Using Azure Resource Manager

IntermediateTopic20 min5 min readAzure

AZ-104 notes: Using Azure Resource Manager. Covers key concepts for the Azure Administrator Associate exam.

#azure #az-104 #arm #iac

Structured Summary + Deep Technical Understanding

Primary service:

Azure Resource Manager

Official documentation:

ARM templates overview:

Deploy templates in portal:

Quickstart templates:

1️⃣ Core Concept: Everything in Azure Uses ARM Templates

Even when you deploy resources using:

Azure Portal
Azure CLI
Azure PowerShell

Behind the scenes:

✔ An ARM template is generated ✔ Azure Resource Manager processes it ✔ Resource Providers deploy the resources
The portal is simply a GUI for generating ARM templates.

2️⃣ Exporting a Deployment as an ARM Template

🔹 During Deployment (Before Create)

When creating a resource (e.g., Web App):

Go to Create Resource
Fill configuration
Go to Review + Create
Select Download a template for automation

This shows:

✔ The exact ARM template Azure will use ✔ Parameters and resource definitions ✔ Dependencies

This is extremely useful for:

Learning ARM structure
Converting manual deployments to Infrastructure as Code
Creating reusable templates

🔹 After Deployment (Existing Resources)

You can export ARM templates from completed deployments.

Steps:

Go to Resource Group
Select Deployments
Open a deployment
Select Template
This shows the full template used for that deployment.

Important use case:

✔ Reverse engineer existing infrastructure ✔ Standardize legacy environments ✔ Create reusable templates from production

3️⃣ Deploying a Custom ARM Template in Portal

You can manually deploy ARM templates from the portal.

Search for:

"Deploy a custom template"

This opens:

✔ Template editor ✔ Quickstart templates ✔ Upload template option

4️⃣ Using Quickstart Templates

Azure provides public templates via:

Azure Quickstart Templates

Repository:

Benefits:

✔ Prebuilt production-ready templates ✔ Complex deployments (e.g., hub-spoke, AKS, multi-tier apps) ✔ Learning resource

5️⃣ Building an ARM Template Using Portal Editor

In the demonstration:

Start with blank template
Add resource → Virtual Network
Add resource → Virtual Machine
Add resource → Storage Account
Link VM to existing VNet in template

The editor:

✔ Automatically generates resource blocks ✔ Adds required variables ✔ Creates dependent resources (NIC, disk, etc.) ✔ Handles dependencies

This demonstrates:

ARM handles dependency resolution automatically.

6️⃣ Example Resources Generated

When adding a VM, the template automatically included:

Virtual Network
Network Interface
Storage Account
VM resource
Variables for naming
OS configuration parameters

This illustrates:

Deploying one “simple” resource often creates multiple dependent resources.

7️⃣ Template Deployment Flow

After clicking Create:

Portal → ARM Template generated → Azure Resource Manager → Resource Providers → Deployment orchestrated
ProvisioningState = Succeeded

8️⃣ Template Components Observed in Demo

The generated template contained:

$schema
contentVersion
parameters
variables
resources
Demonstrating real-world template structure.

9️⃣ Key Capabilities Demonstrated

✔ Export template before deployment ✔ Export template after deployment ✔ Use template editor ✔ Add multiple resources ✔ Link resources within template ✔ Deploy template via portal

🔟 Why This Is Important

ARM templates allow:

✔ Standardized infrastructure ✔ Dev/Test/Prod parity ✔ Disaster recovery redeployment ✔ CI/CD automation ✔ Governance consistency

1️⃣1️⃣ Deployment Modes Reminder

ARM supports:

Incremental (default)

Adds/updates defined resources

Does not delete others

Complete

Removes resources not in template
Use carefully

Docs:

1️⃣2️⃣ ARM Templates in CI/CD

Common pipeline pattern:

Git repository → ARM template → Azure DevOps / GitHub Actions → ARM deployment task → Infrastructure provisioned

Outputs from template can feed into:

Subsequent pipeline steps
Application deployments

1️⃣3️⃣ Real-World Example

Instead of manually creating:

VNet
VM
Storage account
NIC
NSG
You define them once in a template.

Then:

Deploy to Dev
Deploy to Test
Deploy to Prod
Same template, different parameter files.

🚩 ARM templates are only used in CLI → False 🚩 Portal doesn’t use ARM → False 🚩 Templates can’t be exported → False 🚩 Templates only deploy one resource → False 🚩 Dependencies must always be manually defined → Not always (ARM resolves automatically)

1️⃣5️⃣ Mental Model

Think of ARM templates as:

Blueprints.
Portal = Blueprint generator CLI = Blueprint executor PowerShell = Blueprint executor
ARM = Construction manager Resource Providers = Construction teams

1️⃣6️⃣ Final Key Takeaways

✔ Everything in Azure is ARM-driven ✔ Portal generates ARM templates behind the scenes ✔ You can export templates before and after deployment ✔ Templates allow repeatable infrastructure ✔ Multiple resources can be deployed together ✔ ARM resolves dependencies automatically ✔ Custom templates can be deployed directly from portal

ARM templates are foundational for: