Interacting with Azure

Azure portal for interacting with Azure via a Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Azure PowerShell, Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) and Azure SDKs for command line and automation-based interactions with Azure
Azure Cloud Shell for a web-based command-line interface
Azure mobile app for monitoring and managing your resources from your mobile device

Azure portal

📝 Public website you can access with any browser: portal.azure.com
Lets you create, manage, monitor your Azure resources (almost anything you can do on Azure).
Guides you through complex administrative tasks using wizards and tooltips.
Resource panel
- In the left-hand sidebar & lists main resource types.
- The resources listed are part of your favorites.
- Customizable, can also change default view Home through Dashboard > Settings
Azure Marketplace
- Provision services (more than 8.000) from different providers, all certified to run on Azure.
  - e.g. virtual machine images, databases, application build and deployment software, developer tools, threat detection, and blockchain.
Using Azure portal gets repetitive and are candidates for automation with CLI & PowerShell

📝
Can start Cloud Shell using icon (>_)
Directory and subscription
- Open using Book and Filter icon to show the Directory + subscription pane.
- You change your subscription or change to another directory.
Notifications: bell icon to see list the last actions that have been carried out
Settings: Gear icon
- • Set color & contrast themes, • default view when you sign in, • inactivity sign out delay, • toast notifications • language and regional format.
Help pane: Question mark icon to show the Help pane
- Includes: • Help + Support • What’s new • Azure roadmap • Launch guided tour • Keyboard shortcuts • Show diagnostics • Privacy statement
- Help + support
  - Create or track a support ticket
  - Monitor service health e.g. planned maintenances, global issues, health history etc..
  - Can also be done at resource level: Resource blade -> Support + troubleshooting -> New support request
Feedback pane: Smiley icon to send feedback.
Profile settings: Select on your name in the top right-hand corner, a menu opens with a few options:
- Sign in with another account, or sign out entirely
- View your account profile, where you can change your password
- Or to more by clicking on … => • Check your permissions • View your bill (takes you to Cost Management + Billing - Invoices page) • Update your contact information

Free service built into Azure that provides recommendations on high availability, security, performance, operational excellence, and cost
Advisor analyzes your deployed services and looks for ways to improve your environment across those areas.
You can view recommendations in the portal or download them in PDF or CSV format.

High-level details about your Azure environment.
Customize by moving and resizing tiles, and displaying services
- At the top you to create, upload, reset, download (JSON), edit, clone, switch, delete and share a dashboard.
- In Tile Gallery you have different tiles such as Clock, ARM data, Audit Logs, Service Health, AD Connect.
  - Some tiles have editable settings, e.g. for clock you can set the time zone.
- 💡 You can take elements on child panes and put them on your dashboard. Hover the item in ... menu select “Pin to Dashboard”
Multiple dashboards are supported, and you can switch between them as needed.
- E.g. DB admin would have a dashboard that contains views of the SQL database service
- E.g. Azure Active Directory administrator would have views of the users and groups within Azure AD
You can share your dashboards with other team members.
- You can unpublish to unshare.
You can use role-based access control (RBAC) to control who can access that dashboard.
Azure stores dashboards within resource groups as JSON files
- so you can customize them programmatically
- 💡 The easiest starting point is to download the dashboard JSON as previously described and edit that file.
- 💡 You can also distribute the dashboard JSON file to other users.
The default dashboard is named Dashboard.

📝 Module that you can install for Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core (cross-platform, linux/win/macOS)
E.g. create a new virtual machine: New-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "TestVm" -Image "UbuntuLTS"
Scripting environment for automation just like Azure CLI

📝 Cross-platform (linux/win/macOS) command-line program that connects to Azure and executes commands on Azure.
E.g. to create VM first login az login then create a resource group and execute:
- az vm create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name TestVm --image UbuntuLTS --generate-ssh-keys

📝 Browser-based command-line for managing and developing Azure resources.
- Like an interactive console that you run in the cloud.
📝 You can reach on portal (top right >_icon)
- or through visiting shell.azure.com
📝 Two experiences to choose from: Bash, Powershell
- Both include access Azure CLI and to Azure PowerShell (Azure command-line interfaces)
  - Even more: .NET Core, Python, Java, Node.js, Go, vim, nano, emacs, git, maven, make, npm…
It’s persistent: Any data you place is kept across sessions.
- You’re prompted to create an Azure Storage Account when you access the Azure Cloud Shell.
- This storage area is used as your $HOME folder.

For a range of languages and frameworks, and REST APIs
Lets you use to manage and control Azure resources programmatically including automation.

With Azure Preview Features, you can test beta and other pre-release features, products, services, software, and regions.
E.g. • new storage types • new Azure services, such as Machine Learning enhancements • new or enhanced integration with other platforms • new APIs for services
Get notified about GA (general availability) releases
- In portal, you can periodically check “What’s New” link on the help menu (?).
- Or use Azure Updates pages.
Preview portal through preview.portal.azure.com
- Typical portal preview features provide performance, navigation, and accessibility improvements

📝 Preview types:

	Public preview	Private preview
SLA	❌	❌
Support	✅	❌
Available to	All customers	Only specific
Access	Through preview features page, or in in Azure Portal click on New and search for preview	Typically by invite only issued by the product team