DEV Community: Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel

Azure Management Tasks #Part 5: Clean up resources

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:22:49 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Remove delete locks.
Step 2: Delete the project resource group.
Step 3: Delete the NetworkWatcherRG (if not in use).
Conclusion

Introduction

Congratulations! You've completed most of the tasks associated with Microsoft Azure management tasks. In this final part of the series, we will remove all the resources created in the previous parts. It’s important to avoid unexpected costs, so ensure you completely remove resources created during this series.

Prerequisite

To successfully complete the tasks in this project, you need to

Login to Microsoft Azure portal.
Complete the previous articles in the series.
Make sure you do not need the resources anymore.

Step 1: Remove delete locks.

> **Important:** Clear delete locks from resources you intend to delete before issuing the delete command.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual machines.
Select virtual machines under services.
Select the management-tasks-vm virtual machine.

If necessary, expand the Settings submenu.
Select Locks.
Select Delete on the line for the VM-delete-lock.
On the pop-up window, select Delete to confirm deletion of the lock.

Once the delete lock is removed, you’ll be able to delete the VM. While this was the only delete lock required by the exercise, if you applied other delete locks during the exercise, remove them now. When you’re done, select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 2: Delete the project resource group

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter Resource groups.
Select resource groups under services.
Select the management-tasks-rg resource group.

Select Delete resource group.
Select Apply force delete…
Enter management-tasks-rg in the confirmation box.
Select Delete.
On the Delete confirmation pop-up, select Delete.

Step 3: Delete the NetworkWatcherRG.

> **Important:** If the NetworkWatcherRG existed prior to starting the guided project, do not delete it as part of the guided project clean up.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter Resource groups.
Select resource groups under services.
Select the NetworkWatcherRG resource group.
Select Delete resource group.
Enter NetworkWatcherRG in the confirmation box.
Select Delete.
On the Delete confirmation pop-up, select Delete.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully completed all the tasks for managing tasks on Microsoft Azure.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open, and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Azure Management Tasks #Part 5: How Improve Governance and Protection

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:03:23 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Add tags to a virtual machine.
Step 2: Add a resource lock to a VM.
Step 3: Add tags to network resources.
Conclusion

Introduction

If you’ve completed the previous parts of this series, you’ve managed to add a subnet to a virtual network, made changes to a virtual machine, and worked with an Azure storage account. This part of the series focuses on working with tags and resource locks to help protect, manage, and monitor your environment. We will add a pair of tags to the VM, where one shows the purpose and the other shows the department.

Prerequisite

To successfully complete the tasks in this project, you need to

Login to Microsoft Azure portal.
Complete the previous articles in the series.
Basic understanding of tags and locks.

Step 1: Add tags to a virtual machine.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual machines.
Select virtual machines under services.
Select the management-tasks-vm virtual machine.

From the menu pane, select Tags.
On one line for Name enter Department and for Value enter Customer Service
On the next line, for Name enter Purpose and for Value enter FTP Server.
Select Apply.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 2: Add a resource lock to a VM.

If necessary, expand the Settings submenu.
Select Locks.
Select + Add.
For the name, enter VM-delete-lock.
For the Lock type, select Delete.
You may enter a note to help remind you why you created the lock.
Select OK.

Step 3: Add tags to network resources.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual networks.
Select virtual networks under services.
Select the management-tasks-vnet network.

From the menu pane, select Tags.

Note: Notice that now you can select an existing tag to apply or add a new tag. You can also select just the name or value and apply create something new in the other field.
For the Name select Department.
For the Value enter IT.
Select Apply.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully improved protection and governance of your resources by adding tags (for grouping and organizing) and locks (for protection against unauthorized access and deletion). Now let's move on to the last part of this series, where we learn how to remove all resources to avoid unexpected cost.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open, and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Azure Management Tasks #Part 4: How Manage the Storage Account

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:50:27 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Create a storage container, upload a file to it, and change the access tier.
Step 2: Create a file share.
Step 3: Create a shared access signature token.
Step 4: Rotate access keys.
Conclusion

Introduction

In this part of the series, we will complete several tasks like creating a container, creating a file share, uploading files, and managing the access using tokens. These tasks are for managing the storage account and its components.

Prerequisite

To successfully complete the tasks in this project, you need to

Login to Microsoft Azure portal.
Complete the previous articles in the series.
Basic understanding of storage accounts.

Step 1: Create a storage container, upload a file to it, and change the access tier.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter storage accounts.
Select storage accounts under services.
Select the storage account you created in the Prepare exercise. The storage account name is the hyperlink to the storage account. Remember, it should be associated with the management-tasks-rg.

