Essential Resources for Getting Started with Windows Azure

The following list of essential resources was co-authored by John Bristowe and Cory Fowler, with updates by Jonathan Rozenblit.

The below is an exhaustive list of everything we could think of around Windows Azure. If you've found something interesting and think it should be added, please let us know! Send an email to cdnazure@microsoft.com and we'll have a look. Having said that, feel free to also send us email if you have any questions, concerns, or want to find out something specific about Windows Azure.

Getting Started Administratively

• Windows Azure Introductory Special
• If you’re a [Premium, Ultimate, or BizSpark] MSDN Subscriber, you are eligible to participate in a Windows Azure Benefits which includes free consumption of Windows Azure Services.
• No credit card? Or prefer not to use it? No problem. Activate a Windows Azure Pass today. Use Canada as the country and CDNDEVS as the promo code.

Getting Started Technically

• Walkthrough the full experience of migrating and deploying an app - Walkthrough: Migrating and Deploying a Simple Cloud App.
• If you’d like to only go through the deployment experience - Walkthrough: Deploying a Simple Cloud App

Essential Downloads

• Windows Azure SDK and Tools (MSDN)
• Windows Azure Training Kit
• Identity Developer Training Kit (WIF)
• Recommended! patterns & practices Windows Azure Guidance

Folks in the Know

Events

• Windows Azure Boot Camp
• Windows Azure Events

Blogs and Websites

Essential Reading

• Recommended! Security Resources for Windows Azure
• Recommended! Windows Azure Development Resources by Terrence Dorsey (@tpdorsey)
• Recommended! Windows Azure Developer Guidance Map
• Blob API Upload Optimizations by Rob Gillen (@argodev)
• Don’t use the Patriot Act as an Excuse
• Getting the most out of Windows Azure Tables (Not SQL Azure)
• Loading Data to SQL Azure (The Fast Way)
• Maximizing Throughput in Windows Azure (3 Parts) by Rob Gillen (@argodev)
• Protecting your Blobs against Application Errors
• Protecting your Tables against Application Errors
• The Proper Use of the VM Role in Windows Azure by Buck Woody (@buckwoody)
• Troubleshooting and Debugging in Windows Azure
• Understanding Windows Azure Storage Billing
• Vertical Partitioning in SQL Azure
• Windows Azure Guidance on Failure Recovery by Eugenio Pace (@eugenio_pace)
• Windows Azure Service Level Agreements
• Windows Azure Storage Architecture Overview

Books

• Applied Architecture Patterns on the Microsoft Platform by Richard Seroter, Ewan Fairweather, Rama Ramani, Mike Sexton, and Stephen W. Thomas (Packt)
• Azure in Action by Chris Hay and Brian H. Prince (Manning)
• Cloud Computing with the Windows Azure Platform by Roger Jennings (Wrox)
• Pro SQL Azure by Scott Klein and Herve Roggero (Apress)
• Windows Azure Platform by Tejaswi Redkar (Apress)
• Windows Azure Projects by Jim Zimmerman, Scott Densmore, David Makogon, Maarten Balliauw, and Scott Ma (Apress)
• Windows Azure Platform: Articles from the Trenches Volume 1 by Eric Nelson, Marcus Tillett, Ricahrd Prodger, Saksham Gautam, Rob Blackwell, Julien Hannsens, Simon Munro, Steve Towler, Sarang Kulkarni, Grace Mollison, Jason Nappi, Josh Tuchoiski, David Gristwood, Neil Mackenzie, Steven Nagy

Screencasts/Videos/Webcasts

• Recommended! Cloud Cover Show
• Recommended! Windows Azure Firestarter
• Recommended! Azure Training on MSDev
• Microsoft Tech·Ed Europe 2010: Architecting Applications for High Scalability - Leveraging the Windows Azure Platform
• Microsoft Tech·Ed North America 2010: Design Patterns, Practices, and Techniques with the Service Bus in Windows Azure AppFabric
• Microsoft PDC 2010: Building, Deploying and Managing Windows Azure Applications
• Microsoft PDC 2010: Connecting Cloud & On-Premise Apps with the Windows Azure Platform
• Microsoft PDC 2010: Windows Azure Storage Deep Dive
• Windows Azure Security Essentials Module: Part 1
• Windows Azure Security Essentials Module: Part 2
• Windows Azure Videos
• Windows Azure Webcasts

Essential Listening

• Connected Show Developer Podcast - @ConnectedShow
• Tribune does Azure - .NET Rocks!
• Windows Azure - The Overlord in the Cloud - Deep Fried Bytes Technology Podcast
• Windows Azure Podcasts

Projects, Third Party Tools and Other Downloads

• Azure Blob Studio 2011 by Alessandro Del Sole (@progalex)
• AzureWatch
• Cloud Storage Studio by Cerebrata Software (@cerebratasoft)
• CloudBerry Explorer by CloudBerry Lab (@cloudberrylab)
• Cloud Xplorer by ClumsyLeaf Software
• GreyBox (Billing Alert Tool)
• LINQPad by Joseph Albahari
• Lokad CQRS
• SQL Azure Migration Wizard
• Windows Azure AppFabric ACS Labs
• Windows Azure Code Samples (All-in-One Framework)
• Windows Azure Command-Line Tools for PHP Developers
• Windows Azure MMC Snap-in
• Windows Azure SDK for PHP Developers
• Windows Azure Service Management CmdLets
• Windows Azure Sync Service Sample
• Windows Azure Toolkit for Facebook

Essential Code/Scripts/Virtual Labs

• ASP.NET Membership Provider Scripts for SQL Azure
• Windows Azure Code Samples Collection
• Windows Azure How-to Index
• Windows Azure Virtual Labs