AZURE PORTAL: Azure Cloud Infrastructure Setup

 

Azure Portal Complete Step-by-Step Guide

This guide provides the visual Azure Portal version of creating the entire infrastructure with detailed screenshots and explanations.

Prerequisites

• Azure account (free tier available)

• Basic understanding of Azure services

---

Step 1: Login to Azure Portal

1. Navigate to Azure Portal

   • Go to https://portal.azure.com

   • Sign in with your Microsoft account

2. Verify Subscription

   • Click on your account name in top-right corner

   • Ensure you have an active subscription

   • Note: Free trial gives $200 credit for 30 days

---

Step 2: Create Resource Group

1. Search for Resource Groups

   • In the search bar at top, type "Resource groups"

   • Click on "Resource groups" service

2. Create New Resource Group

   • Click "+ Create" button

   • Fill in the details:

   Project Details:

   • Subscription: Your subscription

   • Resource group: PythonAppRG

   Instance Details:

   • Region: (US) East US

3. Review and Create

   • Click "Review + create"

   • After validation passes, click "Create"

   • Wait for deployment completion (usually 1-2 minutes)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/media/create-resource-group/create-resource-group.png

---

Step 3: Create Linux Virtual Machine

3.1 Create VM Instance

1. Search for Virtual Machines

   • Type "Virtual machines" in search bar

   • Click "+ Create" → "Azure virtual machine"

3.2 Project Details

• Subscription: Your subscription

• Resource group: PythonAppRG (select existing)

• Virtual machine name: PythonVM

• Region: East US

• Availability options: No infrastructure redundancy required

• Image: Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS - x64 Gen2

• Size: Standard_B1s (1 vcpu, 1 GiB memory) - Change size if needed

3.3 Administrator Account

• Authentication type: SSH public key

• Username: azureuser

• SSH public key source: Generate new key pair

• Key pair name: pythonvm-key

3.4 Inbound Port Rules

• Select inbound ports: SSH (22), HTTP (80), Custom (5000)

3.5 Configuration Complete

• Click "Review + create"

• After validation, click "Create"

• Important: Download the generated private key when prompted

• Wait 3-5 minutes for deployment

---

Step 4: Configure VM Network Security

1. Navigate to VM Networking

   • Go to your VM "PythonVM"

   • Click "Networking" in left sidebar

   • Click "Add inbound port rule"

2. Add Flask App Port

   • Source: Any

   • Source port ranges: *

   • Destination: Any

   • Service: Custom

   • Destination port ranges: 5000

   • Protocol: TCP

   • Action: Allow

   • Priority: 1000

   • Name: AllowFlaskApp

3. Verify All Ports
   Ensure these ports are open:

   • SSH: 22

   • HTTP: 80

   • Custom: 5000

---

Step 5: Get VM Public IP Address

1. Locate Public IP

   • Go to your VM "PythonVM" overview

   • Find "Public IP address" field

   • Copy this IP address - you'll need it for SSH

2. Test Connectivity

   • The IP should look like: 20.121.123.45

   • Save this for later use

---

Step 6: Create Storage Account

6.1 Create Storage Account

1. Search for Storage Accounts

   • Type "Storage accounts" in search bar

   • Click "+ Create"

6.2 Project Details

• Subscription: Your subscription

• Resource group: PythonAppRG (select existing)

• Storage account name: pythonstorageunique123 (must be globally unique)

• Region: East US

• Performance: Standard

• Redundancy: Locally-redundant storage (LRS)

6.3 Advanced Settings

• Leave all advanced settings as default

• Click "Review + create"

• After validation, click "Create"

• Wait 1-2 minutes for deployment

6.4 Create Blob Container

1. Navigate to Storage Account

   • Go to your new storage account

   • Click "Containers" in left sidebar (under "Data storage")

   • Click "+ Container"

2. Container Configuration

   • Name: fileuploads

   • Public access level: Private (no anonymous access)

   • Click "Create"

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Step 7: Get Storage Account Connection String

1. Access Keys

   • In your storage account, go to "Security + networking" → "Access Keys"

   • Click "Show keys"

   • Copy "Connection string" from key1

   • Save this for Python application

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/media/storage-account-keys-manage/portal-connection-string.png

---

Step 8: Create Azure SQL Database

8.1 Create SQL Server

1. Search for SQL databases

   • Type "SQL databases" in search bar

   • Click "+ Create"

8.2 Database Basics

• Subscription: Your subscription

• Resource group: PythonAppRG

• Database name: FileUploadDB

• Server: Create new

8.3 Create New Server

• Server name: python-sql-server-unique (globally unique)

• Location: East US

• Authentication method: Use SQL authentication

• Server admin login: sqladmin

• Password: MyStrongPassword123! (meets complexity requirements)

• Confirm password: MyStrongPassword123!

• Click "OK"

8.4 Compute + Storage

• Want to use SQL elastic pool? No

• Workload environment: Development

• Compute tier: Serverless

• Click "Next: Networking"

8.5 Networking Configuration

• Connectivity method: Public endpoint

• Allow Azure services and resources to access this server: Yes

• Add current client IP address: Yes

• Click "Next: Security" → "Next: Additional settings"

8.6 Additional Settings

• Use existing data: Sample (this creates sample database structure)

• Click "Review + create" → "Create"

• Wait 5-7 minutes for deployment

---

Step 9: Configure SQL Server Firewall

1. Navigate to SQL Server

   • Go to your SQL server "python-sql-server-unique"

   • Click "Networking" in left sidebar

   • Under "Public access", select "Selected networks"

2. Add Firewall Rules

   • Click "+ Add your client IPv4 address" - this adds your current IP

   • Check "Allow Azure services and resources to access this server"

   • Click "Save"

---

Step 10: Create Database Table

10.1 Use Query Editor

1. Open Query Editor

   • Go to your SQL database "FileUploadDB"

   • Click "Query editor (preview)" in left sidebar

   • Login with:

     • Username: sqladmin

     • Password: MyStrongPassword123!

2. Run SQL Query

   sql

   CREATE TABLE file_uploads (
       id INT PRIMARY KEY IDENTITY(1,1),
       filename NVARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
       file_size BIGINT,
       upload_date DATETIME2 DEFAULT GETDATE(),
       blob_url NVARCHAR(500),
       is_deleted BIT DEFAULT 0
   );

   • Click "Run"

   • You should see "Query succeeded" message

---

Step 11: Get SQL Connection String

1. Database Connection Strings

   • Go to your SQL database "FileUploadDB"

   • Click "Connection strings" in left sidebar

   • Select "ADO.NET (SQL authentication)"

   • Copy the connection string

   • Replace {your_password} with your actual password: MyStrongPassword123!

---

Step 12: Connect to VM using SSH

12.1 Using Azure Cloud Shell (Recommended)

1. Open Cloud Shell

   • Click the Cloud Shell icon in top toolbar >_

   • Select "Bash" environment

   • Create storage if prompted (this is for Cloud Shell only)

2. SSH to VM

   bash

   ssh -i /path/to/your/private/key azureuser@YOUR_VM_IP

   Or use Azure CLI:

   bash

   az vm run-command invoke -g PythonAppRG -n PythonVM --command-id RunShellScript --scripts "whoami"

12.2 Using Downloaded Private Key

If you downloaded the private key:

bash

chmod 400 pythonvm-key.pem
ssh -i pythonvm-key.pem azureuser@YOUR_VM_IP

---

Step 13: Install Dependencies on VM

Run these commands after SSH connection:

bash

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Python and pip
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip git -y

# Install required Python packages
pip3 install azure-storage-blob flask sqlalchemy pyodbc

# Install ODBC driver for SQL Server
curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | sudo apt-key add -
curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/22.04/prod.list | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list
sudo apt update
sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt install -y msodbcsql18 mssql-tools18

# Add to PATH
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/mssql-tools18/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

---

Step 14: Create Flask Application on VM

14.1 Create Application Directory

bash

# Create app directory
mkdir ~/fileupload-app
cd ~/fileupload-app

# Create main application file
nano app.py

14.2 Copy Flask Application Code

Paste this code (replace connection strings with your actual values):

python

from flask import Flask, render_template, request, redirect, url_for, flash, send_file
from azure.storage.blob import BlobServiceClient
import pyodbc
import os
import uuid
from io import BytesIO

app = Flask(__name__)
app.secret_key = 'azure-cloud-demo-secret-key'

# Azure Storage Configuration - REPLACE WITH YOUR CONNECTION STRING
connection_string = "YOUR_STORAGE_CONNECTION_STRING"
container_name = "fileuploads"
blob_service_client = BlobServiceClient.from_connection_string(connection_string)

# SQL Database Configuration - REPLACE WITH YOUR DETAILS
server = 'python-sql-server-unique.database.windows.net'
database = 'FileUploadDB'
username = 'sqladmin'
password = 'MyStrongPassword123!'
driver = '{ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server}'

def get_db_connection():
    return pyodbc.connect(
        f'DRIVER={driver};SERVER={server};DATABASE={database};UID={username};PWD={password}'
    )

@app.route('/')
def index():
    return render_template('index.html')

@app.route('/upload', methods=['POST'])
def upload_file():
    if 'file' not in request.files:
        flash('No file selected')
        return redirect(request.url)
    
    file = request.files['file']
    if file.filename == '':
        flash('No file selected')
        return redirect(request.url)
    
    if file:
        # Generate unique filename
        unique_filename = str(uuid.uuid4()) + '_' + file.filename
        
        # Upload to Azure Blob Storage
        blob_client = blob_service_client.get_blob_client(
            container=container_name, 
            blob=unique_filename
        )
        file.seek(0)  # Reset file pointer
        blob_client.upload_blob(file)
        
        # Store metadata in SQL Database
        conn = get_db_connection()
        cursor = conn.cursor()
        cursor.execute(
            "INSERT INTO file_uploads (filename, file_size, blob_url) VALUES (?, ?, ?)",
            file.filename, 
            len(file.read()),
            blob_client.url
        )
        conn.commit()
        conn.close()
        
        flash('File uploaded successfully!')
        return redirect(url_for('list_files'))

