Azure
Step 2: Create a Web App Service on Azure
Step 3: Add a PHP File in VS Code
Step 4: Create a Repository on GitHub
Step 5: Push Your Code to GitHub
Step 6: Configure CI/CD from GitHub
Making Future Changes
Conclusion

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:
• An Azure account
• A GitHub account
• Git installed locally
• A simple web app (php.)

Step 1: Create a web App service plan on Azure

Go to the Azure Portal
Search for Web Services Plan
Click + Create
Fill in the required fields: o Resource Group: chose or create a resource group o Name: Your preferred name o Operating system: Linux o Region: Closest to your users o Pricing plan: chose your preferred plan
Click Review + Create and then Create

Step 2: Create a web App service on Azure

Go to the Azure Portal
Search for Web Services
Under create drop down, select web app
Fill in the required fields:
Resource Group: chose or create a resource group
Name: Your preferred name
Runtime Stack: Choose your tech (e.G php)
Region: Closest to your users
Operating system: Linux
Click Review + Create and then Create

Once successfully created, go resource, copy the domain default link and open on a new web page. The web will be running waiting for your content deployment.

Step 3: add a php file on your vs code

Open your vs code
Add a folder
Create a file name (e.g index.php)
Copy the code and paste inside the idex.php file created.
Save.

Step4: Create a Repository on Git hub

Create a new Repo
Fill in the repo
Create

Step 5: Push your code to Github

Git init
git add index.php
git commit -m "first commit"
git branch -M master
git remote add origin https://github.com/Ebukaeze16/ebuka-web-ap.git
git push -u origin main
check your github to confirm if it was successfully pushed

Step 6: Configure CI/CD from GitHub

Go to your Azure App services (ebuka-web-a)
On the left panel, go to deployment center
In the source dropdown menu, select Github
Authorize and choose: a. Organization b. Repository
After authorization, proceed to select your Github information like your account name, repo name and branch and then save

6.Once complete, on the overview page, copy the default domain URL and paste on a web page to view the deployed app running.

On the Github portal, you can see it running on the action tab

8.To make any changes, you can go to vs code, on the php file add your change and do the following;
a. Git add . (this add all the file)
b. Git commit -m “add your comment”
c. Git pull origin master
d. Git push origin master
e. Git push

From the Azure portal and Github portal, you can also see the new update made.

Conclusion

You’ve now:
• Created an Azure Web App
• Connected GitHub to deploy automatically
• Triggered a CI/CD deployment with a simple push
• Did file modification and push again
This setup makes it super easy to keep your live website in sync with your GitHub repository. Automate your deployments and focus on what matters most — building great apps.

Step by step process of deploying a static website on azure.

Simonpeter Ebuka — Thu, 15 May 2025 17:25:58 +0000

📑 Table of Contents

What is Azure Blob Static Website Hosting?
Prerequisites
Step 1: Upload Your Website Files in VS Code
Step 2: Create a Storage Account
Step 3: Enable Static Website Hosting
Step 4: Upload Your Website Files to Azure
Step 5: Test Your Website
Bonus: Set a Custom Domain (Optional)
Conclusion________________________________________ ## What is Azure Blob Static Website Hosting? Azure Blob Storage can serve static content like HTML, CSS, JS, and images directly to your users—no backend required. It’s perfect for portfolios, blogs, single-page apps, or documentation sites. ________________________________________ • ## Prerequisites
An Azure account
A simple static website (HTML/CSS/JS files)
Internet access and the Azure Portal
Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

Step 1: Upload Your Website Files in VS Code

Open a vs code and upload the static website file you want to deploy.
On the vs code, click on new terminal then proceed to click on file.
New folder and select the website file you want to work on and save.
Run without debugging to see what you have locally. and select any browser and run it. you should be able to view it on the browser.

Step 2: Create a Storage Account

Navigate to the Azure Portal
Click Create a resource → Search for Storage account
Click Create
Fill out the form: o Choose Subscription, Resource Group o Enter a globally unique name for your storage account (e.g., mystaticweb123) o Choose a region (e.g., East US) o Leave other settings as default
Click Review + Create → Create ________________________________________

After creation, go to resource. On the overview page, click capabilities, click on the static website to configure it.

Step 3: Enable Static Website Hosting

Once the deployment is complete, go to the Storage Account
On the overview page, click capabilities, click on the static website to configure it.
Set Static website to Enabled
Enter: o Index document name: index.html o Error document path: error.html (optional)
Click Save

You’ll now see a Primary endpoint URL—this is your website URL

On the static website page, you will enable the static website, write the index document name as index.html. the error document path, write error.html. if a user is browsing is browsing your page and the page is not found, it will route the user to this error.html

After saving, it will display the primary end point as seen on the below screenshot.

Copy the URL and paste on a new page. It will show the requested content does not exist and that is because we do not have a web content here yet.

