Azure Services & Products
The largest exam domain. You need to know what each service does and when to pick it over alternatives.
Compute
| Service |
Type |
Pick it when… |
| Virtual Machines |
IaaS |
Need full OS control, custom software |
| App Service |
PaaS |
Web app / API, don't want to manage OS |
| Azure Functions |
Serverless |
Event-triggered code, pay per execution |
| Container Instances (ACI) |
Serverless containers |
Run a container fast, no orchestration |
| Kubernetes Service (AKS) |
Managed K8s |
Many containers, auto-scaling, microservices |
| Virtual Machine Scale Sets |
IaaS |
Many identical VMs with auto-scale |
| Azure Batch |
HPC |
High-volume parallel processing jobs |
{: .tip }
Exam: VM = you manage OS. App Service = Microsoft manages OS. Functions = pay only when code runs.
Storage
Blob Storage File Shares Queue Storage
───────────── ───────────── ─────────────
Large objects Network shares Async messages
Images, video Like SMB/NFS Between services
Unstructured Structured file Max 64KB/msg
Access tiers: Mount from: Use with:
Hot → frequent Windows, Linux Functions, Apps
Cool → monthly macOS Workers, Logic Apps
Archive → rarely
Blob Access Tiers
| Tier |
Storage Cost |
Retrieval |
Use |
| Hot |
Highest |
Instant |
Accessed daily |
| Cool |
Medium |
Instant |
Accessed monthly |
| Archive |
Lowest |
1–15 hours |
Accessed yearly |
{: .tip }
Exam: Moving from Hot → Archive is instant. Retrieving from Archive takes up to 15 hours (rehydration).
Databases
| Service |
Type |
Use |
| Azure SQL Database |
Relational (SQL Server) |
Structured data, ACID compliance |
| Azure Database for PostgreSQL |
Relational (open source) |
PostgreSQL workloads |
| Azure Database for MySQL |
Relational (open source) |
MySQL workloads |
| Cosmos DB |
NoSQL, multi-model |
Global distribution, flexible schema |
| Azure Cache for Redis |
In-memory |
Session state, caching, real-time |
{: .tip }
Exam: Cosmos DB = globally distributed, low latency, NoSQL. SQL Database = structured, relational, ACID.
Networking
| Service |
Purpose |
| Virtual Network (VNet) |
Isolated private network in Azure |
| Load Balancer |
Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) traffic distribution |
| Application Gateway |
Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS), URL routing, WAF |
| Azure Front Door |
Global load balancing + CDN + WAF |
| VPN Gateway |
Site-to-site VPN over internet |
| ExpressRoute |
Private dedicated connection (not internet) |
| Content Delivery Network (CDN) |
Cache content at edge locations globally |
| DNS |
Host your domain in Azure |
{: .tip }
Exam: Load Balancer = Layer 4 (ports). Application Gateway = Layer 7 (URLs). ExpressRoute = private, not internet.
AI & Machine Learning
| Service |
What it does |
| Azure AI Services (Cognitive Services) |
Pre-built AI APIs — vision, speech, language, decision |
| Azure Machine Learning |
Build, train, deploy custom ML models |
| Azure Bot Service |
Build and host chatbots |
| Azure OpenAI Service |
GPT models via API |
Management & Monitoring
| Service |
Purpose |
| Azure Monitor |
Centralised metrics, logs, alerts |
| Azure Advisor |
Personalised cost, security, reliability tips |
| Azure Policy |
Enforce rules across resources |
| Cost Management |
View and optimise spending |
| Resource Manager (ARM) |
Deploy and manage resources via templates |
| Azure Arc |
Manage non-Azure resources from Azure |
Resource Organisation
Management Groups (top level — policy across subscriptions)
└── Subscriptions (billing boundary, access control)
└── Resource Groups (logical container, same lifecycle)
└── Resources (VM, DB, storage account…)
| Level |
Purpose |
| Management Group |
Apply policy across multiple subscriptions |
| Subscription |
Billing unit, quota limits, access scope |
| Resource Group |
Group resources with same lifecycle — delete RG = delete all |
| Resource |
Individual service (VM, VNet, SQL Database) |
{: .note }
Resources inherit tags and policies from their parent scope.
Regions & Availability Zones
Region (e.g. Australia East)
├── Zone 1 (separate data centre, power, cooling)
├── Zone 2
└── Zone 3
| Concept |
Meaning |
| Region |
Geographic area with one or more data centres |
| Region Pair |
Two regions paired for disaster recovery (e.g. East AU / SE AU) |
| Availability Zone |
Physically separate data centre within a region |
| Sovereign Cloud |
Isolated cloud — Azure Government, Azure China |
{: .tip }
Exam: Zones protect against data centre failure. Region pairs protect against regional failure.
| Tool |
When to use |
| Azure Portal |
Web GUI — day-to-day management |
| Azure CLI |
Cross-platform scripting (az commands) |
| Azure PowerShell |
Windows scripting (Az module) |
| Cloud Shell |
Browser-based terminal (CLI or PowerShell) |
| ARM Templates |
Infrastructure as code (JSON) |
| Bicep |
Cleaner ARM template language |
| Terraform |
Third-party IaC (multi-cloud) |
Exam Checklist
- [ ] Name 3 compute services and when to use each
- [ ] Explain blob tiers (hot/cool/archive) and the cost tradeoff
- [ ] Distinguish Load Balancer from Application Gateway
- [ ] Explain VPN Gateway vs ExpressRoute
- [ ] Know the resource hierarchy (Management Group → Resource)
- [ ] Explain Availability Zones vs Region Pairs