Module 1
Beginner
AZ-900
15 min read
Azure Portal Walkthrough
A complete beginner's guide to navigating the Azure Portal — your main control panel for everything in Azure. Learn every key section, how to create your first resource, and pro tips to work faster.
What you'll learn: What the Azure Portal is · Key sections of the portal · How to navigate · Creating a Resource Group · Using Azure Cloud Shell · Portal tips & shortcuts · AZ-900 exam tips
In this tutorial
What is the Azure Portal?
Accessing the portal
Key sections of the portal
Creating your first Resource Group
Using Azure Cloud Shell
Portal tips & shortcuts
AZ-900 exam tips
What is the Azure Portal?
The Azure Portal is a web-based management console available at portal.azure.com. It is your main graphical interface to create, manage, monitor, and delete Azure resources — all without writing a single line of code.
Think of it as the dashboard of your entire cloud environment. From here you can spin up virtual machines, create databases, check your bills, monitor performance, set up security — everything in one place.
Accessing the portal
1
Open your browser and go to portal.azure.com
2
Sign in with your Microsoft account (the same one used to create your Azure account)
3
You'll land on the Home page — this is your starting point every time you log in
Key sections of the portal
1
Top navigation bar — Contains the global search bar, notifications bell, Cloud Shell button, settings, and your account info. The search bar is the fastest way to find any Azure service.
2
Left sidebar (hamburger menu) — Quick access to your most used services. You can pin your favourite services here for fast access. Includes Home, Dashboard, All Services, and Favourites.
3
Home page — Shows your recently used resources, quick create buttons for popular services, and links to documentation and tutorials.
4
Dashboard — A customisable page where you can pin charts, resource tiles, and metrics for quick visibility. Great for monitoring your environment at a glance.
5
All Services — A complete directory of every Azure service organised by category. Use this to explore or find services you haven't used before.
6
Resource Groups — Containers that hold related Azure resources. Every resource you create in Azure lives inside a Resource Group.
7
Subscriptions — Shows your Azure subscription(s) and billing information. All resources and costs are tied to a subscription.
8
Cost Management + Billing — Track your spending, set budgets, and view invoices. Essential for keeping your Azure costs under control.
Creating your first Resource Group
A Resource Group is a logical container for your Azure resources. It's the first thing you create before deploying anything in Azure. Let's create one now:
1
In the Azure Portal, type "Resource groups" in the search bar and click on it
2
Click "+ Create" at the top left
3
Select your Subscription from the dropdown
4
Enter a Resource Group name — e.g.
my-first-rg5
Select Region — choose Central India if you're in India
6
Click "Review + Create" → then "Create"
7
🎉 Your first Resource Group is created! You'll see it appear in the list within seconds.
Azure CLI — same result in one command
# Create a resource group using Azure CLI
az group create \
--name my-first-rg \
--location centralindia
# Verify it was created
az group list --output table
az group create \
--name my-first-rg \
--location centralindia
# Verify it was created
az group list --output table
Using Azure Cloud Shell
Azure Cloud Shell is a browser-based terminal built directly into the Azure Portal. It gives you instant access to Azure CLI and PowerShell without installing anything on your computer.
1
Click the Cloud Shell icon (looks like
>_) in the top navigation bar of the portal2
Choose either Bash (Azure CLI) or PowerShell — for this tutorial choose Bash
3
First time setup — Azure will ask you to create a storage account for Cloud Shell files. Click "Create storage"
4
A terminal appears at the bottom of the portal — you're now ready to run Azure CLI commands directly in your browser!
💡 Tip: Cloud Shell is already authenticated with your Azure account — no need to run
az login. Just start typing commands straight away!
Portal tips & shortcuts
1
Use the search bar (G + /) — The global search at the top is the fastest way to navigate. Press G then / to jump straight to it.
2
Pin your favourites — Right-click any service in All Services and click "Pin to sidebar" for one-click access.
3
Use filters on resource lists — When viewing resources, use the filter bar to narrow down by name, type, location or tag.
4
Check notifications — The bell icon shows deployment status. When you create a resource, watch here to see if it succeeded or failed.
5
Switch directories — If you have multiple Azure tenants, click your account name (top right) → Switch directory to move between them.
6
Dark mode — Go to Settings (gear icon, top right) → Appearance → choose Dark theme. Much easier on the eyes for long sessions!
AZ-900 exam tips
✅ Know that the Azure Portal is available at portal.azure.com
✅ Understand that Cloud Shell provides browser-based CLI access
✅ Know what a Resource Group is and why it's needed
✅ Remember the portal supports both Azure CLI (Bash) and PowerShell
✅ Understand that the Dashboard is customisable for monitoring
✅ Know that Cost Management is built into the portal
✅ Understand that Cloud Shell provides browser-based CLI access
✅ Know what a Resource Group is and why it's needed
✅ Remember the portal supports both Azure CLI (Bash) and PowerShell
✅ Understand that the Dashboard is customisable for monitoring
✅ Know that Cost Management is built into the portal