Azure Fundamentals · Lesson 1 of 3
Azure Virtual Machines
Explain what an Azure virtual machine is and identify its main parts: the operating system image, the size, the network interface and the disks. Tell the VM apart from the application that runs on it.
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Captions match the narration word for word. Narration uses your browser's built-in voice, so it sounds different on each device. Press Space to play or pause and the arrow keys to change scenes.
Learning objective
Explain what an Azure virtual machine is and identify its main parts: the operating system image, the size, the network interface and the disks. Tell the VM apart from the application that runs on it.
Recap
- A VM is a computer you create and configure in Azure. Azure manages the physical hardware; you manage the operating system and software.
- The VM and the app are different layers: the app is software you install and run on the VM.
- The image provides the operating system; the size determines compute resources such as vCPUs and memory.
- A network interface (NIC) connects the VM to a subnet in a virtual network. Every VM has at least one.
- Every VM has an OS disk; data disks hold applications and data. Don't keep important data on the temporary disk.
Knowledge check
Test yourself
Question 1. Which VM setting determines how many virtual CPUs and how much memory the VM has?
- The image
- The size
- The network interface
Show answer
B. The size. The size determines the compute resources available to the VM, such as vCPUs and memory, plus limits like how many data disks you can attach.
Question 2. Your app writes uploaded photos to the VM's temporary disk. Why is that a problem?
- The temporary disk is read-only
- Data on the temporary disk might be lost, for example during maintenance or when the VM is stopped
- Temporary disks can't be larger than 1 GiB
Show answer
B. Data on the temporary disk might be lost, for example during maintenance or when the VM is stopped. The temporary disk is for short-term data such as page or swap files. Its data might be lost during maintenance, a redeploy or when the VM is stopped.
Voiceover script
Script and on-screen text
The full narration, scene by scene, with the headline shown on screen. The captions file below contains the same text with timings.
Scene 1 · 0:00
On screen: Lesson 1: Azure Virtual Machines
Welcome to the first lesson in this Azure fundamentals series. Across three short lessons, we'll follow one simple example: a small web app where people upload photos. In this lesson, we'll look at where that app runs: an Azure virtual machine.
Scene 2 · 0:18
On screen: Our example: a photo-upload web app
Here's our example. A user opens the web app in their browser, and the request travels across the internet to Azure. The architecture you'll see is illustrative. Names, sizes and values are samples chosen to explain the ideas, not recommendations.
Scene 3 · 0:37
On screen: A VM is a computer you create in Azure
The app needs a computer to run on. An Azure virtual machine, or VM, is a computer that you create and configure in Azure. It's virtual because it runs on physical servers in a Microsoft datacenter. Azure manages that physical hardware, and you choose what runs on the VM.
Scene 4 · 0:58
On screen: A request reaches the app on the VM
When the user uploads a photo, the request travels from the browser, across the network, to the VM. The web app running on the VM handles it and sends a response back. Notice the two layers: the VM is the computer, and the web app is software we install and run on it.
Scene 5 · 1:22
On screen: The VM and the app are different things
Keeping those layers apart really matters. Azure provides and runs the virtual machine, but the operating system and the app on it are yours to configure, update and secure. If the app has a bug, the VM can be perfectly healthy. The fix happens in your software, not in Azure.
Scene 6 · 1:44
On screen: Operating system: chosen from an image
When you create a VM, you choose an image, which provides its operating system. Azure offers Windows Server and many Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, which we use in this example. The operating system is installed on the VM's OS disk, which we'll look at in a moment.
Scene 7 · 2:05
On screen: Size: how much compute the VM gets
Next is the VM's size. The size determines the compute resources available to the VM, such as the number of virtual CPUs and the amount of memory, along with limits like how many data disks you can attach. Sizes are grouped by purpose: for example, general purpose, compute optimized and memory optimized.
Scene 8 · 2:28
On screen: Network interface: the VM's connection
To communicate, a VM needs a network interface, or NIC. Every VM has at least one. The NIC connects the VM to a subnet inside a virtual network and gives it a private IP address. It can also have a public IP address, if you add one. Virtual networks are the topic of Lesson 2.
Scene 9 · 2:53
On screen: Disks: where the OS and data live
Finally, disks. Every VM has one OS disk, which holds the operating system. You can attach data disks for applications and data. Most VM sizes also include a temporary disk for short-term data, like page or swap files. Its data might be lost during maintenance or when the VM is stopped, so never keep important files there.
Scene 10 · 3:18
On screen: Recap: the parts of a VM
Let's recap. A VM is a configurable computer in Azure. Its image provides the operating system, its size sets the compute resources, its network interface connects it to a virtual network, and its disks store the operating system and data. Next, we'll zoom into that network. And the uploaded photos? They'll go to Blob Storage, in Lesson 3.
Storyboard
Timestamped storyboard
Scene-by-scene direction for animators or video tools. Timings assume narration at about 145 words per minute.
| Time | Narration | Visual scene | Animation or transition | On-screen labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:18 | Welcome to the first lesson in this Azure fundamentals series. Across three short lessons, we'll follow one simple example: a small web app where people upload photos. In this lesson, we'll look at where that app runs: an Azure virtual machine. | Series title over an empty diagram; the outline of an Azure region fades in. | Fade in title; region outline draws in. |
|
| 0:18–0:37 | Here's our example. A user opens the web app in their browser, and the request travels across the internet to Azure. The architecture you'll see is illustrative. Names, sizes and values are samples chosen to explain the ideas, not recommendations. | A browser window (photos.example.com) and an internet cloud appear to the left of the Azure region. | Browser slides in from the left, then the cloud. |
|
| 0:37–0:58 | The app needs a computer to run on. An Azure virtual machine, or VM, is a computer that you create and configure in Azure. It's virtual because it runs on physical servers in a Microsoft datacenter. Azure manages that physical hardware, and you choose what runs on the VM. | A large VM box appears inside the region; a band of physical servers appears beneath it. | VM box scales up from the center; server band fades in; VM highlighted. |
|
| 0:58–1:22 | When the user uploads a photo, the request travels from the browser, across the network, to the VM. The web app running on the VM handles it and sends a response back. Notice the two layers: the VM is the computer, and the web app is software we install and run on it. | The web app layer appears inside the VM; a network interface sits on the VM's edge; a request travels from the browser to the app. | Dashed path draws from browser to app; a dot travels along it in a loop. |
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| 1:22–1:44 | Keeping those layers apart really matters. Azure provides and runs the virtual machine, but the operating system and the app on it are yours to configure, update and secure. If the app has a bug, the VM can be perfectly healthy. The fix happens in your software, not in Azure. | VM outline and app layer highlighted together; the rest of the diagram dims. | Highlight pulses from the VM outline to the app layer. |
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| 1:44–2:05 | When you create a VM, you choose an image, which provides its operating system. Azure offers Windows Server and many Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, which we use in this example. The operating system is installed on the VM's OS disk, which we'll look at in a moment. | An operating system layer appears beneath the app layer. | OS layer slides up under the app; highlighted. |
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| 2:05–2:28 | Next is the VM's size. The size determines the compute resources available to the VM, such as the number of virtual CPUs and the amount of memory, along with limits like how many data disks you can attach. Sizes are grouped by purpose: for example, general purpose, compute optimized and memory optimized. | A size panel shows the example size with simple vCPU and memory bars. | Panel fades in; vCPU and memory bars grow from zero. |
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| 2:28–2:53 | To communicate, a VM needs a network interface, or NIC. Every VM has at least one. The NIC connects the VM to a subnet inside a virtual network and gives it a private IP address. It can also have a public IP address, if you add one. Virtual networks are the topic of Lesson 2. | The NIC is highlighted; a dashed virtual network boundary appears around the VM. | Virtual network outline draws around the VM; NIC highlighted. |
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| 2:53–3:18 | Finally, disks. Every VM has one OS disk, which holds the operating system. You can attach data disks for applications and data. Most VM sizes also include a temporary disk for short-term data, like page or swap files. Its data might be lost during maintenance or when the VM is stopped, so never keep important files there. | Three disk cylinders appear at the bottom of the VM: OS disk, data disk and a dashed temporary disk. | Disks drop in one by one; temporary disk drawn with a dashed outline. |
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| 3:18–3:43 | Let's recap. A VM is a configurable computer in Azure. Its image provides the operating system, its size sets the compute resources, its network interface connects it to a virtual network, and its disks store the operating system and data. Next, we'll zoom into that network. And the uploaded photos? They'll go to Blob Storage, in Lesson 3. | The full diagram, with a preview of Blob Storage to the right of the virtual network. | All parts visible; request path loops; Blob Storage preview fades in. |
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Sources and accuracy
Technical details were checked against Microsoft Learn on October 13, 2026. Azure changes often, so check the current documentation before relying on a specific detail. The example architecture, names, sizes and addresses are illustrative only.
- What are virtual machines in Azure? (Microsoft Learn)
- Virtual machine sizes overview (Microsoft Learn)
- Overview of Azure Disk Storage (OS, data and temporary disks) (Microsoft Learn)
- Network interfaces (Microsoft Learn)
- Shared responsibility in the cloud (Microsoft Learn)
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