Azure Quick Reference Cheat Sheet
Keep this open during study & exams.
Service Selection Matrix
| Need | Service | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Run custom app | VM | IaaS |
| Web app | App Service | PaaS |
| Serverless | Functions | Serverless |
| Containers | ACI / AKS | Container |
| SQL database | SQL Database | PaaS |
| NoSQL | Cosmos DB | NoSQL |
| Data warehouse | Synapse | Analytics |
| Large files | Blob Storage | Storage |
| File shares | File Shares | Storage |
| Cache | Redis Cache | Cache |
| Load balancing | Load Balancer | Networking |
| Advanced routing | App Gateway | Networking |
Key Numbers to Remember
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Free tier duration | 12 months |
| Free tier credit | $200 (first month) |
| SLA: 99.9% | ~8 hours/year downtime |
| SLA: 99.95% | ~22 minutes/month downtime |
| SLA: 99.99% | ~52 minutes/year downtime |
| Blob hot tier cost | Most expensive |
| Blob archive cost | Cheapest |
| VM deallocated | No compute cost |
| Reserved instance (1-year) | 30% discount |
| Reserved instance (3-year) | 72% discount |
| Spot VM | Up to 90% discount |
| Data egress | \(\) (expensive) |
| Data ingress | FREE |
Permissions (RBAC)
Quick Assignment
Resource/RG → Access Control (IAM) → Add Role Assignment
→ Select role → Select user → Save
Role Hierarchy
Owner (full) > Contributor (create/modify) > Reader (view only)
Custom Role When Built-in Won’t Work
NSG Rules (Firewall)
Typical Setup:
Inbound:
- Port 80/443 from internet (web servers)
- Port 3389 from admin IP only (RDP)
- Port 22 from admin IP only (SSH)
Outbound:
- Allow all (default)
Check Order: Priority 100-4096 (lower = first)
VM Sizing Quick Guide
| Size | CPUs | Memory | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2s | 2 | 4 GB | Dev/test |
| D2s | 2 | 8 GB | General purpose |
| D4s | 4 | 16 GB | Production web |
| E4s | 4 | 32 GB | Databases |
Storage Tiers (Blob)
- Hot → Frequent access (expensive/month, free retrieval)
- Cool → Monthly access (~30 day retrieval)
- Archive → Yearly access (cheapest, ~15 hour retrieval)
Database Selection
| When | Service |
|---|---|
| Structured data, ACID | SQL Database |
| Open source (PostgreSQL) | Azure Database for PostgreSQL |
| Global, NoSQL | Cosmos DB |
| In-memory caching | Redis Cache |
| Data warehouse | Synapse Analytics |
Networking Terms
| Term | Means |
|---|---|
| VNet | Virtual network (isolated) |
| Subnet | Divide VNet into segments |
| NSG | Firewall rules |
| Public IP | Internet-facing address |
| Private IP | Internal address (10.x, 172.x, 192.x) |
| Peering | Connect VNets directly |
| VPN | Connect on-prem to cloud |
| ExpressRoute | Dedicated private link |
Authentication Types
Strong → Weak:
- Passwordless (FIDO2, Windows Hello)
- Password + MFA (authenticator app)
- Password + SMS MFA
- Password + Email MFA
- Password only (NOT recommended)
Backup Strategy
Daily backup → 7-day retention
Weekly backup → 30-day retention
Monthly backup → 365-day retention (+ archive)
Disaster Recovery Goals
| RTO | RPO | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | Days | $ (cheap) |
| Minutes | Hours | $$ (moderate) |
| Seconds | Minutes | $$$ (expensive) |
Compliance Checklist
- Data residency (where is data stored?)
- Encryption (at rest + in transit)
- Audit logs (who accessed what?)
- Backup/retention (how long kept?)
- Access control (least privilege)
- Monitoring (alerts on suspicious activity)
Cost Optimization Quick Wins
- Stop non-prod at night
- Delete unused resources
- Use reserved instances (1-3 year commitment)
- Right-size VMs (don’t over-provision)
- Clean up snapshots (add up fast)
- Archive old blobs (move to Archive tier)
- Use CDN (reduces egress)
- Monitor spending (Cost Management tool)
Monitoring Essentials
Metrics (real-time):
- CPU %
- Memory %
- Disk I/O
- Network I/O
Logs (detailed):
- Application logs
- System events
- Audit trail
Alert When:
- CPU > 80%
- Memory > 85%
- Disk space < 10%
- Failed logins (X times)
Exam Day Tips
- Read carefully — Don’t rush
- Manage time — ~1.5 mins per question
- Flag uncertain — Come back if time
- Use references — Portal allowed
- No phone — Not allowed
- Take deep breath — You’ve got this
Print this page for your study desk!