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Prerequisites

Before deploying Alactic AGI on Azure, ensure you have the following requirements met.

Azure Subscription Requirements​

Active Azure Subscription​

You need an active Azure subscription with sufficient permissions to create resources. If you don't have one, create a free Azure account.

Required Permissions​

Your Azure account must have the following role assignments:

  • Contributor role on the subscription or resource group
  • Ability to create resource groups (if deploying to a new group)
  • Permission to assign managed identities

Subscription Quotas​

Verify your subscription has available quota for:

  • Virtual Machines (Standard_D2s_v3 or equivalent)
  • Azure Cosmos DB accounts
  • Azure OpenAI Service access
  • Storage accounts
  • Public IP addresses

Azure Service Access​

Azure OpenAI Service​

Azure OpenAI Service access must be approved for your subscription. If you don't have access:

  1. Visit the Azure OpenAI Service request form
  2. Complete the application
  3. Wait for approval (typically 1-3 business days)

Note: Azure OpenAI is required and cannot be substituted. Ensure approval before attempting deployment.

Regional Service Availability​

Not all Azure services are available in every region. Verify your chosen region supports:

  • Azure OpenAI Service (GPT-4o models)
  • Azure Cosmos DB (Serverless tier)
  • Azure Storage (Standard LRS)
  • Virtual Machine SKUs (D-series)

See Regional Availability Guide for detailed region information.

Technical Requirements​

SSH Key Pair​

You need an SSH key pair for VM access. You can either:

  • Generate a new key pair during deployment (recommended)
  • Use an existing SSH public key

To generate an SSH key locally:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/alactic-agi-key

Browser Requirements​

The Alactic AGI web interface is tested on:

  • Google Chrome 90+
  • Microsoft Edge 90+
  • Mozilla Firefox 88+
  • Safari 14+

JavaScript must be enabled.

Cost Considerations​

Estimated Monthly Costs​

Understand the Azure resource costs before deploying:

Free Plan:

  • VM: ~$70/month (Standard_B2s)
  • Cosmos DB: ~$1/month (Serverless, minimal usage)
  • Storage: ~$1/month (Standard LRS, 10GB)
  • Azure OpenAI: Pay-per-token (gpt-4o-mini only)
  • Total: ~$72/month + token usage

Pro Plan:

  • VM: ~$140/month (Standard_D2s_v3)
  • Cosmos DB: ~$5/month (Serverless, moderate usage)
  • Storage: ~$2/month (Standard LRS, 50GB)
  • Azure OpenAI: Pay-per-token (gpt-4o access)
  • Total: ~$147/month + token usage

Pro+ Plan:

  • VM: ~$280/month (Standard_D4s_v3)
  • Cosmos DB: ~$10/month (Serverless, high usage)
  • Storage: ~$5/month (Standard LRS, 200GB)
  • Azure OpenAI: Pay-per-token (gpt-4o access)
  • Total: ~$295/month + token usage

Enterprise Plan:

  • Custom infrastructure sizing
  • Dedicated resources
  • Volume discounts available
  • Contact for pricing

Azure OpenAI Token Costs​

Token pricing varies by model:

  • GPT-4o mini: $0.150 per 1M input tokens, $0.600 per 1M output tokens
  • GPT-4o: $2.50 per 1M input tokens, $10.00 per 1M output tokens

Cost Control: Set budgets and alerts in Azure Cost Management to monitor spending.

Network Requirements​

Outbound Connectivity​

The VM requires outbound internet access to:

  • Azure OpenAI Service endpoints
  • Azure Cosmos DB endpoints
  • Azure Storage endpoints
  • Package repositories (Ubuntu, NPM, PyPI)

Inbound Connectivity​

The deployment opens the following ports:

  • Port 3000: Web interface (HTTP)
  • Port 22: SSH access (for administration)

Security Note: The deployment creates a Network Security Group with these rules. Backend services run on localhost only and are not directly accessible.

Domain Name (Optional)​

While optional, you can configure a custom domain after deployment:

  • Point DNS A record to VM's public IP
  • Configure TLS/SSL certificate
  • Update Nginx configuration

Data Residency Requirements​

If your organization has data residency requirements:

  • Choose an Azure region in your required geography
  • Verify all services support that region
  • Document region selection for compliance

See Compliance by Region for details on Azure compliance certifications per region.

Knowledge Requirements​

Deploying and managing Alactic AGI is easiest with knowledge of:

  • Basic Azure portal navigation
  • SSH and Linux command line (for troubleshooting)
  • Understanding of web applications and APIs

Not Required​

You do not need expertise in:

  • Kubernetes or container orchestration
  • Complex networking configuration
  • Database administration
  • AI model training or tuning

The deployment is designed for users with basic Azure knowledge. Advanced skills are only needed for custom configurations.

Pre-Deployment Checklist​

Before proceeding to deployment, confirm:

  • Azure subscription is active and accessible
  • Azure OpenAI Service is approved for your subscription
  • Selected region supports all required services
  • You have Contributor permissions on subscription or resource group
  • Budget is approved for estimated monthly costs
  • SSH key pair is available or ready to generate
  • You've reviewed the Quick Start Guide

Next Steps​

Once prerequisites are met: