Introduction

I needed a computer in the cloud, something I could access from anywhere, spin up for testing, and shut down when I'm done. That's exactly what an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) is.
This guide walks you through creating your first VM, connecting to it, and understanding what you just built. No complex terminology, just the steps that worked for me.

Step 1: Create a Resource Group

• In azure portal, search Resource group and hit ENTER!
  

• Click on create button

• Name your resource group
• Choose your preferred region based on location
• Click Review and create

• Then click create

Now that you have a Resource group to place your Virtual machine, let's take one step further to create the Virtual machine resource.

Step 2: Create a Virtual Machine

• Search for Virtual machines in Azure Portal and hit ENTER!

• Click + Create → Azure virtual machine

• Under the Project details tab, Select your resource group

• Under the Instance details tab, name your VM something simple like myFirstVM
• Choose a Region (pick one close to you)
• Being a test, we don't want redundancy so we would choose No infrastructure redundancy required under Availability options
• Select an Image (I chose Windows 11 pro)
• Pick a Size ( I chose a standard D2s type)

• Under the Administrator account tab, Create a username and password (write these down!)
• For Windows: Check Allow selected ports → Select RDP (3389) and HTTP port (80) to connect over the internet
• Check the box for Licensing

• Scroll back to the top and choose the Monitoring tab
• Disable boot diagnostics
• Click Review and create

• Your configurations are now Validated and your Virtual machine is ready to come alive, click create

• Wait 2-3 minutes for deployment, then click Go to resource

Step 3: Connect to Your VM

• In the Resource overview, click Connect (Note that your VM has an associated public IP

• Under the connect tab and using Native RDP connection, click Check access

• Once the connection has been confirmed, click Download RDP file

• Open the downloaded file, Enter your username and password
  Note: If you are using another computer other than Windows, you need to download/Install the Windows app for your RDP file to work.

• After successful connection, you should have a Windows screen just like this!

Understanding what was built

• A complete computer with CPU, RAM, and storage
• It has its own IP address
• It's running 24/7 (until you stop it)

Important: Running VMs cost money per hour. Stop them when not in use!

Congratulations! You just created a computer in the cloud. You can access it from your laptop, your phone, anywhere with internet.
This is the same technology companies use to run their applications, websites, and services.
Remember: stop it when you're done playing around. Your wallet will thank you!

Got stuck on any step? Drop a comment and let me know.