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Azure Account Setup

Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud platform you’ll use in HackerOps labs for deploying virtual machines, managing security services, and exploring enterprise cloud environments.

Tip

Free Credit: Azure provides $200 in free credits for new accounts, plus many services that remain free. Perfect for learning and lab activities.

Create Azure Account

Sign up: Azure Free Account

You can use an existing Microsoft account or create a new one during the signup process.

Account Setup Process

Start Free Account Setup - Go to azure.microsoft.com and click “Start free” or “Free account”
Sign In or Create Account - Use existing Microsoft account or create new one, then complete phone and credit card verification
Set Up Subscription - Follow the free account setup if available, or set up a “Pay-as-you-go” subscription and choose a subscription name (e.g., “HackerOps Labs”)
Complete Setup - Review and accept the terms, then click “Sign up” to create your subscription

Info

Note: Even with Pay-as-you-go, you won’t be charged for free tier services and the labs are designed to minimize costs.

Install Azure CLI

The Azure CLI is essential for automation and infrastructure management:

# Install using the install script (recommended)
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

# Or install via package manager
# Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl apt-transport-https lsb-release gnupg
curl -sL https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.gpg > /dev/null
echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/azure-cli/ $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/azure-cli.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install azure-cli

# Verify installation
az --version

# Using Homebrew (recommended)
brew update && brew install azure-cli

# Or download installer from:
# https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/install-azure-cli-macos

# Verify installation
az --version

# Using Chocolatey
choco install azure-cli

# Or download MSI installer from:
# https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/install-azure-cli-windows

# Or use winget
winget install -e --id Microsoft.AzureCLI

# Verify installation
az --version

Configure Azure CLI

Authenticate and set up your default subscription:

Login to Azure - Run az login which will open your browser for authentication
Verify Account Access - Use az account list --output table to list available subscriptions and az account show to show current subscription
Set Default Subscription - If you have multiple subscriptions, use az account set --subscription "Your Subscription Name" to set the default

Test Your Setup

Verify everything is working correctly:

# Test Azure CLI access
az account show --output table

# List resource groups (should be empty for new accounts)
az group list --output table

# Check available VM sizes in East US region
az vm list-sizes --location eastus --output table | head -10

Tip

Success! If these commands return data without errors, Azure is properly configured and ready for the labs.

Useful Azure Regions for Labs

Common regions for HackerOps labs:

East US (eastus) - Primary region for most labs
West US 2 (westus2) - Alternative US region
East US 2 (eastus2) - Backup US region

Next Steps

With Azure configured:

Set up DigitalOcean - Complete your cloud platform setup
Start Lab 1 - Begin with infrastructure deployment
Explore Azure Portal - Familiarize yourself with the web interface

Cost Management

Caution

Important: Monitor your Azure spending and always clean up resources after labs to avoid unexpected charges.

Cost management tips:

Set up cost alerts in the Azure portal
Use Azure Cost Management + Billing to track spending
Shut down VMs when not in use (deallocate, don’t just stop)
Delete resource groups after completing labs
Use B-series burstable VMs for cost-effective lab work