A virtual network (VNet) is a private address space in one region, divided into subnets. A network security group (NSG) filters traffic by priority-ordered rules and can attach to a subnet or a network interface.
In the portal: Create a resource, Virtual machine, then choose:
| Setting | Sensible start |
|---|---|
| Image | Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS |
| Size | Standard_B2s for light work |
| Authentication | SSH public key |
| Inbound ports | SSH (22), restricted to your IP afterwards |
| Disk | Standard SSD |
ssh azureuser@<public-ip>Notes for AWS users:
- Outbound internet access is allowed by default; there is no separate NAT step for simple cases.
- Disks and public IPs are separate resources and keep billing when a VM is only stopped inside the OS. Use Stop (deallocate) in the portal to end compute charges.
- Use Azure Bastion or a just-in-time access policy instead of leaving SSH open.
Set a budget under Cost Management before creating anything else.