On the storage account blade, under the Data storage submenu, select Containers.
Select + Add container.
In the Name field, enter storage-container.
Select Create.

Select the storage container you just created.
Select Upload and upload the file you prepared.
Once the file is ready for upload, select Upload.

Select the file you just uploaded (the file name is a hyperlink).
Select Change tier.

Select Cold.
Select Save.

Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Note: You just changed the access tier for an individual blob or file. To change the default access tier for all blobs within the storage account, you could change it at the storage account level.

Step 2: Create a file share.

Reopen the storage account.
On the storage account blade, under the Data storage submenu, select File shares.
Select + File share.

Note: its ok to select classic file share if that is what pops up for you.

On the Basics tab in the name field, enter file-share.

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

Select Create.

Once the file share is created, select Upload.
Upload the same file you uploaded to the blob storage or a different file; it’s up to you.

Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 3: Create a shared access signature token.

Reopen the storage account you created in the Prepare exercise.
On the storage account blade, select Storage browser.
Expand Blob containers.

Note: Blob container is another name for the storage containers. Items uploaded to a storage container are called blobs.
Select the storage container you created earlier, storage-container.
Select the ellipses (three dots) on the end of the line for the image you uploaded or just right-click on it.
Select Generate SAS.

Note: When you generate a shared access signature, you set the duration. Once the duration is over, the link stops working. The **Start automatically populates with the current date and time.
Set Signing method to Account key.
Set Signing key to Key 1.

Tip: There are two signing keys available. You can choose either one, or create SAS tokens with different durations.
Set Stored access policy to None.
Set Permissions to Read.
Enter a custom start and expiry time or leave the defaults.

Set Allowed protocols to HTTPS only.
Select Generate SAS token and URL.

Copy the Blob SAS URL and paste it in another window or tab of your browser. It should display the image you uploaded. Keep this tab or window open.

> **Tip:** You can configure SAS tokens for files shares and blob containers using the same process.

Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 4: Rotate access keys.

Reopen the storage account.
Expand the Security + networking submenu.
Select Access keys.
For Key 1, select Rotate key.
Read and then acknowledge the warning about regenerating the access key by selecting Yes.

Once you see the success message for rotating the access key, go back to the window or tab you used to check the SAS token and refresh the page. You should receive an authentication failed error.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully carried out tasks to manage the storage account. Now let's move on to the next part where we manage tags and locks.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open, and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Azure Management Tasks #Part 3: How Manage the Virtual Machine

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 08:54:06 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Move the virtual machine network to the new subnet.
Step 2: Vertically scale the virtual machine.
Step 3: Attach data disks to a virtual machine.
Step 4: Configure automatic shutdown on a virtual machine.
Conclusion

Introduction

In this article, we will be managing the virtual machine created in #Part 1. We will change the VM's assigned subnet to the new FTP subnet created while configuring our VNet in the previous part; we will also scale the VM vertically to increase the computing power, add storage, and lastly, add an automatic shutdown to it. It is important to follow the series sequentially.

Prerequisite

To successfully complete the tasks in this project, you need to

Login to Microsoft Azure portal.
Complete the previous articles in the series.
Basic understanding of virtual machines.

Step 1: Move the virtual machine network to the new subnet.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual machines.
Select virtual machines under services.
Select the management-tasks-vm virtual machine.

If the virtual machine is running, select Stop.

Note: In order to make some configuration changes, such as changing the subnet, the VM will need to be restarted.
Wait for the Status field to update and show Stopped (deallocated).

Within the Networking subsection of the menu, select Network settings.
Select the Network interface / IP configuration hyperlink for the VM.

On the IP Configurations page, update the Subnet to ftpSubnet.
Select Apply.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 2: Vertically scale the virtual machine.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual machines.
Select virtual machines under services.
Select the management-tasks-vm virtual machine.
Locate the Availability + scale submenu and select Size.
Select a new VM size D2s_v5 for example.

Note: If you don’t see the same size as shown in this tutorial, select something similar.
Select Resize.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 3: Attach data disks to a virtual machine.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual machines.
Select virtual machines under services.
Select the management-tasks-vm virtual machine.
Locate the settings submenu and select Disks.
Select Create and attach a new disk.
Leave LUN as default.
Enter ftp-data-disk for the Disk name.
Leave the Storage type as default.
Enter 20 for the Size.
Select Apply to create the new storage disk and attach the disk to the machine.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 4: Configure automatic shutdown on a virtual machine.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual machines.
Select virtual machines under services.
Select the management-tasks-vm virtual machine.
Under the Operations submenu, select Auto-shutdown.
In order to let late uploads finish, set the Scheduled shutdown to 7:15:00 PM.
Select Save.

