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Azure cloud sandbox

  • Updated

    • The Azure cloud sandbox provides a real, open Azure environment where you can learn through hands-on practice. This article details levels of support, limits, and restrictions to Azure services in the sandbox. See Cloud sandboxes: getting started for instructions on using the sandbox.

    Tip: See our AI sandboxes article for a list of supported services in the Azure AI cloud sandbox.

    Global restrictions

    The Azure cloud sandbox is compatible with a variety of tools and services within Azure. While we strive to offer you the most comprehensive training opportunity possible, there are some limits to what we can provide in a sandbox environment.

    We enforce the following restrictions on our Azure sandbox. If you don’t have access to perform an action in the sandbox, you’ll be notified according to our Hands-on playground and labs abuse protocol.

    Regions

    Actions in the Azure cloud sandbox are restricted to the following:

    North America Asia Other
    • Canada East
    • Central US
    • East US
    • East US 2
    • North Central US
    • South Central US
    • West Central US
    • West US 2
    • Central India
    • South India
    • West India
    • Japan West
    • Korea Central
    • Korea South
    • East Asia
    • Germany North
    • Germany West Central
    • Global

    Resource groups

    The Azure cloud sandbox does not include the option to create additional resource groups—whether directly or through services that automatically generate separate resource groups, such as Network Watcher.

    Billing

    Users cannot purchase anything, including from the Azure marketplace, or access billing or cost information.

    Authorization

    • Cannot elevate access
    • Cannot create or modify role definitions or assignments

    Other blocked functionality

    • Add-ons
    • Management groups
    • SaaS subscriptions

    Supported Azure services

    Reference the table below to determine whether an Azure service is supported in the sandbox and to see additional limits and restrictions.

    Note: This list is subject to change. We reserve the right to add, remove, or modify support for cloud services at any time.

    Service name Level of support
    AI and Machine Learning services
    Autonomous Systems Not supported
    Azure Bot Service Supported
    Cognitive Services

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs: S, S0, and S1
    • Max two services created
    • Max 1000 transactions per cognitive service

    Note: This includes many older Azure services that have been deprecated and re-released as sub-services.
    Enterprise Knowledge Graph Not supported
    Azure Machine Learning

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs:
      • Standard DS1 v2, D2 v2, D2s v2, DS2 v2, DS3 v2
      • Standard F2s v2 or F4s v2
      • Standard D2 v3 or D2s v3
    • Max one workspace
    • Max one instance
    Azure AI Search

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs: Free or basic tier
    • Max one alias
    • Max one data source
    • Max 20,000 documents
    • Max one indexer
    • Max one index
    • Max one search resource
    • Max one skillset
    • Max 500 MB storage
    • Max one synonym map
    • Max 500 MB vector index size
    Analytics services
    Azure Analysis Services Supported
    Azure Databricks Not supported
    Data Catalog Not supported
    Data Factory Supported
    Data Lake Analytics Supported
    Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 Supported
    Azure Data Share Supported
    HDInsight Not supported
    Azure Data Explorer Supported
    Power BI Supported
    Power BI Embedded Supported
    Microsoft Purview Supported
    Azure Stream Analytics

    Conditionally supported:

    • Max one job
    • Max two units
    Azure Synapse Analytics

    Conditionally supported:

    • Spark Pool limits
      • Only one workspace
      • Allowed nodes: Small size
      • Max three nodes (includes creating a cluster with max set higher than three)
      • Autoscale must be disabled
    Blockchain services
    Azure Blockchain Not supported
    Azure Blockchain Tokens
    Compute services
    Azure Spring Apps Not supported
    Azure VMware Solution Not supported
    Batch Supported
    Classic deployment model virtual machine Not supported
    Virtual Machines

    Conditionally supported:

    Limits

    • Allowed SKUs:
      • Standard A1 v2
      • Standard B1ms, B1s, B2ms, B2s
      • Standard D1 v2, DS1 v2
      • Standard D2, DS1
      • Standard D2s v3, DS3 v2
      • Standard F2
      • Standard D2s_v5
      • Standard D2s_v4
      • Standard D2s_v3
      • Standard DS1_v3
    • Max 10 instances total
    • Max 10 CPUs across all instances
    • Max 14 GB memory in a single instances

