This guide will help you get started with Microsoft Azure for free. It explains three easy ways: using a
Free Azure Account
Signing up for Azure for Students (no credit card needed),
Microsoft Learn's sandbox for hands-on practice.
Follow the steps, set spending alerts, and explore real Azure tools without any cost.
1: Free Azure Account (For Everyone)
Step 1: Go to the Azure Home Page.
Step 2: Click on Try Azure for free.
Step 3: Sign-in/Sign-up for a Microsoft account using an email address and password.
Step 4: Enter the verification code received on the email address and click next.
Step 5: You’ll be redirected to the Azure Sign-up page. Enter your Name, Phone number, Email address.
Note: You should use the same email address for Azure sign-up and for the Microsoft account.
Step 6: Verify your phone number by clicking Text Me or Call Me and enter the verification code received.
Step 7: Enter the payment details. Use a credit/debit card for identity verification (₹2 is refunded automatically).
Note:Don’t click "Upgrade" after your credits expire. Azure will pause services when your free credit ends no auto charging
Step 8: Check the Terms and Conditions and click Sign-up. You have successfully created a Microsoft Azure free account.
Note: If you exceed the usage or time limit, you will receive the message: Your subscription is disabled and cannot perform operations until it is re-enabled.
You can set Spending Alerts
Step 1: Go to Cost Management + Billing > Cost Management > Budgets
Step 2: Click + Add, set budget amount (e.g., ₹16000), and add your email Step 3: You’ll get alerts when spending crosses the limit
2: Azure for Students (No Credit Card Needed)
If you're a verified student, this is one of the best Azure deals available.
You don’t need a credit card to sign up, and you’ll receive $100 in free Azure credits along with access to essential services like Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and various AI tools all at no cost.
To qualify, you must register using your official school or college email address (such as one ending in .edu or .ac.in).
3: Microsoft Learn with Azure Sandbox (No Subscription Needed)
Microsoft Learn provides interactive, hands-on training for Azure that is completely free and safe for learners.
There is no need for a credit card or subscription to get started.
Each session includes access to a temporary sandbox environment, valid for 2 to 3 hours, allowing you to experiment with real Azure services like Virtual Machines, Storage, Web Apps, and more.
All resources are automatically deleted after the session, ensuring a clean and secure learning experience.
How to Use the Sandbox
To use the Microsoft Learn sandbox, start by visiting a supported learning module, such as Azure Fundamentals.
Step 1: Sign in using your free Microsoft account, then click “Activate Sandbox” to enable the temporary Azure environment.
Step 2: Once activated, you can complete hands-on tasks using either the Cloud Shell or the embedded Azure portal provided within the module.
Note: The Microsoft Learn sandbox comes with a few important rules.
You’ll need a Microsoft account to access it, and portal access is limited strictly to the scope of the training module you’re working on.
While each sandbox session is temporary, you can reactivate it multiple times as needed to continue your hands-on learning.
Azure gives you different ways to learn and use its services for free. You can sign up for a Free Azure Account, use Azure for Students if you're in school, or try the Microsoft Learn sandbox with no credit card or subscription. These options help you explore Azure, practice with real tools, and build your skills safely. It's a great way to get started with cloud computing.
Microsoft Azure is a cloud service that is constantly expanding to help your organization meet business challenges. You can build, and manage to deploy applications using the following Azure management options.
Azure Portal
Azure PowerShell and CLI
Azure Cloud Shell
Azure Mobile app
I have received many messages from users,” Want to learn Azure. But do not have an Azure subscription. Are there any tools? Simulators? etc” in this article, will elaborate and share how you can learn Azure without paying Subscriptions.
You can activate free Azure benefits with the following different options,
Azure Free Subscription
Microsoft Learn Azure Sandbox subscription.
Visual Studio subscription benefits (Formerly MSDN Subscriptions)
Azure free Subscription
The Azure free account includes access to a number of Azure products that are free for 12 months, ₹13, 300 credit to spend for the first 30 days of SignUp and access to more than 25 products that are always free.
You can learn from here more about the Azure free account.
Microsoft Learn Azure Sandbox subscription Microsoft Learn is an online learning platform where you can gain practical knowledge about Azure by completing a bunch of courses and hands-on labs. Unlike the other learning platforms, it provides a free sandbox (dedicated subscription) that you can use to complete the courses
Visual Studio subscription benefits [MCT, MVP, FTE, MPN, NFR] Visual Studio subscribers can use Microsoft Azure at no extra charge. With your monthly Azure DevTest individual credit, Azure is your personal sandbox for dev and test. You can create virtual machines, cloud services, and other Azure resources. Credit amounts vary based on subscription level.