Note: If your save button does'nt appear go back to the overview page and start the VM. Now go back to your auto-shutdown configuration the save button will appear after that.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Conclusion

Good job making it this far; you successfully configured the virtual machine by adding the new FTP subnet created, scaled the VM vertically, added a disk for more storage, and added an automatic shutdown. Let's move on to the next part of the series where we manage the storage account.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open, and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Azure Management Tasks #Part 2: How to configure the virtual network (VNET)

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 19:21:47 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Create a new subnet on an existing virtual network (vNet).
Step 2: Create a network security group.
Step 3: Create an inbound security rule.
Step 4: Associate a network security group to the subnet.
Conclusion

Introduction

In the previous part of this series, we prepared our environment for Azure management tasks by creating a resource group, a virtual network, a virtual machine, and a storage account. If you have not done that, please refer back to #Part 1 of the series before moving on.

In this article we would be creating a new subnet for SFTP (secure file transfer protocol) traffic in the existing virtual network. We would also create a network security group to manage inbound and outbound access.

Prerequisite

To successfully complete the tasks in this project, you need to

Login to Microsoft Azure portal.
Complete the tasks in the previous article.
Basic understanding of virtual networks and subnets.

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

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual networks.
Select virtual networks under services.

Select the management-tasks-vnetvirtual network.

From the management-tasks-vnetblade, under settings, select Subnets.
To add a subnet, select + Subnet.
For Subnet purpose leave it as Default.
For Name enter: ftpSubnet.
Leave the rest of the settings alone and select Add.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 2: Create a network security group.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual networks.
Select virtual networks under services.
Select Network security groups.
Select + Create.

Verify the subscription is correct.
Select the management-tasks-rg resource group.
Enter ftpNSG for the network security group name.
Select Review + create.

Once the validation is complete, select Create.

Wait for the screen to refresh and display Your deployment is complete.
Select Go to resource.

Step 3: Create an inbound security rule.

Under settings, select Inbound security rules.
Select + Add.
Change the Destination port ranges from 8080 to 22.
Select TCP for the protocol.
Set the name to ftpInbound.
Select Add.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 4: Associate a network security group to the subnet.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual networks.
Select virtual networks under services.
Select the management-tasks-vnetvirtual network.
Under settings, select Subnets.
Select the ftpSubnet you created.
On the Edit subnet page, under the Security section heading, update the Network security group field to ftpNSG.
Select Save.

Conclusion

Congratulations! you have successfully completed configuring your virtual network for Azure management tasks by creating a subnet for SFTP traffic and setting up an NSG (network security group) to control the incoming traffic and security. Now let us move to the next part of the series, where we manage our VM (virtual machine).

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open, and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Azure Management Tasks #Part 1: How to Prepare Your Environment

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:17:42 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Create a resource group.
Step 2: Create a virtual network with one subnet.
Step 3: Create a virtual machine.
Step 4: Create a storage account.
Conclusion

Introduction

What are Azure Management Tasks? These are daily administrative and management activities used to deploy, monitor, secure, maintain, optimize, and govern Azure resources. They ensure resources are available, secure, cost-efficient, and compliant all through their lifecycle.

In this article we would prepare our environment for management tasks by deploying Azure compute, networking, and storage resources using the Microsoft Azure portal.

Prerequisites

To easily complete this project you need

Basic understanding of cloud computing.
Basic knowledge on creating virtual machines (VMs), virtual networks (VNETs), and storage accounts.
A Microsoft Azure account and subscription.
Take note of all the resources already available to avoid deletion during cleanup.

Step 1: Create a resource group.

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

Select + Create.

Enter management-tasks-rg in the Resource group name field.
The Region field will automatically populate. Leave the default value.
Select Review + create.

Select Create.

Return to the home page of the Azure portal by selecting Home.

Step 2: Create a virtual network with one subnet.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual networks.
Select virtual networks under services.

Select Create.

Scroll down to the Instance details section and enter management-tasks-vnet for the Virtual network name.
Select Review + create.

Select Create.
Wait for the screen to refresh and show Your deployment is complete.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 3: Create a virtual machine.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter virtual machines.
Select virtual machines under services.

Select Create and then select Virtual machine

Select management-tasks-rg for the Resource group.
Enter management-tasks-vm for the Virtual machine name.

For the Image, select one of the Ubuntu Server options. (For example, Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS - x64 Gen2)

Continue further on the Basics page to the Administrator account section.
Select Password for authentication type.
Enter management-tasks-admin for the admin Username.
Enter a password for the admin account.
Confirm the password for the admin account.
Leave the rest of the settings as default settings. You can review the settings if you like, but shouldn’t change any.
Select Review + create.

