Choosing the Right Compute Service

Azure offers multiple compute services — each designed for a different type of workload, level of control, and operational model. Choosing the wrong compute service leads to unnecessary complexity (too low-level) or insufficient control (too abstracted). The key question is: how much of the underlying infrastructure do you need to manage? This lesson walks through the major compute options and the criteria that guide you to the right choice for each scenario.

Azure Virtual Machines give you full control over the OS, runtime, and application stack. Use VMs when you need to: run legacy applications that require a specific OS version or kernel setting, perform a lift-and-shift migration of an on-premises workload without modification, install custom software at the system level, or need persistent compute that runs 24/7 with a predictable, fixed configuration. The trade-off is the highest operational burden — you are responsible for OS patching, security hardening, and monitoring the OS layer.