Azure
Microsoft's cloud platform, closely integrated with the .NET ecosystem.
CurrentintermediateGuide only -- no course yet
Overview
Microsoft Azure is a major cloud platform with strong integration into the .NET/C# ecosystem and enterprise Microsoft tooling (Active Directory, Office 365), making it a common default in organizations already invested in Microsoft infrastructure.
- What it is
- A cloud computing platform offering compute, storage, and managed services, tightly integrated with Microsoft's ecosystem.
- Why it's used
- For organizations already using Microsoft enterprise tools, and for .NET-based applications with first-class platform support.
- Where it fits
- An alternative to AWS/Google Cloud, especially in enterprise and .NET-centric environments.
Core concepts
- Azure App Service
- Azure Active Directory
- Resource groups
- Azure Functions (serverless)
Example
The Azure CLI (az) mirrors AWS's CLI-driven workflow -- most cloud platforms converge on similar patterns even with different specific commands.
// az cli: deploy a .NET web app
az webapp up --name my-app --runtime "DOTNETCORE:8.0"Common use cases
- Hosting .NET applications
- Enterprise systems already using Microsoft infrastructure
Project ideas
- Compare Azure App Service's deployment model to AWS EC2/Elastic Beanstalk, noting what's managed for you in each