Scenario Router¶

Use this page when you have a specific situation and want to jump straight to the page that answers it. This is a breadth-first index across four lifecycle phases — Plan, Deploy, Operate, Troubleshoot — that complements the depth-first Learning Paths and the symptom-first Decision Tree.

How to Use This Router¶

• Pick the table for the lifecycle phase you're in — Plan, Deploy, Operate, or Troubleshoot.
• Scan the left column for the situation that matches yours; open the destination on the right.
• If two rows fit, prefer the row from the phase you're actually in — the same platform concept often appears in more than one phase.
• If your situation spans two phases (a design choice today that will become an incident later), check Cross-Phase Scenarios first.
• Every destination is a real page in this guide, not an external link and not an aspirational page.
• Rows are intentionally short. Follow the link for the depth; this table is a switchboard, not a summary.
• If your situation is missing, open an issue — the router is meant to grow.

Lifecycle Overview¶

flowchart LR
    A[Plan] --> B[Deploy]
    B --> C[Operate]
    C --> D[Troubleshoot]
    D -.-> A

I'm Planning¶

I'm Deploying¶

I'm Operating in Production¶

I'm Troubleshooting¶

Cross-Phase Scenarios¶

Some situations straddle two phases — the design choice you make while planning determines the failure mode you eventually debug. These rows link the two together so you can see the pattern and the drill in one place. If you're only in one phase today, still skim this table: it's the cheapest way to preview which decisions will hurt later.

When This Router Isn't the Right Entry Point¶

• You're brand new to Azure VMs → start with Learning Paths instead.
• You already have a symptom (VM won't boot, RDP refused, CPU spike) and don't know which lifecycle phase you're in → jump to Decision Tree or Quick Diagnosis Cards.
• You're evaluating Azure VMs against a managed compute service → use VM vs Other Compute.

See Also¶

• Learning Paths — depth-first, role-based reading order
• Overview — what Azure VMs are and who this guide is for
• VM vs Other Compute — service selection vs App Service, Container Apps, AKS, Functions
• Decision Tree — symptom-first troubleshooting router
• Evidence Map — evidence-collection index

Sources¶

• Azure Virtual Machines documentation
• Azure Virtual Machines overview
• Sizes for virtual machines in Azure