I created my Free Azure subscription and have been hosting a couple of Apps out there since around April of this year (2020).
All of my resources; Subscription, Resource Group, AppService, and Apps are F1 service rather than S1 to ensure they are running free and my cost forecast for the month should always say $0.0. This was something confusing in the beginning that I had to reach out to Microsoft to help me with in setting up my hierocracy of resources.
In my main web app I now need to deploy an SQL Database. I've been developing using LocalDB in my ASP.Net Core 3.1 app.

Now the Free Azure description here:
<https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/>

gives these specs for SQL Server with your free subscription for the first year:

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1dYY.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1dYY.png)

250GBs. Now I'm thinking 250GB of storage, not memory. But when you start selecting your DB configuration they are talking memory. So now I'm confused with that. Do you get 250GB of Storage or memory with free SQL Server with free Azure subscription.

Also, the free service really just says free SQL Database. Not free SQL Server. So I am confused here as well. Do you just get one Database? I know you have to set up an SQL Server in order to set up the Database.

Next I found a quick tutorial on creating an SQL Server Database her:
<https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/single-database-create-quickstart?tabs=azure-portal>

I want to go through the three versions of this tutorial:
Using:

1. Portal
2. Azure CLI
3. PowerShell

so I can get a feel for the environment and find the way that best suites me.

I am going through the Portal tutorial first.
On step 9, the default is General Purpose, Serverless.
This says "up to 40 vCores, up to 120 GB memory".
But you are supposed to have 250GBs with the free subscription.
So this is not it.
I click provisioned and now it says "up to 80 vCores, up to 408 GB memory".
Well 408GB is too much; over 250GB.

So I click, "Looking for Basic, Standard, or Premium?"
And from there click Standard because it is the 250GB configuration I think I am looking for to get the free SQL Database with the free Azure Subscription. (Again do I just get one database?)

But now instead of talking vCores, the cost is per DTU. What the hec is a DTU? I tried to read up on it. Seems like a unit of performance rather than a transaction. So standard is estimated at 10 DTUs a month I believe. Hopefully that does not mean 10 transactions per month but rather again a measure of performance.
Estimated Cost $15 dollars a month.

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CQTj9.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CQTj9.png)

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wDluB.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wDluB.png)

That "Standard S0" above scares me I think that would start charging me.
It should say F1 shouldn't it.

I've come accross some similar questions to this online. A lot of people seem to have the same confusion and question I have. Main question is how do I get an F1 level database for my app. And is one database all I get. That would suck. Not really a free subscription then since most web apps in ASP.Net/Core which is Microsoft are dynamic and need a DB and Azure is Microsoft right?

Or should I just go ahead and review and create. And S0 is just how they do it for free Azure subscription? Like you wouldn't get charged for S0? But I don't think so.
Trying to get a concrete answer somewhere so I know how to proceed.

**UPDATE 10/20/20**
I have just gone in a different way and am creating an SQL Server instead of Sql Database.
This appears to be free and cost estimate per month says:
"No extra charges"

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebTit.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebTit.png)