Select Create to confirm the resource cost and create the virtual machine.

Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Step 4: Create a Storage account.

From the Azure portal home page, in the search box, enter storage accounts.
Select Storage accounts under services.

Select Create.

Scroll down to the Instance details section and enter a name for the storage account. Storage accounts must be globally unique, so you may have to try a few different times to get a storage account name.
Select Review + create.

Select Create.

Wait for the screen to refresh and show Your deployment is complete.
Select Home to return to the Azure portal home page.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve completed the preparation of the Microsoft Azure environment for management tasks. We successfully deployed the compute (virtual machine), the networking (virtual network), and the storage (storage account) Azure resources. Now we can move to the next part where we learn how to configure the virtual network (VNET).

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open, and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

How to Build a Linux Virtual Machine with Microsoft Azure & Install Nginx on it

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Tue, 19 May 2026 16:23:38 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Create the Linux VM on Azure.
Step 2: Configure the Idle timeout.
Step 3: Access the Linux Virtual machine with a terminal.
Step 4: Install Nginx on a Linux Server.
Step 5: Test Nginx Installation.
Conclusion

Introduction

What is Linux? This is an open-source operating system (OS) for managing hardware and software on computers. It is free, customizable, and highly secured; it was created by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and powers the Android OS.

What is Nginx? It is a free, popular open-source web server software (usually pronounced as "engine-x") used for load balancing, media streaming (audio, video, and images), reverse proxy, and caching.

Prerequisite

To successfully carry out this project, you will need the following:

An Azure account with an active subscription. Login/Sign-up
A terminal on your Mac, Windows, Linux, or even VS Code.

Now that we understand these tools and have all we need, let's get right into deploying them.

Step 1: Create the Linux VM on Azure.

Search for and select Virtual machines in your Azure account.

Click on + Create and select "Virtual machine.

For Resource group select Create new. Give your resource group a name and select OK to save your changes.
Give the virtual machine a name.
Select a Region.
Select the preferable Availability options and Security type; for the sake of this tutorial, we will be picking the lowest of each to save cost.

Select Image as Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS - x64 Gen2 or any other Linux image.
Check the Run with Azure Spot discount box to minimize cost.

Scroll down to the Administrator account section and select Password for the Authentication type.
Give it a Username and Password.

Select HTTP and SSH in the Select Inbound Ports dropdown. This allows IP addresses to connect to the Linux VM.

Click Next until you reach the Monitoring tab, click on Disable under the Boot diagnostics, and then click Review + Create.

Click on the Create button. If the validation passes, the deployment will proceed. If not, note any recommendations, fix them, and try again. Deployment might take 3-5 minutes.

Go to resource.

Step 2: Configure the Idle timeout and confirm access

Now the VM is opened. Navigate to Configuration under Settings.
Locate Idle timeout (minutes) increase to 30 minutes
Apply changes.

Select Connect button in the Overview of the virtual machine blade in the Azure portal.
Confirm access by clicking Check access.

Step 3: Access the Linux VM with a terminal.

Open a terminal and connect to your VM using SSH command format:

ssh <username>@<Public-IP-Address>

Or Copy directly from the Azure portal and paste in terminal. For this tutorial we would be using the Windows command prompt.
Enter yes and then your password (not visible while typing in Linux).

Make sure that you are logged in as root; use the command

sudo su

Update the Linux package list with the command

apt update

Step 4: Install Nginx on a Linux Server.

To install Nginx, just enter the command apt (which is the package manager of Linux), install (this is a verb and the action that you want the package manager to perform), and nginx (this is what you want to install on the VM).

apt install nginx

Step 5: Test Nginx Installation.

Now that you have successfully installed Nginx, test it by putting the IP address of the VM into a browser.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ve successfully created a Linux VM in Azure and installed NGINX. This setup is ready to serve web traffic and can be scaled based on your requirements. You can now begin deploying web applications or customizing NGINX as needed.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open, and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

How to create a Microsoft Azure storage account for securing private data and file backup

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Thu, 14 May 2026 18:13:18 +0000

Introduction
Step 1: Create a storage account for private data.
Step 2: Configure redundancy for the storage account.
Step 3: Create a storage container with restricted access & upload to test it.
Step 4: Configure a shared access signature for partners.
Step 5: Implement lifecycle management to move content to the cool tier.
Step 6: Back up the public website storage.
Conclusion

Introduction

If you are a person or an organization that handles sensitive files in the cloud you need to have data security and a reliable backup solution. Microsoft Azure provides a secure and scalable platform through Azure Storage Accounts, allowing users to safely store private data, manage access permissions, and protect files against accidental loss or system failure.

