As organizations continue to move their applications and services to the cloud, there is an increasing need for a standardized and automated approach to deploying infrastructure. Azure infrastructure as code (IaC) with ARM templates enables organizations to deploy and manage their Azure resources in a consistent and repeatable way. In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of implementing Azure infrastructure as code with ARM templates and provide a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
Benefits of Implementing Azure Infrastructure as Code
Implementing Azure infrastructure as code with ARM templates provides the following benefits:
Consistency: With infrastructure as code, you can ensure that your Azure resources are deployed in a consistent manner. This helps reduce errors and ensures that your resources are always in the desired state.
Versioning: Infrastructure as code enables you to version your deployments, so you can roll back to previous versions if necessary. This helps you maintain a history of changes to your infrastructure and provides an audit trail.
Collaboration: Infrastructure as code allows teams to work together to define, test, and deploy infrastructure. This helps reduce silos and enables teams to work more efficiently.
Automation: Infrastructure as code enables you to automate your deployments, which helps reduce manual errors and frees up resources for other tasks.
Getting Started with ARM Templates
To get started with ARM templates, you will need the following:
Azure account: You will need an Azure account to create and manage your resources.
Azure CLI: You will need the Azure CLI installed on your local machine to interact with Azure resources.
Code editor: You will need a code editor to create and edit your ARM templates.
Step 1: Define Your Infrastructure
The first step in implementing Azure infrastructure as code with ARM templates is to define your infrastructure. This involves identifying the resources that you need to deploy and how they should be configured.
For example, if you want to deploy a virtual machine in Azure, you will need to define the following:
Virtual machine size
Operating system
Storage account
Network interface
Public IP address
Subnet
Step 2: Create an ARM Template
Once you have defined your infrastructure, the next step is to create an ARM template. An ARM template is a JSON file that defines your resources and their configurations.
The following is an example of an ARM template that deploys a virtual machine in Azure:
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"parameters": {
"vmName": {
"type": "string",
"metadata": {
"description": "Name of the virtual machine"
}
},
"vmSize": {
"type": "string",
"metadata": {
"description": "Size of the virtual machine"
}
},
"adminUsername": {
"type": "string",
"metadata": {
"description": "Username for the virtual machine"
}
},
"adminPassword": {
"type": "securestring",
"metadata": {
"description": "Password for the virtual machine"
}
}
},
"resources": [
{
"type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines",
"apiVersion": "2021-03-01",
"name": "[parameters('vmName')]",
"location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
"properties": {
"hardwareProfile": {
"vmSize": "[parameters('vmSize')]"
},
"storageProfile": {
"imageReference": {
"publisher":
"MicrosoftWindowsServer",
"offer": "WindowsServer",
"sku": "2019-Datacenter",
"version": "latest"
},
"osDisk": {
"name": "[concat(parameters('vmName'), '-osDisk')]",
"createOption": "FromImage",
"caching": "ReadWrite",
"managedDisk": {
"storageAccountType": "Standard_LRS"
}
},
"dataDisks": []
},
"networkProfile": {
"networkInterfaces": [
{
"id": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces', concat(parameters('vmName'), '-nic'))]"
}
]
},
"osProfile": {
"computerName": "[parameters('vmName')]",
"adminUsername": "[parameters('adminUsername')]",
"adminPassword": "[parameters('adminPassword')]",
"windowsConfiguration": {
"provisionVmAgent": true
}
}
}
},
{
"type": "Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces",
"apiVersion": "2021-03-01",
"name": "[concat(parameters('vmName'), '-nic')]",
"location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
"dependsOn": [],
"properties": {
"ipConfigurations": [
{
"name": "ipconfig1",
"properties": {
"subnet": {
"id": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets', 'myVNet', 'mySubnet')]"
},
"publicIPAddress": {
"id": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/publicIPAddresses', concat(parameters('vmName'), '-ip'))]"
}
}
}
]
}
},
{
"type": "Microsoft.Network/publicIPAddresses",
"apiVersion": "2021-03-01",
"name": "[concat(parameters('vmName'), '-ip')]",
"location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
"dependsOn": [],
"properties": {
"publicIPAllocationMethod": "Dynamic"
}
}
]
}
In this example, the ARM template deploys a virtual machine, a network interface, and a public IP address. The template uses parameters to define values that can be customized during deployment, such as the virtual machine name, size, and admin credentials.
Step 3: Deploy Your Infrastructure
Once you have created your ARM template, the next step is to deploy your infrastructure to Azure. You can use the Azure CLI to deploy your ARM template using the following command:
az deployment group create --resource-group <resource-group-name> --template-file <path-to-arm-template> --parameters <path-to-parameters-file>
In this command, you need to specify the resource group name, the path to your ARM template, and the path to your parameters file.
Step 4: Manage Your Infrastructure
Once your infrastructure is deployed, you can use Azure infrastructure as code to manage your resources. For example, you can update your ARM template to add new resources or modify existing ones, and then redeploy your infrastructure. You can also use Azure policies to enforce governance and compliance requirements, and Azure DevOps to automate your deployments.
Conclusion
Implementing Azure infrastructure as code with ARM templates provides a consistent and repeatable approach to deploying and managing your Azure resources. With infrastructure as code, you can ensure that your resources are deployed in a consistent and secure manner, version your deployments, collaborate with your team, and automate your deployments. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can get started with Azure infrastructure as code with ARM templates and start reaping the benefits of this approach.