Azure Classroomnotes 08/Aug/2023

Infrastructure as Code

• This is an approach of managing infrastructure where infrastructure is described in configuration files and then used to create the infra automatically.
• Tools:
  • Azure:
    • ARM Templates
    • Bicep
  • AWS:
    • Cloud formation
  • Generic:
    • Terraform
• Advantages:
  • Reusability
    • managing multiple environments
  • Every change in infra is version controlled

Azure Resource Manager (ARM)

• This is the basis for Azure IaC Capabilities via ARM templates.
• Azure provides capabilities by Resource Providers which are registered to subscription.
• Resource Providers provide services and operations
• refer the below image
  
• When we are using Azure either from portal/CLI/Powershell/SDK we interact with Resource providers
• Experiment: Create a vm in Azure Portal.
  • After succesful creation, Navigate to Resource Group and then deployments, select deployment and view template
    
    
    
• So when we create something from azure portal it is creating template.
• Azure CLI/Powershell and SDK directly interact with Management API of Azure to create resources where as portal tries to create a template.
• To create custom templates for our infrastructure we need to express infrastructure as a code using ARM/Bicep.
• ARM uses json
• ARM has json Refer Here
• Workflow for creating infra as code
  
• We use IaC Whenever we need to work with creating/modifying infrastructure on various environments

ARM Templates

• Template is used to Create infrastructure. This template can be applied at multiple levels
  • Resource Group Deployment
  • Subscription Deployment
  • Management Group Deployment
  • Tenant Deployment
• ARM Template is a json file Refer Here for the basic structure

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "",
  "apiProfile": "",
  "parameters": {  },
  "variables": {  },
  "functions": [  ],
  "resources": [  ],
  "outputs": {  }
}

• In the above not every field is required. Bare minimum template

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "",
    "resources": [  ]
}

Exercise

• Refer steps to create
  • virtual network Refer Here
  • vm Refer Here
  • sql Refer Here