In this article, we will learn how to create an Azure storage account for private data, configure redundancy, create a restricted storage container, generate a shared access signature (SAS) for partners, implement lifecycle management to move files to the cool tier, and back up public website storage for improved data protection and recovery.

Step 1: Create a storage account for private data.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

Select + Create.

Select the Resource group created in the previous lab.
Set the Storage account name to private. Add an identifier to the name to ensure the name is unique.
Select Review, and then Create the storage account.

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

Step 2: Configure redundancy for the storage account.

In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.
Ensure Geo-redundant storage (GRS) is selected.
Save your changes.
Refresh the page.
Review the primary and secondary location information.

Step 3: Create a storage container with restricted access & upload to test it.

In the storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
Select + Container.
Ensure the Name of the container is private.
Ensure the Public access level is Private (no anonymous access).
As you have time, review the Advanced settings, but take the defaults.
Select Create.

Select the container.

Select Upload.
Browse to files and select a file.
Upload the file.

Select the uploaded file.
On the Overview tab, copy the URL.

Paste the URL into a new browser tab.
Verify the file doesn’t display and you receive an error.

Step 4: Configure a shared access signature for partners.

Select your uploaded blob file and move to the Generate SAS tab.
In the Permissions drop-down, ensure the partner has only Read permissions.

Verify the Start and expiry date/time is for the next 24 hours.
Select Generate SAS token and URL.
Copy the Blob SAS URL to a new browser tab.

Verify you can access the file. If you have uploaded an image file it will display in the browser. Other file types will be downloaded.

Step 5: Implement lifecycle management to move content to the cool tier.

Return to the storage account.
In the Overview section, notice the Default access tier is set to Hot.

In the Data management section, select the Lifecycle management blade.
Select Add rule.

Set the Rule name to movetocool.
Set the Rule scope to Apply rule to all blobs in the storage account.
Select Next.

Ensure Last modified is selected.
Set More than (days ago) to 30.
In the Then drop-down, select Move to cool storage.
As you have time, review other lifecycle options in the drop-down.
Add the rule.

Step 6: Back up the public website storage.

In your storage account, create a new container called backup. Use the default values. Refer back to my article on "Deploying Blob Storage for a Public website on Azure" for detailed instructions.

Navigate to your publicwebsite storage account. This storage account was created in the previous article on storage.
In the Data management section, select the Object replication blade.
Select Create replication rules.

Set the Destination storage account to the private storage account.
Set the Source container to public and the Destination container to backup.
Create the replication rule.

Optionally, as you have time, upload a file to the public container. Return to the private storage account and refresh the backup container. Within a few minutes your public website file will appear in the backup folder.

Conclusion

To summarize, Azure Storage Accounts are a secure and reliable way to protect private data and manage file backups in the cloud. You can improve data security, accessibility, and efficiency for long-term storage on Microsoft Azure by setting up redundancy, restricting access, utilizing shared access signatures, applying lifecycle management, and backing up website storage.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Build a Windows 11 Virtual Machine on Azure with me

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Sun, 10 May 2026 11:20:16 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Create a resource group
Step 2: Create the virtual machine
Step 3: Configure the idle timeout
Step 4: How to Associate & Dissociate Public IP addresses
Step 5: Access the Windows 11 VM using RDP
Conclusion

Introduction

What is a VM (virtual machine)? This is a software emulation of a computer that runs in isolation on its own operating system on a physical host computer. In simple words, it is a computer inside a computer, a virtual computer inside a physical one, typically with its own OS (operating system) (e.g., Linux, Windows, MacOS).

In this tutorial, I will guide you in developing a fully functional Windows 11 VM using Azure and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and also show you how to associate and disassociate public IP addresses. By the end of the tutorial, we would have created a cost-efficient Windows 11 VM to carry out tasks.

Prerequisite

To successfully carry out this project, you will need the following:

An Azure account with an active subscription. Login/Sign-up
RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) to launch the VM on your computer. If you use a Mac, you can try downloading the Windows app or the AnyDesk app in the App Store.

Now let's get right into the steps.

Step 1: Create a resource group

In the portal, search for and select Resource groups.

Select + Create.

Give your resource group a name.
Select a region.
Select Review and create to validate the resource group.

Select Create to deploy the resource group.

Step 2: Create the virtual machine

Search for and select Virtual machines.

Click on + Create and select "Virtual machine.

Select the resource group created earlier.
Give the VM a name.
For Availability options select No infrastructure redundancy required.
Select Windows 11 Pro for the Image.

Check the Run with Azure Spot discount box.
Navigate through to see all sizes and select a size.

Set a Username and a Password.
Under inbound port check HTTP (80) and notice RDP is already checked.

