Custom Virtual Machines and VHDs

In the previous section, we used standard VM offerings in Azure and used two different methods to do some configuration work afterward. However, as stated before, there are reasons why a default image might not be the solution for you. Let's summarize the reasons one more time.

The native image offerings by Azure are a good starting point to deploy VMs. Some of the benefits of using native images are as follows:

• Created and supported by Linux distribution vendors or a trusted partner
• Fast to deploy, both manually and orchestrated, and, of course, you can customize them afterward
• Easy-to-extend functionality and options with Azure extensions

If you are going with the native offerings there are some disadvantages or, in other words, some drawbacks:

• If you want more hardening than the standard image, then you have to rely on hardened image versions from the Marketplace, which is expensive for some.
• The standard...