Manage Azure Resources Using the Azure Portal

In the previous article, we discussed the concept of Azure resource groups and how to effectively organize and manage Azure resources using them. In this article, we’ll delve deeper into managing these resources via the Azure portal—a powerful, web-based tool that enables users to create, configure, monitor, and manage Azure resources through an intuitive, visual interface.

What Is the Azure Portal?

The Azure portal is a web-based management platform that allows users to access and manage Azure services and resources. It provides a user-friendly interface for viewing and editing resource configurations, monitoring resource health and performance, and performing various administrative tasks.

How to Access the Azure Portal

To use the Azure portal, you must first have an Azure account. Visit the Azure portal website and sign in with your credentials. After successful authentication, you’ll land on the portal’s main dashboard.

Managing Resources Using the Azure Portal

Creating Resources

Creating new resources in the Azure portal is straightforward. Let’s walk through creating a virtual machine (VM) as an example:

1. From the Azure portal homepage, click Create a resource in the left-hand navigation pane.
2. In the Azure Marketplace, browse categories—select Compute, then choose Virtual Machine.
3. On the VM creation page, enter basic configuration details such as name, region, and VM size.
4. Configure networking, storage, and management settings according to your requirements.
5. Click Review + create, verify your inputs, then click Create.

Deployment will begin immediately. You can track its progress in the Notifications area (bell icon in the top-right corner).

Managing Existing Resources

Once deployed, resources can be managed directly from the portal. Below are common administrative operations:

Modifying Resource Configuration

To change a VM’s size (e.g., scale up or down):

1. Navigate to Virtual Machines, then select the target VM.
2. On the VM’s Overview page, click Stop to deallocate it (required before resizing).
3. Once stopped, click Size, then select a new VM size from the available options.
4. Click OK, and wait for the update to complete.

Monitoring Resource Health and Performance

You can monitor real-time metrics and operational status directly in the portal:

1. Navigate to the resource you wish to monitor (e.g., your VM).
2. On the Overview page, check basic status indicators (e.g., “Running”, “Stopped”).
3. Select the Monitoring tab to view key metrics—including CPU utilization, memory usage, disk I/O, and network traffic.

Deleting Resources

To remove unused resources and reduce costs:

1. Navigate to the resource you want to delete.
2. From the resource’s menu or overview page, click Delete, then confirm the action in the deletion dialog.

⚠️ Caution: Deletion is irreversible—ensure backups or data exports are completed beforehand.

Resource Tagging and Categorization

When managing large numbers of resources, tags help classify and organize them logically. Tags are simple key-value pairs that attach metadata to resources—enabling filtering, reporting, and cost allocation.

For example, you might tag all resources associated with a specific project:

• Key: Project
• Value: ProjectA

You can then filter resources by this tag across the entire subscription—or generate cost reports segmented by project, environment (Environment: Production), owner (Owner: JaneDoe), or any other logical dimension.

Conclusion

Managing Azure resources via the Azure portal offers a flexible, visual, and highly accessible approach. Whether provisioning new infrastructure, adjusting configurations, or monitoring live workloads, the portal delivers an intuitive experience backed by robust functionality—ideal for both beginners and experienced cloud administrators.

In our next article, we’ll explore managing resources programmatically using the Azure CLI and PowerShell. These command-line tools provide automation capabilities, scripting flexibility, and scalability—perfect for DevOps workflows, infrastructure-as-code pipelines, and bulk resource operations.

Stay tuned!