Confirm licencing
Click on Review and create If the validation passes, the deployment will proceed. If not, note any recommendations and fix them.

Go to resource

Step 3: Configure the Idle timeout

Open the VM
Navigate to Configuration under Settings.
Locate Idle timeout (minutes) increase to 30 minutes
Apply changes.

Step 4: How to Associate & Dissociate Public IP addresses

Search for and select Public IP addresses.

Notice there is already an IP address set up for the VM and select it

To dissociate it, simply click on Dissociate and select Yes to confirm.

To associate, select Associate
For the Resource type select Network interface then select the VM
Click Ok to apply changes.

Access the Windows 11 VM using RDP

Navigate back to the VM
Click on the Connect button in the Overview of the virtual machine blade in the Azure portal.
Confirm access by clicking Check access.
Download RDP file.

Open the RDP file and click connect.

Put in the Password set up earlier, then click Ok.

Click on Yes to connect.

Boot it up just like a new computer.

Conclusion

In this article, we learned how to create a resource group, create and deploy a virtual machine, and associate and dissociate IP addresses. With these skills, you can successfully deploy a fully functional Windows 11 VM (virtual machine) for carrying out tasks, personal use, or even exploring more advanced features.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Deploying Blob Storage for a Public website on Azure

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Sat, 02 May 2026 00:29:25 +0000

Table of Content

What is Blob Storage?
Create a storage account with high availability.
Create a blob storage container with anonymous read access
Practice uploading files and testing access.
Configure soft delete
Configure blob versioning
Conclusion

What is Blob Storage?

Blob Storage is a cloud storage solution used for storing large amount of unstructured data including text documents, emails, social media posts, multimedia (audio/video/images) Learn more.

Create a storage account with high availability.

Step 1: Create a storage account to support the public website.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

Select + Create.

For resource group select new. Give your resource group a name and select OK.
Set the Storage account name to publicwebsite. Make sure the storage account name is unique by adding an identifier.
Take the defaults for other settings.
Select Review and then Create.

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

Step 2: Enable read access to the secondary region for high availability.

In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.
Ensure Read-access Geo-redundant storage is selected.
Review the primary and secondary location information.

Step 3: Information on the public website should be accessible without requiring customers to login.

In the storage account, in the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
Ensure the Allow blob anonymous access setting is Enabled.
Be sure to Save your changes.

Create a blob storage container with anonymous read access

Step 1: The public website has various images and documents. Create a blob storage container for the content.

In your storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
Select + Container.
Ensure the Name of the container is public.
Select Create.

Step 2: Customers should be able to view the images without being authenticated. Configure anonymous read access for the public container blobs.

Select your public container.
On the Overview blade, select Change access level.

Ensure the Public access level is Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only).
Select OK.

Practice uploading files and testing access.

Step 1: For testing, upload a file to the `public` container. The type of file doesn’t matter. A small image or text file is a good choice.

Ensure you are viewing your container.
Select Upload.
Browse to files and select a file. Browse to a file of your choice.
Select Upload.
Close the upload window, Refresh the page and ensure your file was uploaded.

Step 2: Determine the URL for your uploaded file. Open a browser and test the URL.

Select your uploaded file.
On the Overview tab, copy the URL.

Paste the URL into a new browser tab.
If you have uploaded an image file it will display in the browser. Other file types should be downloaded.

Configure soft delete

Step 1: It’s important that the website documents can be restored if they’re deleted. Configure blob soft delete for 21 days.

Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
On the Properties page, locate the Blob service section.
Select the Blob soft delete setting.

Ensure the Enable soft delete for blobs is checked.
Change the Keep deleted blobs for (in days) setting to 21.
Notice you can also Enable soft delete for containers.
Don’t forget to Save your changes.

Step 2: If something gets deleted, you need to practice using soft delete to restore the files.

Navigate to your container where you uploaded a file.
Select the file you uploaded and then select Delete.
Select OK to confirm deleting the file.

On the container Overview page, toggle the slider Show deleted blobs. This toggle is to the right of the search box.
Select your deleted file, and use the ellipses on the far right, to Undelete the file.
Refresh the container and confirm the file has been restored.

Configure blob versioning

Step 1: It’s important to keep track of the different website product document versions.

Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
In the Properties section, locate the Blob service section.
Select the Versioning setting.

Ensure the Enable versioning for blobs checkbox is checked.
Notice your options to keep all versions or delete versions after.
Don’t forget to Save your changes.

Step 2: As you have time, experiment with restoring previous blob versions.

Upload another version of your container file. This overwrites your existing file.

Your previous file version is listed on the Show deleted blobs page.

