Azure Subscriptions and Resources

Hi,

This is the first part of the Azure series wherein we will start from the very basic level like from subscriptions to resources.

Shortcuts used:-

• RG:- Resource Group
• VM:- Virtual Machine

Azure Subscriptions and Resources

• Subscription is level at which billing happens
• Companies can create multiple subscriptions. This way resources can be owned and managed by the people who are local to it.
• There is also a limit within azure at subscription level. So, there is a maximum no of VMs, Storage accounts, etc… one can spin inside subscription.
• Therefore, once you start getting big enough, then you need to break it down at multiple subscription levels.
• And, there are ways for those resources to connect to each other.
• Subscriptions can be organized into Management groups. Below diagram is highlighting the same.

Subscription

• Enterprise agreement is one of the most common ways for large companies to be dealing with azure like you can negotiate like I want 100 VMs as part of my contract.
• Individuals can explore like pay as you go. No agreement required.
• You can also buy from a MS partner like if any MS partner is developing custom solution on top of Azure. You can buy with them as well.

Azure Blueprints

• We can create additional subscription based on blueprint. This is called Azure Blueprint.
• We can have a template which has policies, groups and all other things. This will reduce the subscription creation time.

Azure Accounts

• Account which is user id and password, which we use to login inside azure is not the same as subscription.
• When we sign up for a free plan or sign for a “Pay as you go” plan. You are going to get subscription alongwith the account.
• But, then you can go ahead and create additional accounts and give them access to your subscription.

Roles and Permissions

• Not everyone is going to have the same permission. There are like owner, contributor, and many other levels down to reader level.
• We can set permissions at very granular level.

Azure Policy

• Like you don’t want anyone to come and create a VM with 16 or more CPUs.
• We can create this kind of policy and enforce on entire VM creation or entire RG or entire account.

Subscriptions contain resources

• Below diagram explains the same.

• A resource group or RG is like a file structure or file group. Here, resources belong to one and only one RG.

Boundary for permissions and reporting

• Good thing about RG, that it becomes boundary for certain permissions and reporting.
• You can delete the resources, very easily.
• Create RG, which represents projects, groups of ppl etc.

Tagging

• Finally azure uses tagging metaphor as well. Therefore, beyound RGs, you can also set tags on resources like billing, production, staging etc

Summary

• We got management groups which can be nested.
• It contains one or more subscriptions.
• Subscriptions further contain Resource Groups single or multiple.
• RGs then have individual resources.

Thanks,

Rahul Sahay

Happy Coding