So what we do at this stage is to move that our web code files to azure to render it. Below steps shows how to do it.
Step 4: Upload Your Website Files

In the same storage account, go to Containers
Click on the special container named $web
Click Upload
Upload your index.html, styles.css, and any other static files Make sure files go directly into $web and not a folder inside it.

resources uploaded shown below

Step 5: Test Your Website

Return to the Static website blade
Copy the primary endpoint URL
Paste it into your browser ## Conclusion That’s it! You've hosted a static website on Azure Blob Storage using just the Portal—no code, no command line, just a few clicks.

Conclusion

That’s it! You've hosted a static website on Azure Blob Storage using just the Portal—no code, no command line, just a few clicks.

Creating and Connecting to a Linux Virtual Machine Scale Set (VMSS) on Azure

Simonpeter Ebuka — Sun, 11 May 2025 15:36:24 +0000

Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS) offer a powerful, scalable way to manage multiple identical virtual machines. Whether you're running a containerized app or a high-availability backend, VMSS can simplify scaling and ensure performance.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to deploy a Linux VMSS, configure it step by step, and securely connect to your instances via SSH.

Table of Contents

What is a Virtual Machine Scale Set (VMSS)?

Deploying a Linux VMSS in Azure

Generating SSH Keys

Connecting to VMSS Instances via SSH

Autoscaling and Load Balancing

Spot VMs for Cost Optimization

Wrapping Up

What is a Virtual Machine Scale Set (VMSS)?

A Virtual Machine Scale Set is an Azure resource that allows you to provision and manage a group of identical virtual machines. With VMSS, you can:

Automatically scale based on real-time demand

Maintain high availability across multiple zones

Easily manage software updates across all VMs

It’s ideal for scenarios like hosting web apps, microservices, or distributed compute workloads that benefit from horizontal scaling.

Deploying a Linux VMSS in Azure

Let’s walk through how to create a VMSS using the Azure Portal.

Step 1: Sign in to the Azure Portal

Visit https://portal.azure.com and log in with your Microsoft credentials.

Step 2: Start a New VMSS Deployment
Search for "Virtual Machine Scale Sets" in the top search bar and click Create to begin setup.

Step 3: Basic Configuration
Under the Basics tab:

Subscription: Choose your active subscription.

Resource Group: Create a new one or use an existing group.

Region: Select a region (e.g., East US).

VMSS Name: Name your scale set (e.g., MyLinuxVMSS).

Availability Zones: Optional — pick any zone or none.

Orchestration Mode: Set to Uniform for identical VM behavior.

Security Type: Leave as Standard.

Scaling Options:

Start with Manual.

You can later configure predictive autoscaling to simulate performance.

For Scale-In Policy, choose how instances are removed (e.g., oldest first).

VM Image & Size:

Use Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (or any Linux distro).

Select a size like Standard B1ms for testing.

Instance count: Start with 2 or more.

Authentication:

Use SSH Public Key

Set a username (e.g., azureuser)

You'll paste the public key after generating your SSH pair.

Step 4: Disk Setup
OS Disk: Choose either Standard SSD or Premium SSD.

Data Disks: Optional, based on app needs.

You can leave other options as default.

Step 5: Networking Settings
Virtual Network: Select existing or create new.

Subnet: Use the default or define one.

NIC Settings: Ensure each VM connects properly.

Public IP: Enable to allow external access.

Open Ports: Allow SSH (22) and HTTP (80) as needed.

Load Balancer:

Choose Azure Load Balancer to distribute traffic.

Create a new one (e.g., MyVMSSLoadBalancer)

Set IP Type to Public

Protocol: TCP

Step 6: Review and Create
Check over your configuration, then click Create to begin deployment.

Generating SSH Keys

If you don’t have SSH keys already:

Run this command on your terminal:

bash
Copy
Edit
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048 -f ~/.ssh/myVMSSKey
Copy the contents of ~/.ssh/myVMSSKey.pub and paste it in the SSH Public Key field during VMSS setup.

🔗 Connecting to VMSS Instances via SSH
Step 1: Find Your Public IP
Go to your deployed VMSS → Instances tab → Note the Public IP.

Step 2: Connect via Terminal
Use this command to connect:

bash
Copy
Edit
ssh -i ~/.ssh/myVMSSKey azureuser@
Replace with your instance's actual IP.

You can also connect via the load balancer frontend IP, which rotates traffic across all VM instances.

Autoscaling and Load Balancing

Azure lets you define autoscaling rules based on CPU usage, memory thresholds, or other metrics.

This ensures your app scales up under high load and scales down during off-peak times.

Spot VMs for Cost Optimization

Want to save money?

Consider using Spot VMs, which are up to 90% cheaper than regular VMs — but with the trade-off that Azure may evict them when demand is high.

Key Points:

Cheap: Great for batch jobs and test environments.

Evictable: Azure can terminate them with little notice.

Use Cases: Ideal for workloads that tolerate interruptions.

Wrapping Up

And there you have it — a full walkthrough on setting up a Linux Virtual Machine Scale Set on Azure, from deployment to SSH access and beyond.

VMSS is an excellent tool to ensure your infrastructure is scalable, resilient, and ready for production workloads.

Have any questions or want to share your VMSS setup? Drop a comment below 👇