Prerequisites & Accounts¶
This page tells you exactly what accounts and tools you need for each lab level — and how to get them for free.
Quick Reference¶
| You have | You can run |
|---|---|
| Nothing (just a browser) | L50 labs |
| Free GitHub account | L50, L100, L200 labs |
| Free GitHub account + M365 Dev tenant | L50–L200 + Teams labs |
| Azure free trial ($200 credit) | Most L300 labs |
| Azure subscription (pay-as-you-go) | All labs including L400 |
1. GitHub Account (Free)¶
Required for: L100 and above.
Sign up at github.com — it's free, no credit card needed.
With a free GitHub account you get access to:
- ✅ GitHub Copilot Free — completion quota plus a limited monthly AI Credits allowance
- ✅ GitHub Codespaces — 60 hours/month free cloud dev environment
- ✅ GitHub Actions — 2,000 minutes/month free CI/CD
Student eligibility
Check the GitHub Student Developer Pack for current benefits. This hub does not assume that a paid Copilot plan is available.
2. Local LLM Backend (Free)¶
Required for: L200 labs that use LLMs without Azure.
Use Foundry Local or Ollama. Both run on your machine and expose an OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
Setup:
- Complete Lab 013 — Free LLM Backends.
- Set
LOCAL_LLM_BASE_URLandLOCAL_LLM_MODEL. - Keep the local runtime running while completing dependent labs.
Hardware
Small models can run on CPU. Larger or faster models may require compatible GPU/NPU hardware and are marked GRÁTIS*.
3. Azure Free Account¶
Required for: L300 labs.
Azure offers a free account with:
- ✅ $200 credit for 30 days
- ✅ 12 months of popular free services
- ✅ Always-free services (includes some compute, storage, AI)
Sign up at azure.microsoft.com/free — requires a credit card for identity verification, but you won't be charged during the free period.
Azure for Students
Students get $100 credit with no credit card via Azure for Students.
Azure Services used in L300 labs¶
| Service | Free tier? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Azure AI Foundry | ✅ Yes (limited) | Some models require pay-as-you-go |
| Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server | ✅ Yes (Burstable B1ms) | pgvector extension available |
| Azure Container Apps | ✅ Yes (limited) | For hosting MCP servers |
| Application Insights | ✅ Yes (5GB/month) | For observability labs |
4. Azure Subscription (Pay-as-you-go)¶
Required for: L400 labs and heavier L300 usage.
After your free credits run out, you'll need a pay-as-you-go subscription.
Watch your costs
L400 labs use more expensive services. Each lab includes an estimated monthly cost at the top. Always set budget alerts in the Azure portal.
5. Microsoft 365 Developer Tenant (Optional)¶
Required for: Labs in the Agent Builder — Teams path.
Get a free M365 developer subscription:
- Join the Microsoft 365 Developer Program (free)
- Set up an instant sandbox with 25 user licenses
- Use it for Teams AI Library and Copilot Studio labs
6. Local Development Tools¶
All coding labs assume you have these installed locally (all free):
| Tool | Install link | Labs |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code | code.visualstudio.com | All coding labs |
| Python 3.11+ | python.org | Python labs |
| .NET 8 SDK | dotnet.microsoft.com | C# labs |
| Docker Desktop | docker.com | Labs with local PostgreSQL |
| Node.js 20+ | nodejs.org | Some MCP labs |
| Git | git-scm.com | All labs |
Use GitHub Codespaces to skip local setup
Many labs include a Open in Codespaces button. This gives you a fully configured cloud dev environment in your browser — included in the GitHub free tier (60 hrs/month).
Summary Table¶
| Level | Accounts needed | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| L50 | None | Free |
| L100 | GitHub (free) | Free |
| L200 | GitHub (free) | Free |
| L300 | GitHub + Azure free trial | ~$0–$10/lab |
| L400 | GitHub + Azure paid | ~$10–$50/lab |