Cloud foundations
Resource hierarchy, identity, governance, security and network boundaries.
MICROSOFT AZURE / SERVICE MAP + BUILD GUIDE
Understand Azure.
Build it with .NET.
A modular guide to core Azure service families: how the parts fit, what to learn in each one, where the official documentation lives, and how .NET applications use them with managed identity and Azure SDKs.
12 learning parts60+ services & capabilitiesMicrosoft Learn official references
A MODULAR WAY TO LEARN
Foundation → implementation → operations
Build the platform in dependency order. Each part contains service chapters and expandable topics so you can go deep without treating every Azure product as mandatory.
About coverage. Azure has a broad and changing catalog. This learning map covers the major platform service families and common architecture choices; it is not a claim that every SKU, preview, regional offering, or niche product is listed. Check the service catalog, region availability, quotas, pricing, and lifecycle notices before a deployment.
Build workloads
Compute, containers, storage, databases, messaging and analytics.
Build intelligent apps
Microsoft Foundry, Azure Machine Learning, search, AI APIs and observability.
Ship & operate
.NET delivery, infrastructure as code, hybrid estate, migration and IoT.
SERVICE CATALOG / EXPAND A PART, THEN A SERVICE
Azure services, organized by architecture
Search by service or capability. Every service chapter expands into concepts, subtopics, official docs, and the corresponding .NET integration approach.
No matching services. Try a shorter query or a service family name.
IMPLEMENTATION / AZURE SDK FOR .NET
Real .NET integration patterns
Use the Azure SDK where a supported client library exists. Authenticate locally with Azure CLI or Visual Studio during development and use a managed identity in Azure. Grant the identity only the required data-plane role.
DefaultAzureCredential is a credential chain, not a permission grant. The selected identity still needs the right Azure RBAC role, the service endpoint must be reachable, and the workload must follow the service’s network policy. Keep secrets out of source code and prefer async APIs in server applications.
COPYABLE STARTING POINTS
Upload a blob with managed identity
Create a BlobServiceClient with a Microsoft Entra credential, then upload content to a container. The storage account must grant the app a suitable blob data role.
Example assumes configuration values are supplied through environment variables or an app configuration provider. Add error handling, cancellation, retries, validation, and structured logging for production.
SYSTEM DESIGN CHECKPOINTS
Connect the services safely
Identity before secrets
Prefer managed identities and role assignments. Use Key Vault for secrets that must exist; rotate and audit them.
Network boundaries
Plan ingress, egress, private endpoints, DNS, subnet sizing and service reachability before selecting a SKU.
Operate what you deploy
Define logs, metrics, traces, SLOs, alerts, recovery objectives, quotas and budgets alongside the application.
PRIMARY SOURCES / MICROSOFT LEARN
Official documentation & service maps
Use these indexes to validate catalog coverage, architecture decisions, service behavior and .NET SDK support.
Microsoft Azure architecture iconsOfficial Azure SVGs used in the service diagramsMicrosoft Entra architecture iconsOfficial Entra ID and workload identity marksAzure documentationService docs, tutorials and referenceAzure Architecture CenterPatterns, architectures and technology choicesService availability by categoryAvailability and region considerationsAzure for .NET developers.NET SDKs, identity and deploymentAzure SDK for .NET overviewClient libraries, guidelines and setupInfrastructure as code on AzureBicep, ARM and deployment workflowsAzure networking overviewNetwork service categoriesMicrosoft FoundryModels, agents and AI application developmentAzure products catalogCurrent product and service catalog
Azure service iconography is from Microsoft’s official architecture icon collection and is shown with product names for educational architecture diagrams. Service names, supported SDKs, regional availability, pricing, quotas, and product lifecycle status can change. Follow the documentation linked from each service before implementation.