Understanding The meaning of SKU in Azure.
Introduction
I've been using AWS for a long time, but recently I started learning Azure. While creating resources and troubleshooting errors, I often come across the term "SKU." At first, I wasn't sure what it meant, so I wrote this memo.
Note: This article was translated from my original post.
What is SKU in Azure?
What does SKU stand for?
SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit, as mentioned in the Microsoft documentation.
This term is not unique to Azure—it is widely used in inventory management. There is a Wikipedia page about SKU in the context of inventory management:
Stock Keeping Unit - Wikipedia
In general, SKU refers to the smallest unit of inventory management.
For example:
"A store sells shirts with the same design and colors, but they come in four sizes: S, M, L, and XL."
"Alternatively, the shirts come only in M size, but they are available in four colors: red, blue, white, and green."
In both cases, we say that there are four SKUs for this item.
(Source: Wikipedia (Japanese))
What does SKU mean in Azure?
In Azure, SKU represents a service tier, pricing tier, or feature level.
For example, Azure Storage offers eight different SKUs based on Standard/Premium tiers.
Many Azure services provide multiple SKU options (such as Free, Basic, Standard, and Premium). These different service levels are referred to as "SKUs" in Azure.
Conclusion
Exploring new technologies often introduces fresh concepts, which makes learning exciting.
I hope this article helps someone out there!
