# Azure Complete Reference Guide — Master Index
## For Solution Architect Interview Preparation

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## How to Use This Guide

This guide is split into multiple files for easy PDF conversion. Each file is a self-contained part.

### File Structure

| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| **part1-compute.md** | VMs, App Service, AKS, Functions, Container Apps, ACI, Static Web Apps, Spring Apps |
| **part2-networking.md** | VNet, Load Balancer, App Gateway, Front Door, VPN, ExpressRoute, Firewall, DNS, Private Link, NSGs, Traffic Manager, Virtual WAN, Bastion, CDN, NAT Gateway, Network Watcher |
| **part3-storage.md** | Blob Storage, Azure Files, Managed Disks, ADLS Gen2, Table Storage, Queue Storage, NetApp Files, Data Box, Elastic SAN |
| **part4-databases.md** | Azure SQL, SQL Managed Instance, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Cosmos DB, Redis, Synapse Analytics, Databricks, Data Explorer |
| **part5-messaging-integration.md** | Service Bus, Event Grid, Event Hubs, API Management, Logic Apps |
| **part6-identity-access.md** | Entra ID, External ID, Domain Services, RBAC, Key Vault |
| **part7-security.md** | Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, Azure Policy, Blueprints, WAF, Confidential Computing |
| **part8-ai-analytics-governance.md** | Azure OpenAI, AI Services, ML, AI Search, Stream Analytics, Data Factory, HDInsight, Purview, ARM, Monitor, Advisor, Cost Management, Arc, Migrate, Lighthouse |
| **part9-hybrid-dev-saas.md** | Azure Stack HCI/Hub/Edge, IoT Hub/Edge, Digital Twins, Azure DevOps, CLI/PowerShell, M365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Fabric |

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## Quick Conversion to PDF

1. Open each file in a Markdown editor (VS Code, Typora)
2. Export to PDF (VS Code: "Markdown PDF" extension, Typora: File → Export → PDF)
3. Merge PDFs using any PDF tool

Or use Pandoc from command line:
```bash
pandoc part1-compute.md part2-networking.md part3-storage.md part4-databases.md part5-messaging-integration.md part6-identity-access.md part7-security.md part8-ai-analytics-governance.md part9-hybrid-dev-saas.md -o azure-complete-guide.pdf
```

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## Top 20 Interview Topics for Solution Architect

1. Hub-Spoke Network Architecture (VNet Peering, Azure Firewall, UDR)
2. Private Link Architecture (Private Endpoints, DNS, Service Endpoints)
3. AKS Networking (CNI vs Kubenet vs Overlay, Network Policies)
4. Cosmos DB Design (Partition Key, Consistency Levels, RU/s)
5. Azure SQL HA/DR (Geo-Replication, Failover Groups, Hyperscale)
6. App Service vs AKS vs Container Apps (when to use which)
7. Front Door vs App Gateway vs Traffic Manager vs Load Balancer
8. ExpressRoute vs VPN (architecture, redundancy, failover)
9. Azure Firewall Premium (TLS Inspection, IDPS, WAF)
10. Identity Architecture (Entra ID, Managed Identities, PIM, Conditional Access)
11. Key Vault Integration (Managed Identity, CSI Driver, RBAC)
12. Azure Policy & Governance (Policy effects, initiatives, landing zones)
13. Monitoring Architecture (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, App Insights, Sentinel)
14. Migration Strategy (Azure Migrate, assessment, landing zone)
15. Serverless Architecture (Functions, Container Apps, Event Grid)
16. Data Architecture (Synapse, Databricks, ADLS Gen2, Data Factory)
17. Messaging Patterns (Service Bus vs Event Grid vs Event Hubs)
18. API Management (APIM policies, versions, backends)
19. Cost Optimization (Reserved Instances, Spot, right-sizing, tiers)
20. Well-Architected Framework (5 pillars: Reliability, Security, Cost, Ops, Performance)

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*Created for interview preparation — April 2026*