Microsoft no longer offers Visual Studio Professional Annual subscriptions and Visual Studio Enterprise Annual subscriptions in Cloud Subscriptions. There will be no change to existing customers' experience and ability to renew, increase, decrease, or cancel their subscriptions.
If someone in your organization purchases, subscriptions for your organization, contact your Visual Studio subscription administrator and request a subscription that provides the monthly credit that you need.
You can sign in in your visual studio benefits https://my.visualstudio.com/benefits. and see the Azure credit . You can find below the table for Azure credit eligibility.
Visual Studio Enterprise Standard
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Enterprise with GitHub Enterprise
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Enterprise monthly
NA
Visual Studio Professional Standard
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Professional with GitHub Enterprise
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Professional monthly
Not Available
Visual Studio Test Pro
50 monthly credit
MSDN Platforms
100 monthly credit
Visual Studio Enterprise – Not For ReSale[NFR]
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Enterprise – FTE
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Enterprise - Microsoft Partner Network
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Professional - Microsoft Partner Network
NA
Visual Studio Enterprise – Imagine (Standard)
NA
Visual Studio Enterprise – Imagine (Premium)
NA
Visual Studio Enterprise – BizSpark
$150 monthly credit
Visual Studio Enterprise – MCT Software & Services
100 monthly credit
Visual Studio Enterprise – MCT Software & Services Developer
$150 monthly credit
The Microsoft certification is become more trend because of a lot of job openings for whose completed certification, same time most employees searching the internet “Free Azure dumps”,” Free Training “and free certification Voucher, I will share great information for who’s looking to do certification and some company learning team still not may aware this info, still they are asking to submit the bill for refund the certification expenses reimbursement.
Microsoft provides the Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative (ESI) for free. The ESI program includes multiple courses, a Certificate practice exam, free certification voucher for developers, administrators, or engineers, with one-time retakes.
How to know your Company's eligibility for ESI Benefits
Microsoft does not mention in public about criteria for approval. If your employer has a nontrivial Azure subscription with Microsoft and bulks MSDN business with Microsoft, your company may qualify. Most major companies fit into this so you can log on to the ESI website with your company email id. Some companies won’t allow you to log in to your personal computer so log in with your company computer.
SignUp Enterprise Skill Initiative
You can follow the below steps for the Signup Enterprise skill initiative
Step 1: Redirect to https://esi.microsoft.com/, if you have a company laptop use the same because some company not allowed to login into personal computers.
Step 2: Provide your company email id. For example, some company has multiple email id like employeeid@domain.com or employeename@domain.com, so you have tried with your base email id or try one by one.
Step3: Next steps, it will redirect to the Microsoft default login page to provide login details, or if already logged in, automatically redirect to the home page.
Suppose if your company is eligible for enterprise skill, not initiated, you will get the following error message.
Profile Setting
After the login is successful and if you are logging in for the first time, then you will see a profile settings menu where it will ask you which role you are interested to train yourself, your language, and your country.
ESI user benefits
The ESI program's main intention is to share the knowledge and give the support for complete certification with good learning and try to avoid third-party fake promises for dumps and training. Let’s understand the benefits of the below steps
Microsoft Learning
Microsoft Learning Live Training
Microsoft certificate practice training
Microsoft certification practice exam simulation with 247 questions
Microsoft Free Exam Voucher
After login, you will be able to see the below screen.
Free Virtual Live Training
The ESI program provides all the Azure developer, Azure Admin, DevOps, Security, and Office 365 courses, The course is available for beginners to experts. My company has ESI benefits and most of my certification is done through the ESI program.
The courses are delivered over Microsoft Teams and conduct labs on Azure. The tutors are Microsoft's internal trainers. I will give a 5-star rating for all the training, it will be more useful.
Free Exam Practice test
MeasureUp is the leading provider of Microsoft certification practice tests and assessments for professionals. Written by subject matter experts, the practice tests cover all objectives of the exam in-depth, so you'll be ready for anything. In fact, so you'll pass your certification exam after successfully passing its MeasureUp Practice Test, The cost is around 99$.
The Great news, is the above practice exam is also free for you, you can follow the below steps for the free practice test.
Step 3: Select your exam and click on the practice test.
Step 4: The practice test simulation will start with around 245 questions. The question will get shuffled and shown the question at a time of 45. As per my experience, if you cleared the practice test, 100% will pass the main exam as well. The practice exam will show answers and clear explanations as well.
Free Exam Voucher
Microsoft certification cost is around $99 USD. The Microsoft ESI program offers a 100% discount voucher to apply at checkout on the Pearson Vue site for the exam. You can follow the below steps to schedule an exam with a free voucher code.
Step 2: Search and select the exam for which you want to schedule the exam
Step 3: After selecting, you will get the following screen, select your country and click on the Schedule exam button.
Personal Microsoft Account Link to ESI Account
You will be asked to sign in or create a new personal email account. If you have an existing registered personal Microsoft account, use it to sign in. If you do not currently have a personal Microsoft account, create a new account with your personal information and your personal email address or your @gmail.com, @hotmail.com email address. Follow the screen prompts and complete the required fields until you are told that you successfully created your account.
The following screen shows the link to the ESI account if you don’t have the link account tab ignore it for now, if you have already click on the linked account and provide your Company ESI account email ID and provide the login details.
If you have already linked your accounts, you will see the option to claim a 100% by your employee discount, if it's not visible provide the company email id and check the eligibility, after verifying eligibility you will be able to see the like below screen.
You click on the Claim button, then proceed the all the steps for the scheduled date and accept all agreements, then submit the scheduled exam. The payment will display zero, so it won’t ask for any credit card information.
Video Demo
Summary
Hope you all understand the process and it is useful for you. I have explained the same info on all the sessions in Malaysia, Germany, and India, everyone enjoyed and utilized the process, I don’t know which country and the company you are from, please try it yourself, Hope your company is eligible for ESI benefits and you can also utilize, learn and save money 😊
An Azure key vault is a cloud service for securely storing and accessing secrets. A secret is anything that you want to tightly control access to such as API Key and Subscription, Password, Secure content, Connection string, and certification.
The developer no need to write secure content in UI Application, take as an example previously, we storing our database connecting string to in the UI application as a plain text or creating custom encryption algorithm for encrypting and decrypt the connection, now Microsoft provided a fantastic feature for store and retrieve the secure content in Azure key vault and azure will take care for your safety about content.
I am sharing a quick experience that you may also experience same in your working environment, on Prod environment database is more secure and live, but always developer can able to find the prod database connection string from config file and using same connection string developer can able to login database, edit the value, if developer update any value wrongly, that is become a bigger issue and also admin trying to change the password every frequent also application should have to do redeployment. Here, to avoid this issue, the application owners can use the azure Key vault to a prod database.
A good practice is to create a separate vault for each deployment environment of each of your applications, such as development, test, and production.
In this article, we will learn more about how to create an Azure key vault using the Azure portal. Once you have created a key vault, you can enable the “Azure monitor Log” to monitor the key vault.
Create Azure Key Vault
Step 1: Navigate to Azure Portal and create / login to the portal
Step 2: create a new azure key vault as shown below
Step 3: Navigate create new Resource > Search “Key Vault”, you will get the following screen and click on create.
After clicking on the Create new button, you will get the following screen which you can provide info about your key vault
Select Subscription and Resource group.
Provide key vault name, Vault name must only contain alphanumeric characters and dashes and cannot start with a number.
Select the region, which is nearest to your deployment zone.
Pricing tier: Key Vault is designed to store configuration secrets for server apps. It's not intended for storing data belonging to your app's users, This will reflect the cost model. Azure Key Vault service is offered in two service tiers: standard and premium, pricing will refer below table by the West Us region and Indian currency. The best-recommended way, please go and check-inway, please go and check on Microsoft official website for exact current pricing based on your region
You have to fill in the details as shown screen shot below
After clicking on the Review + create a button, the Azure portal will validate the information and will give the confirmation with the review screen
Click on the Creation option and wait for a few min for deployment
Click to go to Resource and be able to find 3 types of Azure Key Vault (KV) stores:
secrets
keys
certificates (certs).
Secrets
Provides secure storage of secrets, such as DB connection strings, account keys, or passwords for PFX (private key files). The secret is a name-value pair of strings. Secret names must be 1-127 characters long, contain only alphanumeric characters and dashes, and must be unique within a vault. A secret value can be any UTF-8 string up to 25 KB in size.
Upload options have two different types 1. Manual 2. Certificate.
Name: Provide a valid secret name. Secret names can only contain alphanumeric characters and dashes.
Value: Provide the single line value, the Azure Portal currently only supports single-line secret values, use Azure PowerShell to set multi-line values.
(Cryptographic) Keys
keys represented as JWK (JSON Web Key). Supports multiple key types and algorithms, and enables the use of Hardware Security Modules (HSM) for high-value keys.
There are 3 options to create the key
Generate - Key type is RSA and EC, Select RSA and EC size and provide activate expiration date
Import – Select your key to upload, Key type is RSA and provide activate expiration date
Restore Backup -Select existing key to upload
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Certificates
Certificates are a managed X.509 certificate, which is built on top of keys and secrets and adds an automated renewal feature/auto-rollover. When a Key Vault certificate is created, an addressable key and secret are also created with the same name. The Key Vault key allows key operations and the Key Vault secret allows retrieval of the certificate value as a secret. A Key Vault certificate also contains public x509 certificate metadata.
If you try to browse on secrets, key, and certificate key identifiers from the azure portal, you will get an unauthorized response because Keyvault is not public internet and is controlled through Active Directory.
What next?
In this article, You created a new different azure key vault using the Azure portal. Will share in the next article about Key Vault integrate with xamarin mobile applications.
Azure App service logging are the output of runtime trace statement in the different app code. logging feature will help you might only want to see a logged message when a particular level of error has occurred, While developing a Web App or an API, this can be very useful in order to debug it.
Azure provides built-in diagnostics to assist with debugging an App service App. In this article, you will learn what are the different types of diagnostics logging and steps to enable in Azure Portal. I have shared in my previous article details information to create a web app using the Azure portal and use the same application for demo.
Types of Azure App service Logging
Azure provides the below-logging feature in the new Azure portal and all the logging features will support the Windows platform and some of the logging will support Linux as well. Logs can be stored and located for accessing information in the portal.
Application Logging (Filesystem and Blob)
Web Server logging (Filesystem and Storage)
Detailed Error Message
Failed request tracing
Step to Enable Application logging
Application logs message generated by the application. There are two options available in application logging as Filesystem and Blob. Contains one or more text files. The format of the log messages depends on the logging provider and access logging in the following directory - /Logfile/Application/
Filesystem
The Filesystem option is for temporary debugging purposes and turns itself off in 12 hours.
Blob
The Blob option is for long-term logging and needs a blob storage container to write logs to.
Error Level
Application error detail fall into the following error level
Error – Included category by Error and Critical
Warning - Included category by Warning, Error, and Critical
Information - Included category by Info, Warning, Error, and Critical
You can follow the below steps to enable application logging for Windows apps in the Azure portal.
Step 1: Navigate to the Azure portal and select your Web app and select App Service logs.
Step 2: Select on either Application logging Filesystem or Blob or both, in this demo I have enabled Application logging as a File system.
Step 3: You can also set the Error level as Error, warning, information, verbose.
Step 4: Select Save Options.
Step to Enable Web Server logging
Web Server Logging also having two different types of storage and File Systems, Raw HTTP request data in the W3C extended log file format. Each log message includes data such as the HTTP method, resource URI, client IP, client port, user agent, response code, and store log file in the /LogFiles/http/RawLogs/. You can follow the below steps to enable webserver logging
Step 1: Navigate to the Azure portal and select your Web app and select App Service logs.
Step 2: Select on either Web server logging Filesystem or Blob, in this demo I have enabled server logging as a File system. Step 3: Provide Quota and Retention Period (Days), set the number of days the logs should be retained. Step 4: Once all the details filled and click on save options
Detailed Error Message
Detail Error Message selects as ON, they will generate an error message as a File system and Copies of the .htm error pages that would have been sent to the client browser. For security reasons, detailed error pages shouldn't be sent to clients in production, but App Service can save the error page each time an application error occurs that has HTTP code 400 or greater and file will store in the directory is http://logfiles/DetailedErrors/
Failed request tracing
The Failed request tracing including a trace of the IIS components used to process the request and the time taken in each component. It's useful if you want to improve site performance or isolate a specific HTTP error. The file format is XML files and an XSL file. You can view the formatted XML files in the browser and a file store directory is /LogFiles/W3SVC#########/
Download Log File
All the different logging has Specify logs stored in the App Service file system, the easiest way is to download the ZIP file in the browser at
Windows apps: https://<app-name>.scm.azurewebsites.net/api/dump
In this article, you have learned detail about the Azure logging feature and how to enable different logging uses the Azure portal, Will share in the next article about implementing logging and send log messages to the application logs. If you have any questions/feedback/ issues, please write them in the comment box.
