Because of the feedback I received on my review of Google Compute last September, I decided to jot down my first impressions of Microsoft Azure. For many people who regularly read LowEndTalk, Google Compute and Microsoft Azure may not be considered as providers because of an assumption that they are too expensive. But, depending on what you need to do, that may not be true. Google and Microsoft do offer machines starting at about $4/month and $12/month respectively.
My evaluation of Azure was part of a 30 day $250 free trial and, though I am not a Microsoft fan, I started the trial with an open mind. The main Azure portal was a slick interface that was clearly designed to impress, but unfortunately this was one of the few positive attributes I have to share. The system itself was inferior to any other provider I have used in the past. In a nutshell, Azure suffers from an overly complex management process, poor documentation, inconsistent support of basic functionality and slow instance creation. Price-wise it was much more expensive than Google Compute. In my case, it was about three times more expensive.
I simply can't imagine Azure being of interest to anyone who wants to use a Linux Virtual Machine. There are so many better providers out there. I suspect Microsoft is simply counting on large Microsoft-centric shops to use Azure in order to remain within the same ecosystem.
For now I will stick with my preferred providers: Vultr (ref), Digital Ocean (ref) and, for bigger machines, Google Compute. You can find more about Vultr (ref) and Digital Ocean (ref) in my earlier review here.
My full review of Microsoft Azure is available on my blog at blog.breganasher.com.