Azure Virtual Machines (VM) is a scalable, on-demand computing resource offered by Azure. Cloud users leverage VMs when they require direct control over their computing environment in the cloud.
Azure virtual machines are typically used for:
Development and test—Azure VMs create a computing resource with the configuration needed to run an application
Scaling applications in the cloud—demand for applications can vary, thus you can conserve costs by running an application in a VM and adding more VMs, or shutting down instances that are not needed, according to actual demand.
Extended datacenter—you can connect virtual machines in an Azure virtual network to your organization’s network
Azure pricing for VMs is typically calculated per second of usage. However, there are several other ways to pay for a VM. These include the Azure free tier that provides free usage of specific VMs for 12 months, reserved instances that let you commit to a VM for a long period of time and receive a discount, and spot VMs that allow you to purchase unused spare capacity in Azure at a deeply discounted rate.