Active Directory Basics
Step 10 of 1191%

Step 10 — Cleanup (Avoid Ongoing Charges)

In this final step, you will remove the Azure resources created for this lab. This prevents unexpected charges and reinforces good cloud hygiene.

Cost awareness and cleanup are real-world responsibilities — not optional extras.

What this may cost

Rough estimate: $0 after cleanup; ongoing charges continue for any lab resources you leave behind. Actual Azure pricing varies by region, VM size, subscription, credits, and how long you leave the lab running.

  • Windows Server domain controller and client VMs
  • Managed disks attached to both VMs
  • Public IPs, network interfaces, and the lab virtual network

Use this page as your final billing checklist before you leave Azure.

How to stop billing

  1. In the Azure Portal, stop each VM and confirm the status is Stopped (deallocated).
  2. When you are finished with the lab, delete the entire ad-lab-rg resource group.
  3. Verify the resource group, VMs, disks, public IPs, and network interfaces are gone.

Deallocating stops VM compute charges. Deleting the resource group is the cleanest way to remove disks, public IPs, and other billable resources.

1. Stop (Deallocate) the Virtual Machines

  • Open the Azure Portal
  • Navigate to Virtual Machines
  • Select each VM created for the lab
  • Select Stop (Deallocate)
Important distinction

In Azure, a VM must be deallocated to stop compute charges. Simply shutting down the OS inside the VM is not sufficient.

Deallocating VMs stops compute billing, but storage and networking resources may still incur costs.

2. Delete the Resource Group (Recommended)

The safest and cleanest way to remove everything is to delete the entire resource group.

  1. Navigate to Resource Groups
  2. Select the lab resource group (for example: ad-lab-rg)
  3. Select Delete resource group
  4. Type the resource group name to confirm
  5. Select Delete

Deleting the resource group removes all associated VMs, disks, public IPs, network interfaces, and virtual networks.

3. Verify All Resources Are Removed

  • No virtual machines remain
  • No managed disks remain
  • No public IP addresses remain
  • The resource group no longer exists

Azure billing stops only when all billable resources are deleted.

Optional: Keep the Environment

If you plan to continue experimenting or reuse this lab:

  • Deallocate VMs when not actively using them
  • Monitor costs in Azure Cost Management
  • Delete the resource group once finished

Many engineers keep labs temporarily, but very few leave them running indefinitely.

Lab Complete

If you completed this lab end-to-end, you built and validated a functional Active Directory environment using real infrastructure and real workflows.

These are the same foundational skills used daily by IT professionals.

You now understand how identity, authentication, DNS, group membership, and policy work together — not just how to click through a wizard.