Azure free account and credits - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Creating a free Azure account gives you access to cloud services without upfront cost. You get credits to try services and learn how Azure works safely.

When you want to explore Azure cloud services without paying.

When you need to test a small app or service on Azure temporarily.

When you want to learn cloud computing basics using real tools.

When you want to try Azure features before committing to a paid plan.

When you want to build a proof of concept with limited resources.

Commands

This command shows details of your current Azure account, including subscription and credit status.

Terminal

az account show

Expected Output

{

  "id": "/subscriptions/12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc",

  "name": "Free Trial",

  "state": "Enabled",

  "tenantId": "abcdef12-3456-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",

  "user": {

    "name": "[e-mail]",

    "type": "user"

  }

}

This command lists your recent Azure resource usage to help track how your free credits are being spent.

Terminal

az consumption usage list --top 5

Expected Output

[

  {

    "id": "/subscriptions/12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/myVM",

    "usageStart": "2024-06-01T00:00:00Z",

    "usageEnd": "2024-06-01T01:00:00Z",

    "quantity": 1,

    "unit": "Hours"

  },

  {

    "id": "/subscriptions/12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/mystorage",

    "usageStart": "2024-06-01T00:00:00Z",

    "usageEnd": "2024-06-01T01:00:00Z",

    "quantity": 5,

    "unit": "GB"

  }

]

→

--top - Limits the number of usage records returned

This command lists all Azure subscriptions linked to your account in a readable table format.

Terminal

az account list --output table

Expected Output

Name           CloudName    SubscriptionId                        State    IsDefault

-------------  -----------  ----------------------------------  -------  ---------

Free Trial     AzureCloud   12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc  Enabled  True

→

--output - Formats the output for easier reading

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else, remember: Azure free accounts give you credits to safely explore cloud services without paying upfront.

Common Mistakes

Trying to use Azure services without activating the free account.

Services won't run because the subscription is not active or lacks credits.

Complete the free account signup and verify your subscription is enabled before using services.

Ignoring credit usage and running out of free credits unexpectedly.

Services stop working or start charging you once credits run out.

Regularly check usage with commands like 'az consumption usage list' to monitor credit spending.

Summary

Use 'az account show' to check your Azure free account status and subscription details.

Use 'az consumption usage list' to monitor how your free credits are being used.

Use 'az account list --output table' to see all your Azure subscriptions clearly.