@app.route('/files')
def list_files():
    conn = get_db_connection()
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute("SELECT id, filename, file_size, upload_date FROM file_uploads WHERE is_deleted = 0")
    files = cursor.fetchall()
    conn.close()
    
    return render_template('files.html', files=files)

@app.route('/download/<int:file_id>')
def download_file(file_id):
    conn = get_db_connection()
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute("SELECT filename FROM file_uploads WHERE id = ?", file_id)
    result = cursor.fetchone()
    conn.close()
    
    if result:
        original_filename = result[0]
        blob_client = blob_service_client.get_blob_client(
            container=container_name, 
            blob=original_filename
        )
        
        download_stream = blob_client.download_blob()
        file_content = download_stream.readall()
        
        return send_file(
            BytesIO(file_content),
            as_attachment=True,
            download_name=original_filename
        )
    
    flash('File not found')
    return redirect(url_for('list_files'))

@app.route('/delete/<int:file_id>')
def delete_file(file_id):
    conn = get_db_connection()
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    
    cursor.execute("SELECT filename FROM file_uploads WHERE id = ?", file_id)
    result = cursor.fetchone()
    
    if result:
        cursor.execute("UPDATE file_uploads SET is_deleted = 1 WHERE id = ?", file_id)
        conn.commit()
        
        blob_client = blob_service_client.get_blob_client(
            container=container_name, 
            blob=result[0]
        )
        blob_client.delete_blob()
    
    conn.close()
    flash('File deleted successfully!')
    return redirect(url_for('list_files'))

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000, debug=True)

14.3 Create Templates Directory

bash

mkdir templates

14.4 Create index.html

bash

nano templates/index.html

Paste the HTML content from previous guide.

14.5 Create files.html

bash

nano templates/files.html

Paste the HTML content from previous guide.

---

Step 15: Run the Application

15.1 Update Configuration

Replace placeholders in app.py with your actual values:

• Storage connection string

• SQL server details

15.2 Start Flask Application

bash

cd ~/fileupload-app
python3 app.py

15.3 Test Application

• Open web browser

• Go to: http://YOUR_VM_IP:5000

• You should see the file upload interface

---

Step 16: Create Auto-start Service

16.1 Create Systemd Service

bash

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/python-app.service

Paste:

ini

[Unit]
Description=Python Flask File Upload App
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=azureuser
WorkingDirectory=/home/azureuser/fileupload-app
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/azureuser/fileupload-app/app.py
Restart=always
Environment=PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

16.2 Enable and Start Service

bash

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable python-app.service
sudo systemctl start python-app.service
sudo systemctl status python-app.service

---

Step 17: Monitor Resources in Azure Portal

17.1 Monitor VM

• Go to VM → "Monitoring" → "Metrics"

• Check CPU, Network, and Memory usage

17.2 Monitor Storage

• Go to Storage Account → "Monitoring"

• View blob count and storage usage

17.3 Monitor SQL Database

• Go to SQL Database → "Monitoring"

• Check DTU usage and connections

---

Step 18: Test Complete Workflow

1. Upload File

   • Go to http://YOUR_VM_IP:5000

   • Upload any file (image, document, etc.)

   • Verify success message

2. View Files

   • Click "View All Files"

   • See your uploaded file in the list

3. Download File

   • Click "Download" next to any file

   • File should download successfully

4. Delete File

   • Click "Delete" and confirm

   • File should disappear from list

---

Step 19: Cleanup Resources

19.1 Delete Individual Resources

1. Virtual Machine

   • Go to VM → "Overview" → "Delete"

   • Check "Delete associated resources"

2. Storage Account

   • Go to Storage Account → "Overview" → "Delete"

3. SQL Database

   • Go to SQL Database → "Overview" → "Delete"

19.2 Delete Entire Resource Group (Recommended)

1. Navigate to Resource Group

   • Go to "PythonAppRG"

   • Click "Delete resource group"

2. Confirm Deletion

   • Type resource group name to confirm

   • Click "Delete"

This method is fastest and ensures all related resources are deleted.

---

Important Portal Tips

Cost Management

• Set up Budgets: Cost Management → Budgets

• Use Cost Analysis to track spending

• Shut down VMs when not in use

Security Best Practices

• Use Azure Key Vault for secrets (not hardcoded)

• Enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud

• Regular backups for important data

Scaling Options

• VM Scale Sets for multiple instances

• App Service instead of VM for web apps

• Azure Functions for serverless components

---

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Connection Issues

• Verify firewall rules in NSG

• Check if ports are open: netstat -tulpn

• Ensure VM is running

Database Connection Errors

• Verify SQL server firewall allows Azure services

• Check connection string parameters

• Ensure database exists and is online

Storage Access Problems

• Verify connection string is correct

• Check container exists

• Ensure storage account is in same region

This Azure Portal guide provides visual, click-by-click instructions that are perfect for beginners learning cloud infrastructure!