Conclusion

In conclusion, deploying Blob Storage for a public website on Microsoft Azure provides a cost-effective, scalable, and reliable solution for hosting static web content. Throughout this deployment process, we explored how to create a storage account with high availability, create a blob storage container with anonymous read access, practice uploading files and testing access, and configure soft delete and blob versioning. As cloud technologies evolve, Azure Blob Storage remains a powerful platform for building and maintaining fast, secure, and scalable public websites.

Thank you for reading my blog. 😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comment or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DMs are open and love discussions on cloud topics as always! 😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Create and Configure Azure Storage Account

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:45:55 +0000

Table of Content

What is a Storage Account?
Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Storage Account
Configure the Storage Account
Conclusion

What is a Storage Account?

A Storage Account is a secure, scalable cloud container with a name globally unique used for storing data objects (Blobs, Files, Queues, and Tables) in the cloud.

Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Storage Account

Now that we understand the meaning of Storage account, let’s assume you work in an IT department and your organization requires you to provide a storage account with simple configurations that can be changed easily for the training and testing of new employees.

Step 1: First thing you do is to create and deploy a Resource group

Select + Create.

Give your resource group a name. For example, Jasperrg01.
Select a region. Use this region throughout the project.
Select Review and create to validate the resource group.

Select Create to deploy the resource group.

Step 2: Next you Create and deploy a storage account

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

Select + Create.

On the Basics tab, select your Resource group.
Provide a Storage account name.
Remember the storage account name must be unique in Azure.
Set the Performance to Standard.
Select Review, and then Create.

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

Configure the Storage Account

Step 1: The storage accounts does not require high availability so you set to the lowest cost

In your storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.
Select Locally-redundant storage (LRS) in the Redundancy drop-down.
Be sure to Save your changes.
Refresh the page and notice the content only exists in the primary location.

Step 2: Make sure the storage account only accepts requests from secured connections

In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
Ensure Secure transfer required is Enabled.

Step 3: Developers would like the storage account to use at least TLS version 1.2.

In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
Ensure the Minimal TLS version is set to Version 1.2.

Step 4: Until the storage is needed again, disable requests to the storage account.

In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
Ensure Allow storage account key access is Disabled.
Be sure to Save your changes.

Step 5: Ensure the storage account allows public access from all networks.

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

Ensure Public network access is set to Enabled from all networks.
Be sure to Save your changes.

Conclusion

We have successfully created a storage account for training and testing. In summary Azure storage account is a container that holds all your Azure Storage data objects, including blobs, files, queues, and tables. It offers several types of storage accounts, Standard and Premium. Each type supports different features and has its own pricing model. Azure Storage always stores multiple copies of your data to protect it from planned and unplanned events. Redundancy models can replicate data in the primary and secondary regions.

Thank you for reading my blog.😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comment or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DM's are open and love discussions on cloud topics as always!😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

Build and Manage Cloud Infrastructure with Terraform and AWS CLI

Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 17:14:15 +0000

Introduction
Prerequisites
Step 1: Configure the AWS CLI
Step 2: Create a Terraform Configuration File
Step 3: Initialize Terraform
Step 4: Plan, Format, and Validate Configuration
Step 5: Create the Infrastructure (EC2 instance)
Step 6: Inspect and Verify the EC2 Instance
Step 7: Delete the EC2 Instance (After Use)
Conclusion

Introduction

It is important to have efficient cloud infrastructure management because it enhances the scalability, reliability, and also reduces the cost. Terraform and AWS CLI are great tools that allow you to automate and simplify the cloud resource provisioning process.

In this guide, we will guide you on how to set up an Amazon EC2 instance using Terraform and AWS CLI, how to define, deploy, and manage infrastructure as code. When you go through this tutorial, you will be able to set up an EC2 instance that is fully functional and be able to scale and automate the deployment process for future projects.

Prerequisites

Before setting up an EC2 instance with Terraform and AWS CLI, ensure you have the following:

An AWS Account (sign-in or sign-up).
AWS CLI Installed (Official documentation). Confirm installation by running the command below in your terminal:

aws --version

Terraform Downloaded and Installed (Terraform’s official site). Confirm installation by running the command below in your terminal:

terraform --version

A Code Editor and Terminal (VS Code, Vim, or any code editor with a terminal). We would be using VS Code in this tutorial.

After setting all these up, we can start managing and automating your AWS EC2 instance or any other infrastructure! 🚀

Step 1: Configure the AWS CLI

In your AWS account, click your Username at the top-right.
Select Security Credencials.
Click the Create access key button.

Check the box and click the Create access key button, and then your keys will be created.

Open your VS code terminal and enter the command below:

aws configure

Now enter your access key ID and secret key.