    Restrictions

    • Blocked from Hybrid Use Benefit
    • No proximity placement groups
    • No TPUs or GPUs
    Virtual Machine Scale Sets

    Conditionally supported:

    • Max two scale sets
    • Max three instances per scale sets
    Azure DevTestLabs Not supported
    Azure Virtual Desktop Not supported
    Azure Lab Services Not supported
    SAP HANA on Azure Large Instances Not supported
    Azure Maintenance Supported
    Azure Quantum Not supported
    Azure Serial Console for Windows Supported
    Service Fabric Supported
    Azure Image Builder Supported
    Azure VMware Solution by CloudSimple Not supported
    Azure Cloud Shell Supported
    Container services
    Azure Container Apps Supported
    Container instances

    Conditionally supported:

    • Max six container groups
    • Max two containers per group
    • Max two CPUs per container
    • Max 2 GB memory per container
    Container Registry

    Conditionally supported:

    Limits

    • Max one registry

    Restrictions

    • No registry tasks allowed
    Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

    Conditionally supported:

    Limits

    • Max three clusters
    • Max three nodes per cluster

    Restrictions

    • Cannot view or manage the secondary resource group created as part of AKS setup

    Note: You may see an error message when using AKS in labs and sandboxes. You can ignore the message and still use the service with this restriction.
    Azure Red Hat OpenShift Not supported
    Database services
    Azure Cache for Redis Not supported
    Azure Database for MariaDB Supported
    Azure Database for MySQL Supported
    Azure Database for PostgreSQL

    Conditionally supported:

    • Only the following SKUs/sizes are allowed: Standard_B1ms, Standard_B2ms, Standard_B2s, Standard_D2ds_v5, Standard_D2ds_v4, Standard_D2s_v3, Standard_D2ads_v5
    Azure Cosmos DB

    Conditionally supported:

    • Throughput cannot exceed 1,000 RU/s during its run
    Azure SQL Database

    Conditionally supported:

    Limits

    • Only Basic or Standard tiers allowed
    • Allowed SKUs, depending on the type of SQL database/instance:
      • Basic
      • S0, S1, S2, S3, S4
      • DW100c or DW200c

    Restrictions

    • No instance pools
    SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines Supported
    SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc Not supported
    Azure SQL Managed Instance

    Not supported due to length of time needed to provision, update, or delete (multiple hours on average)

    • No instance pools
    Developer Tools services
    Azure App Configuration Supported
    Microsoft Dev Box Not supported
    Azure Dev Spaces Not supported
    Azure Spatial Anchors Supported
    Azure Notebooks Supported
    DevOps services
    Azure DevOps Not supported
    Azure Hybrid services
    Azure Arc-enabled data services Not supported
    Azure Stack HCI Not supported
    Azure Arc-enabled servers Supported
    Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes Not supported
    Azure Arc site manager Not supported
    Identity services

    Note: Some of the unsupported identity services below are available in Active Directory-related labs or pre-created resources within labs, but are not available in sandbox environments.

    Microsoft Entra Domain Services

    Conditionally supported in AD labs only:

    • Max five apps
    • Max 15 groups
    • Max 15 users
    Microsoft Entra ID Not supported
    Microsoft Entra ID B2C Not supported
    Managed identities for Azure resources Not supported
    Integration services
    API Management

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs: Developer, Basic, Standard, and Consumption
    Azure Communication Services Not supported
    Event Grid Supported
    Event Hubs

    Conditionally supported:

    Limits

    • Allowed capacity/pricing: basic and standard

    Restrictions

    • Cannot use clusters
    • Cannot use Capture
    Azure API for FHIR Supported
    Healthcare APIs Not supported
    Logic Apps Supported
    Notification Hubs Supported
    Power Platform Not supported
    Azure Relay Supported
    Service Bus Supported
    IoT services
    Azure IoT Hub

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs: S1 or B1
    • Max two Hubs
    • Can only specify one unit when creating a Hub
    Device Update for IoT Hub Not supported
    Azure Digital Twins Not supported
    Azure IoT Central

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs: ST1
    Azure Time Series Insights Supported
    Windows 10 IoT Core Services Not supported
    Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service Supported
    Management services
    Azure Advisor Supported
    Azure Resource Manager Supported
    Automation

    Conditionally supported:

    • Max one Automation account
    • Max three runbooks
    • Max five running or starting jobs
    Cost Management and Billing Not supported
    Azure Blueprints

    Conditionally supported:

    • Cannot create or delete any assignments
    Classic deployment model Not supported
    Azure Custom Providers Not supported
    Lifecycle Services Not supported
    Azure Policy Supported
    Azure Lighthouse Supported
    Management Groups Not supported
    Azure Site Recovery

    Conditionally supported:

    • Cannot take action with any certificates
    • Vault immutability can be enabled, but not locked
    Azure Resource Graph Not supported
    Azure Service Health Supported
    Scheduler Not supported
    Azure Managed Applications Not supported
    Media services
    Media Services Supported
    Migration services
    Azure Data Box Not supported
    Azure Stack Edge
    Azure Database Migration Service
    Azure Migrate
    Monitoring services
    Azure Monitor - Alerts Management Supported
    Azure Monitor - Change Analysis Supported
    Azure Monitor - Insights Supported
    Azure Monitor - Intune Not supported
    Azure Monitor - Operational Insights Supported
    Azure Monitor - Operations Management Supported
    Azure Monitor - Workload Monitor Not supported
    Network services
    Content Delivery Network Supported
    Classic deployment model virtual network Not supported
    Virtual networks managed by PaaS services Not supported
    Azure Peering Supported
    Application Gateway Supported
    Azure Bastion Supported
    Azure DDoS Protection Not supported
    Azure DNS Supported
    Azure ExpressRoute Not supported
    Azure Firewall

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs: basic
    Azure Front Door Supported
    Azure Private Link Supported
    Azure Route Server Supported
    Load Balancer Supported
    Network Watcher

    Conditionally supported:

    • Cannot access, use, or modify Network Watcher Resource Group

    Note: Other supported Azure resources that rely on this service will function as long as it doesn't require users to modify anything in the Network Watcher Resource Group itself.
    Traffic Manager Supported
    Virtual Network

    Conditionally supported:

    • All actions for ExpressRoute Circuits and Gateways are denied
    Virtual Network NAT Supported
    Virtual Network Manager Not supported
    Virtual WAN Supported
    VPN Gateway

    Conditionally supported:

    • Only the Basic, VpnGw1AZ, and VpnGw2AZ SKUs are allowed
    Security services
    Azure Attestation Supported
    Customer Lockbox for Microsoft Azure Supported
    Data Protection Not supported
    Azure Dedicated HSM Supported
    Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection Not supported
    Key Vault Supported
    Security Center Supported
    Microsoft Sentinel Supported
    Extended Security Updates Not supported
    Storage services
    Classic deployment model storage Not supported
    Elastic SAN Not supported
    Azure HPC Cache Not supported
    Azure Import/Export Not supported
    Azure NetApp Files Supported
    Object Store Not supported
    Storage

    Conditionally supported:

    • Cannot lock immutability policies
    • Cannot create or modify legal holds
    • No purge protection
    StorSimple Not supported
    Web services
    App Service

    Conditionally supported:

    • Allowed SKUs: F1, B1, B2, B3, S1, Y1
    • Max two server farms
    App Service Certificates Supported
    Bing Maps Not supported
    Azure Functions Supported
    Azure Maps Supported
    Azure SignalRService Supported
    5G and Space services
    Network Function Manager Not supported
    Azure Private 5G Core
    Azure Orbital Ground Station

    Hands-on playground abuse

    We actively monitor the Hands-on playground for abusive, prohibited, or otherwise unacceptable behavior that goes against the educational purpose of these tools. Abuse of the Hands-on playground is enforced by our Hands-on playground and labs abuse protocol to ensure compliance with the Terms of Use (opens in new tab) you agreed to at sign-up.

    To avoid workarounds, we don’t provide specifics of what we look for to identify abuse or how we identify it, but a few general examples of misuse and abuse are listed below:

    • Incorrect instance type
    • 10 or more virtual machines created at a time
    • 10 or more vCPU across all virtual machines
    • Attempting to use resources for crypto mining
    • Excessive network traffic
    • DDoS or port scanning external hosts

    This list is not comprehensive, so if you have questions, requests, or want to check whether an activity is allowed in the sandbox, contact Support prior to starting the activity. 

    Learn, have fun, and please respect the playground.

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