Azure resource management

Understanding Microsoft Azure Management and Governance

Maarten Van den Broeck

Senior Content Developer at DataCamp

Resource groups

Resource groups
- Grouping of related resources
- Can be managed collectively
- Resource tags and properties like access roles can be assigned at the group level
Comparable with different teams at a company

Screenshot of resource groups

Azure Resource Manager (ARM)

Resource management layer in Azure Portal
- Create, update, or delete resources
- Handle access control and resource properties
Important features:
- Resource providers
- Templates

Screenshot of the resource creation process

Resource providers

Supplies and manages specific types of resources
- Example: Microsoft.Compute for virtual machines
Azure Resource Manager relies on the providers to execute resource tasks
Compare with architect/general contractor (Azure Resource Manager) overseeing specialized professionals like the electrician (resource provider)

Screenshot of resource providers

Azure Resource Manager templates

Define and configure resources (e.g., resource groups) for repeated use
- Modular: separate templates can be combined for more complex deployments
- Integrate with Azure DevOps for automation with pipelines
- Uses Infrastructure as Code (IaC), e.g., supports versioning
Use built-in templates or create your own using Bicep syntax

Screenshot of template creation

Example use case: auto-scaling for seasonal spikes

You are consulting a company that experiences seasonal spikes in online traffic during holidays - they need to deploy a solution that automatically scales resources based on demand

ARM templates can be used to:

define auto-scaling in resources like a virtual machine, so they automatically adjust
define adjustable parameters for flexibility

GIF of creating an ARM template

Let's practice!

Understanding Microsoft Azure Management and Governance