#CloudGuruChallenge: Your resume in Azure

What’s the #CloudGuruChallenge? Get some more info over here.

Back by popular demand (and by popular demand I mean because I really wanted to do this) is the Cloud Resume Challenge. Except this time around, I’d like to see some Azure submissions. 

• Free Azure account
• Free GitHub account
• A domain from any DNS provider
• A text editor like Visual Code 
• Azure Functions Visual Code extensions (if you use Visual Code)

1. Create a GitHub repository for your project
2. Inside of your GitHub repo, create your website:
   • Your website needs to have your resume information.
   • You can use HTML and CSS for this.
   • It can be as stylish or as simple as you’d like and you can use a template if you’d like, here is the one I used. 
   • Here is mine as an example. 
3. Add a visitors counter to your website: 
   • You’ll need to write some JavaScript code for this. 
   • Your code will need to interact with a database via an API. 
   • For the API, you can create a serverless one with an HTTP trigger Azure Functions. I did an ACG spotlight video that will give you an overview of what Azure Functions is. Functions support a few programming languages — you can use anyone you’d like. Here is how you can create Azure Functions locally with Visual Code. The API receives calls from the JavaScript code in your website, and interacts with the database that holds your counter information.
   • For the database, check out Azure ComosDB. You can use their serverless pricing model to keep your costs really low. Azure Functions and CosmoDB integrate via bindings You’ll need to use them for this project.
4. Deploy the website to Azure Blob storage
5. Enable HTTPS and custom domain support:
   • Point your custom domain to your static website and make sure HTTPS is enabled. You can do this with Azure CDN.
6. Set up GitHub actions:
   • Anytime you make changes to your website or to your API, those changes should be automatically deployed, you can use GitHub actions for that. 
   • If you are making changes to your API, your code should be tested. You can also use GitHub actions for that. Here’s docs on dotnet testing for example.
7. Write your blog post:
   • If you don’t already have a developer blog, you can set one up on Hashnode.
   • The goal for the blog post is for you to document your solution. Here are some things I’d recommend including:
     • Why did you take on the challenge?
     • How did you complete the challenge? Include screenshots, diagrams, code snippets, links, and anything you’d like.
     • What was the hardest part?
     • Which part did you enjoy the most?
     • What are your biggest takeaways?
     • If you’ve done this challenge before with another cloud, what differences did you notice?

You can complete the project requirements by yourself or in collaboration with others. Feel free to ask questions in our Discord server (there’s a specific channel for this challenge) or on social media using the #CloudGuruChallenge hashtag!

When you finish all the steps of the project, post a link to your blog post and a link to your LinkedIn profile in the designated Discord channel. I will then be able to endorse you on LinkedIn for the skills you demonstrated in this project: Azure, CI/CD, and the programming language you select for your API.

You’ll also be entered to win some cool swag and get a special shoutout from the A Cloud Guru LinkedIn account after the challenge! 

This challenge will remain available indefinitely, but to get endorsed on LinkedIn, win swag, and get a shoutout on LinkedIn you need to submit your challenge on Discord by May 31.

Most importantly, the #CloudGuruChallenge is FREE and available to everyone! 

Be prepared to do some Googling, but if you're an ACG member, here are some resources that can help you get more comfortable with Azure Functions and Azure CosmosDB: 

• Serverless Computing with Azure Functions
• Azure CosmosDB Deep Dive

If you aren’t already an ACG member, we encourage you to sign up for a free account (no credit card required) to get started and explore a selection of free courses that are rotated each month. 

You don't need to perform these additional steps to “declare victory” on the challenge, but they will help your project stand out and provide awesome additional learning.

• Use the Azure CLI: This might be one of your first projects with Azure, so I’ll give you a pass if you’re creating resources via the UI. However, this is a great opportunity to get familiar with the Azure CLI 
• Infrastructure as code: The Azure CLI is great for creating resources on the fly and experimenting, but in a real-life production scenario, you’d want to define your infrastructure as code. Create an Azure Resource Manager template defining your backend infrastructure. 

I know there are services that bundle up a lot of the features you have to put together here, for example Azure Static Web Apps sets up a static web site, with HTTPS, Azure Functions backend, and GitHub actions and custom domain support — and it does it all for you with a few clicks. But there’s a lot of value in piecing it all together on your own. Also, if you’ve done this in another cloud already, you’re getting some great exposure to another platform and that’s another great plus.

Get through this and not only will you have an awesome project to add to your resume to show hiring managers, you’ll also be able to explain the infrastructure in its entirety. 

Much luck to you. Let’s go!

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