Explore Azure Portal & Cloud Shell

I’ve been working with cloud technologies for years, and I can tell you that mastering Azure Portal and Cloud Shell is like having a superpower in today’s tech landscape.

Let me paint you a picture. Imagine having a control center for an entire universe of cloud resources – that’s Azure Portal. Now imagine having a command-line interface that lives right in your browser, ready to execute powerful commands without any setup – that’s Azure Cloud Shell. Together, they form the dynamic duo that every cloud professional needs to master.

Azure Portal: Your Visual Command Center

Think of Azure Portal as your mission control. When you log into portal.azure.com, you’re not just accessing a website – you’re stepping into a comprehensive management interface that puts thousands of Azure services at your fingertips.

Here’s what makes Azure Portal special:

• Unified Experience: Whether you’re managing virtual machines, databases, or AI services, everything lives under one roof
• Customizable Dashboards: Create personalized views that show exactly what matters to your projects
• Resource Management: Deploy, monitor, and manage resources with intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces
• Real-time Monitoring: Watch your applications’ health, performance metrics, and costs in real-time

I remember when I first opened Azure Portal – it felt overwhelming. But here’s the secret: start small. Focus on one service at a time, and gradually expand your comfort zone.

Azure Cloud Shell: Your Browser-Based Terminal

Now, here’s where things get exciting. Azure Cloud Shell is essentially a fully-featured Linux terminal that runs in your browser. No installations, no configurations, no “it works on my machine” problems.

What makes Cloud Shell revolutionary:

• Zero Setup Required: Open your browser, and you’re ready to go
• Pre-installed Tools: Azure CLI, PowerShell, kubectl, Terraform, and dozens of other tools come ready
• Persistent Storage: Your files and configurations stay with you across sessions
• Authentication Built-in: You’re already authenticated with your Azure account

Getting Started: Your First Steps into Azure Portal

Let’s walk through this together, as if you’re sitting right next to me.

Step 1: Navigate Like a Pro

When you first log into Azure Portal, you’ll see the home dashboard. Here’s my recommended exploration path:

1. All Services: This is your service catalog. Bookmark the services you use frequently
2. Resource Groups: Think of these as project folders for organizing related resources
3. Subscriptions: Your billing and access control boundary
4. Cost Management: Because nobody likes surprise bills

Step 2: Create Your First Resource

Let’s create something simple – a storage account. This will give you a feel for how Azure Portal works:

1. Click “Create a resource”
2. Search for “Storage Account”
3. Fill in the required fields (I always recommend starting with meaningful names)
4. Review and create

Watch how Azure Portal guides you through each step with helpful tooltips and validation. It’s like having a patient instructor by your side.

Mastering Azure Cloud Shell

Now for the really fun part. Let me show you why Cloud Shell will become your best friend.

Accessing Cloud Shell

You’ll find the Cloud Shell icon (looks like a terminal prompt) in the top navigation bar of Azure Portal. Click it, and boom – you have a full Linux environment running in your browser tab.

Essential Cloud Shell Commands

Here are the commands I use daily, and I guarantee you will too:

Resource Management:

# List all resource groups
az group list --output table

# Create a new resource group
az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus

# Show resources in a specific group
az resource list --resource-group myResourceGroup --output table

Storage Operations:

# Create a storage account
az storage account create --name mystorageaccount --resource-group myResourceGroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS

# List storage accounts
az storage account list --output table

The avobe first command will create storage account, and the second command will List all Storage Accounts in the subscription.

Properties of the first command:

--name mystorageaccount → Name of the storage account (must be unique across Azure).

--resource-group myResourceGroup → Specifies the resource group.

--location eastus → Region where the storage account will be created.

--sku Standard_LRS → Defines redundancy (Locally Redundant Storage in this case).

Second command will Lists all storage accounts in the current subscription in a table format. After running these, you should see your newly created mystorageaccount listed in the table output.

Advanced Technique: Custom Dashboards in Azure Portal

Here’s something that will make you look like a pro: create custom dashboards for different projects or teams

Step 1: Open Dashboard

Go to Dashboard in the left menu of Azure Portal.

🔹 Step 2: Create New Dashboard

Click New dashboard to start customizing.

🔹 Step 3: Add Key Tiles

Add tiles for resources and metrics you use most.

🔹 Step 4: Save & Share

Save the dashboard and share it with your team for better collaboration.

✨ Pro Impact: This simple trick transforms how teams monitor and manage cloud projects.

Cloud Shell Automation Scripts

If you want to save time and avoid repeating the same steps in Azure, Cloud Shell makes it easy by letting you create simple bash scripts to automate common tasks. For instance, with just a few lines of code, you can build a script that automatically creates a resource group and deploys resources from an ARM template, turning what would normally be a manual process into a quick, repeatable command.

#!/bin/bash
# deployment-script.sh

echo "Starting deployment..."

# Create resource group
az group create --name $1 --location eastus

# Deploy resources from template.json
az deployment group create \
  --resource-group $1 \
  --template-file template.json

echo "Deployment complete!"

Save this script in your Cloud Shell home directory, make it executable with:

chmod +x deployment-script.sh

Then run it anytime by passing a resource group name, like this:

./deployment-script.sh myResourceGroup

This way, you can automate deployments in seconds without manually navigating through the Azure Portal.

Conclusion

Mastering Azure Portal and Cloud Shell isn’t just about learning tools – it’s about transforming how you work with cloud technology. These platforms will become extensions of your thinking, enabling you to move from idea to implementation faster than ever before.

Remember, every expert was once a beginner. Start with curiosity, practice consistently, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Azure’s free tier gives you plenty of room to learn without financial pressure.

The cloud isn’t just the future – it’s the present. And with Azure Portal and Cloud Shell in your toolkit, you’re ready to build amazing things.

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