Step 2: Create a Terraform Configuration File

Create a working directory with the command:

mkdir terraform-ec2

Change directory into it with the command:

cd terraform-ec2

Create a Terraform file to define the infrastructure (main.tf):

touch main.tf

Open main.tf and paste in the configuration below, and save the file.

terraform {
  required_providers {
    aws = {
      source  = "hashicorp/aws"
      version = "~> 4.16"
    }
  }

  required_version = ">= 1.2.0"
}

provider "aws" {
  region  = "us-west-2"
}

resource "aws_instance" "app_server" {
  ami           = "ami-830c94e3"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"

  tags = {
    Name = "ExampleAppServerInstance"
  }
}

Step 3: Initialize Terraform

After the configuration has been created run the command below to initialize the directory:

terraform init

This downloads and installs the AWS plugins in the configuration

Step 4: Plan, Format, and Validate Configuration

Preview the configuration plan with the command below:

terraform plan

Format to automatically update the configurations in the terraform-ec2 directory for readability and consistency with the command:

terraform fmt

Verify syntax and internal consistency of the configurations with the command:

terraform validate

Step 5: Create the Infrastructure (EC2 instance)

Apply the configuration to create the EC2 instance with the command:

terraform apply

Enter yes to confirm action.

Step 6: Inspect and Verify the EC2 Instance

Inspect the current state of the Instance using the command:

terraform show

To verify the instance navigate to the AWS Management Console in EC2 Dashboard. Make sure you're in the right region us-west-2.

Step 7: Delete the EC2 Instance (After Use)

For best practice, you can destroy the instance and resources with the command:

terraform destroy

Enter yes to confirm action.

Conclusion

After following all of these steps, you would have deployed an AWS EC2 instance with the use of Terraform and AWS CLI successfully.
NOTE: You can also SSH into the instance as long as you have a key pair associated with ssh -i my-key.pem ec2-user@<instance-public-ip>.

Thank you for reading my blog.😊😊

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out in the comment or hit me up on Twitter. You can also follow me on GitHub. My DM's are open and love discussions on cloud topics!😁

Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel Oluwaloseyi

DEV Community: Oluwaloseyi Oluwatofunmi Emmanuel

Azure Management Tasks #Part 5: Clean up resources

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisite

Step 1: Remove delete locks.

Step 2: Delete the project resource group

Step 3: Delete the NetworkWatcherRG.

Conclusion

Azure Management Tasks #Part 5: How Improve Governance and Protection

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisite

Step 1: Add tags to a virtual machine.

Step 2: Add a resource lock to a VM.

Step 3: Add tags to network resources.

Conclusion

Azure Management Tasks #Part 4: How Manage the Storage Account

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisite

Step 1: Create a storage container, upload a file to it, and change the access tier.

Step 2: Create a file share.

Step 3: Create a shared access signature token.

Step 4: Rotate access keys.

Conclusion

Azure Management Tasks #Part 3: How Manage the Virtual Machine

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisite

Step 1: Move the virtual machine network to the new subnet.

Step 2: Vertically scale the virtual machine.

Step 3: Attach data disks to a virtual machine.

Step 4: Configure automatic shutdown on a virtual machine.

Conclusion

Azure Management Tasks #Part 2: How to configure the virtual network (VNET)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisite

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

Step 2: Create a network security group.

Step 3: Create an inbound security rule.

Step 4: Associate a network security group to the subnet.

Conclusion

Azure Management Tasks #Part 1: How to Prepare Your Environment

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a resource group.

Step 2: Create a virtual network with one subnet.

Step 3: Create a virtual machine.

Step 4: Create a Storage account.

Conclusion

How to Build a Linux Virtual Machine with Microsoft Azure & Install Nginx on it

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisite

Step 1: Create the Linux VM on Azure.

Step 2: Configure the Idle timeout and confirm access

Step 3: Access the Linux VM with a terminal.

Step 4: Install Nginx on a Linux Server.

Step 5: Test Nginx Installation.

Conclusion

How to create a Microsoft Azure storage account for securing private data and file backup

Table of Contents

Introduction

Step 1: Create a storage account for private data.

Step 2: Configure redundancy for the storage account.

Step 3: Create a storage container with restricted access & upload to test it.

Step 4: Configure a shared access signature for partners.

Step 5: Implement lifecycle management to move content to the cool tier.

Step 6: Back up the public website storage.

Conclusion

Build a Windows 11 Virtual Machine on Azure with me

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prerequisite

Step 1: Create a resource group

Step 2: Create the virtual machine

Step 3: Configure the Idle timeout

Step 1: For testing, upload a file to the `public` container. The type of file doesn’t matter. A small image or text file is a good choice.