The Azure App Service is an HTTP-based service for hosting web applications, REST APIs, and mobile back ends. We can create and deploy using different languages like .Net, .Net Core, Java, Ruby, Node.js. PHP, or Python. In the previous article shared steps to create web apps using visual studio, in this article will show the steps create a web app by using Azure Portal.
Select the All resource links at the top of the left-hand navigation.
Select Web > App Service to display the App service creation wizard
Create Web App Wizard
Web Apps lets you quickly build, deploy, and scale enterprise-grade web, mobile, and API apps running on any platform and fill out the following fields in each of the sections on the wizard.
Project Details
Subscription: Select Azure subscription, which you have
Resource Group: Create a new resource group to make it easier to clean up the resources later.
Instance Details
Name: The name you choose must be unique among all Azure web apps. This name will be part of the app's URL like msdevbuildapp.azurewebsites.net.
Publish: Let us Select Code for in this article demo.
Runtime Stack: Select .NET Core 3.1 LTS.
Operating System: Keep Windows selected here, it's the default when you selected .NET Core 3.1 LTS above.
Region: Keep the default selection for now.
App Service Plan
Windows Service Plan: Leave the default selection. By default, the wizard will create a new plan in the same region as the web app.
SKU and size: Select F1. To select the F1 tier, select Change size to open the Spec Picker wizard. On the Dev / Test tab, select F1 from the list, then select Apply.
Select Review and Create to navigate to the review page, then select Create to create the app.
Deployment success message
Wait for 2 to 3 minutes, the portal will display the deployment page, where you can view the status of your deployment.
Deployment Overview
Once the app service is ready, you can select the Go to resource button and the Azure portal will display the web app overview page like below.
To preview your new web app's default content, select its URL at the top right, navigate to your web app service (https://msdevbuild.azurewebsites.net). The placeholder page that loads indicate that your web app is up and running and ready to receive deployment of your app's code.
App Service Editor
Microsoft provided App Service Editor tool is a web-based editor for App Service. On the Development Tools section of the left-hand navigation of your app and click on App Service Editor (Preview).
The Editor is similar to the visual studio online editor with different section solutions preview, code Editor, and Design preview page.
Summary
Navigate or refresh your web app service URL and you will get updated content in the browser. In this article, you have learned about creating Web app using the Azure portal and learned about Azure Online Editor.
If you have any questions/feedback/ issues, please write them in the comment box.
Azure has role-based access control (RBAC) to restrict access to resources and management features, but it can’t be used to quickly prevent the users from accidentally deleting a resource.
One of my friends called and asked How to avoid unknown or accidental deletion of Azure resources by other users, In this article, will share the steps, Azure resource lock implementation, Which Prevents Accidental Deletion of Resources.
Type Azure Lock
Microsoft provided two types of azure resource lock
CannotDelete
Lock prevents users from deleting a storage account, but permits reading and modifying its configuration.
ReadOnly
Lock prevents users from deleting a storage account or modifying its configuration but permits reading the configuration.
User role Administrator and owner can modify the above two azure lock features.
Configure Azure Lock
We will see the following steps for how to configure azure lock using the Azure portal.
Step 1: Navigate to your storage account, or if you have not created it before, I have shared steps in my previous article about how to create an Azure storage account.
Step 2: On Storage account quick setting menu and Select on Lock, the lock list showing empty means, they are is no lock available on existing so click on Add for new lock configuration
Create new Lock
As mentioned above, Resource lock has two types, so select the Lock type as per your need and provide the lock name and description for understanding.
After clicking on Ok, You will get the following list screen with Lock Name, type, and Edit. Edit Options for Edit the name and type, delete option for deleting the lock associated with a storage account.
Resource Lock testing
You can navigate to Storage account and click on Delete
After clicking on the delete option, Immediately Azure intelligent will show the notification saying you can’t delete because of the Resource lock
Summary
You have learned now and How to Avoid Accidental Deletion of Azure Resource on the Azure Portal and available lock options. If you have questions, Keep continuing to post your comment below.
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