Creating a Linux VM using Azure CLI

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Creating a Linux VM using Azure CLI

In this hands-on lab, we play the part of a Cloud Engineer who is tasked with using the Azure CLI to provision a Linux-based virtual machine running Nginx. This VM is intended for our web development team's newest project. In this hands-on lab, we cover Azure CLI syntax, Azure CLI help/parameters, and Network Security Groups.

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Lab Info

Level

Beginner

Last updated

Sep 21, 2025

Duration

30m

Challenge

Create a Virtual Machine
Create a Virtual Machine Using Azure CLI and the Following Settings:
- Resource Group: (Existing resource group)
- Name: LabVM
- Image: UbuntuLTS
- Admin Username: azureuser
- Authentication Method: Generate SSH Keys
Note: The resource group has already been created for you.
1. Login to the Azure Portal using the credentials provided in this hands-on lab.
2. Navigate to the Cloud Shell, using the >_ icon in the toolbar on the top-right side of the screen.
3. Ensure you are using PowerShell for Azure Cloud Shell.
4. Click Show advanced settings.
5. Use the existing Resource Group.
6. Choose the Cloud Shell Region that matches the location of your lab provided Resource Group.
7. Under the Storage account section select Use existing.
8. Under the File share section select Create new and type in cloudshell.
9. Select Attach storage.
10. Once Cloud Shell has opened, identify the existing Resource Group using az group list.
11. Copy the value of the name: field. This is the Resource Group name.
12. Set the Resource Group variable by typing $rg = "<insert-resource-group-name>" and press Enter.
13. Set the virtual machine's name by creating its variable with $vm = "kaldiVM".
14. Deploy a virtual machine (VM) by typing: az vm create -g $rg -n $vm --image "UbuntuLTS" --admin-username "azureuser" --generate-ssh-keys
15. After the VM is created copy the publicIPAddress for later use.
Challenge

Open Port 80 On the VM for Web Traffic
Open Port 80 on VM using Azure CLI
1. Open port 80 on the VM we created: az vm open-port -g $rg -n $vm --port 80
2. Install Nginx by first logging into the server. Don't forget to accept the fingerprint: ssh azureuser@<PubliIP.OF.VM>
3. Update the Ubuntu VM: sudo apt update -y
4. Install Ngnix: sudo apt-get install nginx -y
5. Navigate to the web browser and paste in the VM's IP address. If successful, the default "Welcome to Nginix!" page appears.

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