Glossary

ARM template — Azure Resource Manager template: the JSON format for declaring infrastructure as code. Bicep compiles to ARM.

Bicep — Azure's infrastructure-as-code language; a readable layer over ARM templates.

Blob — a file in Azure Blob Storage. Containers hold blobs.

Container (storage) — a folder-like grouping of blobs in a storage account. (Not a Docker container.)

Egress — data leaving Azure for the internet. Billed; ingress (incoming) is free.

Entra ID — Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure Active Directory: the identity directory behind Azure. Your tenant is an Entra ID directory.

Managed identity — an identity Azure manages for a resource (e.g. a VM), so it can access other resources with no stored credentials.

NSG — network security group: the firewall. Ordered allow/deny rules on ports and addresses.

Region — a named set of Azure data centers (eastus, westeurope). Pick one and stay in it.

Resource — anything Azure manages: a VM, a disk, a database, a network.

Resource group — the folder resources live in. Deleting the group deletes everything in it.

Service principal — an identity for software (a script, an app) that needs Azure access.

SKU — stock-keeping unit: the size/tier of a resource. Standard_B1s, StandardSSD_LRS, Standard public IPs are all SKUs.

Subnet — a slice of a virtual network (10.0.1.0/24). VMs in a subnet talk freely.

Subscription — the billing boundary. Usage in one subscription lands on one bill.

Tenant — your Entra ID directory; the "who are you?" layer. One person can belong to several.

VNet — virtual network: your private address space in the cloud (e.g. 10.0.0.0/16).