Last updated: May 2026

Azure DatabasesBeginnerAZ-104⏱ 11 min read

Azure Database for MySQL

Azure Database for MySQL is a fully managed MySQL database service — handling patching, backups, HA, and scaling automatically. It's the go-to choice for LAMP stack applications, WordPress sites, and any workload already running on MySQL. It delivers community MySQL compatibility in a managed, enterprise-grade service.

What you'll learn Flexible Server architecture · Service tiers (Burstable, General Purpose, Business Critical) · High availability zones · Automated backups and PITR · Read replicas · Security features · Connecting to MySQL · Creating via CLI · Migration from on-premises

Table of Contents

Flexible Server
Service Tiers
High Availability
Backups and PITR
Read Replicas
Security
Creating via CLI
Migration from On-Premises
Practice Questions

Flexible Server

Azure Database for MySQL — Flexible Server is the current recommended deployment option (the older Single Server is retired). Flexible Server provides:

Full control over maintenance windows
Zone-redundant HA or same-zone HA
Burstable compute for cost savings
Stop/start capability — pause billing when not in use
Better customisation of MySQL server parameters
VNet integration for private access

Service Tiers

Tier	vCores	Best For	Cost
Burstable	1–20	Dev/test, low-traffic apps, WordPress	Lowest
General Purpose	2–64	Most production workloads	Medium
Business Critical	2–96	High IOPS, memory-intensive, mission critical	Highest

💡

Burstable for WordPress The Burstable tier uses B-series compute — perfect for WordPress and low-traffic apps that don't need full CPU continuously. It earns CPU credits when idle and bursts when needed — much cheaper than General Purpose for typical CMS workloads.

High Availability

Flexible Server offers two HA options:

HA Mode	Architecture	SLA	Failover Time
Zone-Redundant HA	Primary + standby in different AZs	99.99%	60–120 seconds
Same-Zone HA	Primary + standby in same AZ	99.9%	Under 60 seconds
No HA	Single server	99.9%	N/A

Backups and PITR

Automated backups — Daily full + transaction log backups
Retention — 1 to 35 days (default 7 days)
Point-in-time restore — Restore to any second within the retention window
Geo-redundant backups — Optional — replicate backup to paired region for geo-restore
Restore — Creates a new server — does not restore in-place

Read Replicas

Create up to 5 read replicas in the same or different regions. Replicas receive async replication from the primary. Use replicas to:

Scale out read-heavy workloads (reporting, analytics)
Serve read traffic from geographically distant regions
Promote a replica to standalone server if primary fails (manual process)

Security

Encryption at rest — AES-256, always enabled
Encryption in transit — SSL/TLS enforced by default
Firewall rules — Control which IPs can connect
VNet integration — Private access without public IP
Azure AD authentication — Use Azure AD identities instead of MySQL passwords
Microsoft Defender for MySQL — Threat detection, anomaly detection

Creating via CLI

Azure CLICreate MySQL Flexible Server

# Create MySQL Flexible Server
az mysql flexible-server create \
  --name mymysqlserver-2026 \
  --resource-group myRG \
  --location centralindia \
  --admin-user mysqladmin \
  --admin-password "SecureP@ssword123!" \
  --sku-name Standard_B2ms \
  --tier Burstable \
  --version 8.0 \
  --storage-size 32 \
  --high-availability ZoneRedundant

Migration from On-Premises

Two common approaches:

Azure Database Migration Service — Online migration with minimal downtime. Continuous replication until cutover.
mysqldump + restore — Dump the database, import to Azure MySQL. Simple but requires downtime.

💡

AZ-104 Exam Tip Know Flexible Server is the current recommended deployment option. Know the three tiers (Burstable, General Purpose, Business Critical). Know that PITR retention is 1–35 days. Know that restoring creates a new server — it does not restore in-place.

📝 Practice Questions

Click an option to check your answer.

Q1. What happens when you perform a Point-in-Time Restore on Azure Database for MySQL?

A — The existing server is restored in-place to the specified point

B — A new server is created with data from the specified point in time

C — A backup file is created in Azure Blob Storage

D — Only the last transaction is rolled back

Q2. Which Azure Database for MySQL service tier is best for a low-traffic WordPress site?

A — Burstable

B — General Purpose

C — Business Critical

D — Standard

Q3. What is the maximum number of read replicas you can create for Azure Database for MySQL?

A — 1

B — 5

C — 10

D — Unlimited

Q4. Which HA configuration provides the highest SLA for Azure Database for MySQL?

A — Zone-Redundant HA (primary and standby in different AZs) — 99.99%

B — Same-Zone HA — 99.99%

C — No HA — 99.95%

D — Business Critical tier only — 99.999%

Q5. Is encryption at rest enabled by default for Azure Database for MySQL?

A — Yes — AES-256 encryption at rest is always enabled and cannot be disabled

B — No — it must be manually enabled

C — Only for Business Critical tier

D — Yes — but only with an additional cost

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