Resource Manager Templates

Resource Manager Templates are blueprints that provide a way to deploy and manage resources in Azure. They provide a structured and consistent way to define the resources needed for an application, ensuring that they are deployed and managed in a reliable and repeatable manner. Resource Manager Templates are written in JSON and can be used to deploy a wide variety of resources, including virtual machines, storage accounts, and network resources.

Benefits of Using Resource Manager Templates

There are a number of benefits to using Resource Manager Templates, including:

• Consistency: Resource Manager Templates ensure that resources are deployed and managed in a consistent and repeatable manner. This helps to reduce errors and improve the reliability of your deployments.
• Documentation: Resource Manager Templates provide a clear and concise documentation of the resources that are required for an application. This helps to improve the understanding of the application and its dependencies.
• Governance: Resource Manager Templates can be used to enforce governance policies on the deployment and management of resources. This helps to ensure that resources are used in a compliant manner.
• Cost efficiency: Resource Manager Templates can help to reduce costs by automating the deployment and management of resources. This helps to reduce the time and effort required to deploy and manage resources, which can lead to cost savings.

Creating a Resource Manager Template

To create a Resource Manager Template, you will need to use a JSON editor. There are a number of free and open source JSON editors available online, such as Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio Community Edition.

Once you have chosen and opened the JSON editor create a new file and add the following content:

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2015-01-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": {},
  "variables": {},
  "resources": [],
  "outputs": {}
}

This is the basic structure of a Resource Manager Template. The parameters, variables, resources, and outputs sections are all optional.

The parameters section is used to define the parameters that can be used to customize the template. Parameters can be used to specify things like the name of the resource group to deploy the resources to, the size of the virtual machines to create, and the storage account type to use.

The variables section is used to define variables that can be used in the template. Variables can be used to store values that are calculated during deployment, such as the size of a storage account or the name of a virtual machine.

The resources section is used to define the resources that will be deployed. Resources can include virtual machines, storage accounts, and network resources.

The outputs section is used to define the outputs that will be available after the deployment is complete. Outputs can be used to store information about the deployed resources, such as the public IP address of a virtual machine or the name of a storage account.

Deploying a Resource Manager Template

Once you have created a Resource Manager Template, you can deploy it using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell. To deploy a template using the Azure portal, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Azure portal.
2. Click on the Resource groups link in the left-hand navigation pane.
3. Click on the Create button.
4. Enter a name for the resource group and click on the Create button.
5. Click on the Deployments link in the left-hand navigation pane.
6. Click on the Create button.
7. Select the resource group that you created in step 3.
8. Click on the Browse button and select the Resource Manager Template file that you created in step 1.
9. Click on the Purchase button.

The deployment will now start. You can monitor the progress of the deployment by clicking on the Deployments link in the left-hand navigation pane.

Online Courses

There are a number of online courses that can help you learn more about Resource Manager Templates. These courses can teach you how to create, deploy, and manage Resource Manager Templates. Some of the most popular online courses on Resource Manager Templates include:

• Deploying a Virtual Machine in Microsoft Azure
• Running Linux Servers on Azure

These courses are a great way to learn more about Resource Manager Templates and how to use them to deploy and manage resources in Azure.

Conclusion

Resource Manager Templates are a powerful tool that can be used to deploy and manage resources in Azure. They provide a number of benefits, including consistency, documentation, governance, and cost efficiency. If you are working with Azure, I encourage you to learn more about Resource Manager Templates and how to use them to improve your deployments.