Microsoft offers a free trial of Azure, allowing users to experience its cloud services without committing to a paid plan. This trial provides a great opportunity to explore Azure's features and capabilities.
Azure's free trial includes access to popular services such as Azure Storage, Azure SQL Database, and Azure App Service. These services can be used to build and deploy web applications, store and manage data, and more.
The trial period lasts for 30 days, giving users ample time to experiment with Azure's services and determine if they're a good fit for their needs.
Understanding Azure Trial
To make the most out of your Azure free trial, it's essential to monitor your usage to avoid going over the limit. Azure provides tools within the portal to track usage.
You can experiment with different services using the free credits, from creating virtual machines to deploying web applications. This is a great opportunity to explore various Azure features.
To stay on top of your usage, Azure allows you to set up alerts that notify you if you're nearing your credit limit.
Here are the requirements to sign up for an Azure trial:
- You should have a Credit Card, an email address, and phone number.
- If you don’t have a Credit Card, you can register here using a valid student college email id to get Azure for Students account.
How It Works
You can start using Azure Trial with a $100 credit that's valid for 12 months. This credit allows you to access various services for free during that period.
To get started, you'll receive an email with a $100 credit and free services. You can use this credit to explore Azure's features and services without any upfront costs.
After 12 months, your credit will expire, but you can sign up again if you're still a student. You'll get another $100 credit and free services, just like before.
If you're not a student, you can opt for a pay-as-you-go plan. This way, you'll get more than 55 free services every month, and you'll only pay for what you use beyond those free amounts.
You'll receive an email to decide if you want to move to a pay-as-you-go plan. If you do, you'll keep getting free monthly amounts of popular services.
Key Points
To make the most out of your Azure free trial, you'll want to keep track of your credits to avoid going over the limit. Azure provides tools within the portal to track usage.
You'll need a few things to get started: a Credit Card, an email address, and phone number. If you don't have a Credit Card, you can register here using a valid student college email id to get an Azure for Students account.
You can also use the free credits to explore various Azure features, from creating virtual machines to deploying web applications. This is a great way to get a feel for what Azure can do for you.
To stay on top of your usage, set up alerts that notify you if you're nearing your credit limit. This will help you avoid any unexpected charges.
Cost and Billing
You can use Azure services for free during the trial period, with some limitations.
Azure offers a free trial that lasts for 30 days, giving you a chance to explore its features without incurring costs.
You can use up to 12 months of free services, including Azure Storage, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure SQL Database, but only for development and testing.
The free trial includes $200 credit, which is automatically added to your Azure account.
You can use the Azure free account to create up to 5 virtual machines, but they must be deleted before the end of the 30-day trial period to avoid being charged.
Azure charges you only for the services you use, so make sure to delete any unused resources to avoid unexpected costs.
Payment and Subscription
To create a free Azure account, you'll need a credit card, phone number, and email address. You can also use a debit card, but some banks may not be supported.
You can't create multiple free Azure accounts or switch to another free account after one expires using a single credit card. If you're a student without a credit card, you can register using your student ID.
You'll need to verify your phone number by clicking "Text Me" or "Call Me" and entering the verification code received. This is to confirm your identity and prevent fraud.
Here are the payment and subscription details:
- You'll have a lump sum balance of $200 after creating a free account.
- If you exhaust your free credit, you'll need to move to the Pay-as-you-go subscription policy.
- If you've crossed the limit or time limit, your subscription will be disabled and can't be used until it's re-enabled.
Note that some debit cards may not be supported, so it's essential to check with your bank before attempting to create a free Azure account.
Features and Tools
With an Azure trial, you can access a wide range of features and tools to help you get started with cloud computing.
To get your free developer tools, simply create your Azure for Students account and download the tools from the Azure Education Hub.
You'll also have access to a list of services that are always free, including App Service, Azure Functions, and Service Fabric.
Here's a list of some of the services you can use for free:
- App Service
- Azure Functions
- Service Fabric
- Azure DevOps
- Security Center
- Event Grid
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- DevTest Labs
- Active Directory B2C
- Advisor
- Data Catalog
- Virtual Network
- Inter-VNET data transfer
- Bandwidth
- Load Balancer
- Data Factory
- Cognitive Search
- Notification Hubs
- Batch
- Automation
List of Services
Azure offers a wide range of services that can be used for free, depending on the type of service and the duration of use. Let's take a look at some of the services that are included in the free trial and free tier.
You can test different operating systems and configurations for app development and testing with virtual machines, which are included in the free trial. Blob storage is also available for free, allowing you to store your unstructured data like documents and media.
Azure app services are another service that's included in the free trial, enabling you to deploy and manage applications in a scalable environment. You can use these services for 12 months, or until you exceed the limits of your free trial, whichever comes first.
The free tier of Azure includes popular services like Linux Virtual Machines, Windows Virtual Machines, and Cognitive Services, which are free for 12 months. You also get free monthly amounts of other services, including Managed Disks, Blob Storage, File Storage, and more.
Some services are always free, regardless of the duration of use. These include App Service, Azure Functions, Service Fabric, Azure DevOps, and many others. You can find a complete list of these services in the Azure documentation.
Here's a list of some of the services that are always free:
- App Service
- Azure Functions
- Service Fabric
- Azure DevOps
- Security Center
- Event Grid
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- DevTest Labs
- Active Directory B2C
- Advisor
- Data Catalog
- Virtual Network
- Inter-VNET data transfer
- Bandwidth
- Load Balancer
- Data Factory
- Cognitive Search
- Notification Hubs
- Batch
- Automation
Working with Big Data
You can store up to 5 GB of data locally with redundant storage, allowing for 20,000 read and 10,000 write operations.
This means you can read your data 20,000 times and write new data 10,000 times before you need to refresh or update your storage.
With 1,000 request units per second, you can provision a lot of throughput, up to 25 GB of storage.
This is especially helpful when working with large datasets that require frequent access and updates.
Here are some key numbers to keep in mind:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Azure free for 12 months?
Azure offers free services to new customers for 12 months after account creation, but some services are always free for all customers. Check the Azure website for details on free services and their duration.
What happens after 30 days of Azure free trial?
After 30 days of inactivity, Azure reserves the right to remove compute resources, including hosted services and virtual machines. This means your free trial may be terminated if you don't use your account within the allotted time
Is Azure free for 750 hours?
Azure offers a free tier with 750 hours of free usage for B1S VMs, including Windows Server and Linux, per month for one year. Exceeding this limit incurs standard rates.
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