How to create a custom Azure Blueprint

Case #

Microsoft provides a great variety of built-in Azure Blueprints. However there are cases in which you need to create a custom Azure Blueprint. This article provides instructions on how to create a custom Azure Blueprint.

Solution #

Below you can find a detailed list of built-in Azure blueprints and artifacts commonly available:

1. Subscription Management Blueprints:
   • Azure Governance: Deploys a set of management and security policies to enforce governance and compliance requirements across subscriptions.
   • Azure Cost Management and Billing: Sets up cost tracking and budget controls for better financial management.
2. Identity and Access Management (IAM) Blueprints:
   • Azure Active Directory (AAD) Roles: Assigns predefined Azure AD roles to users, groups, or applications to manage access control.
   • Conditional Access Policies: Enforces access control policies based on various conditions like device compliance, location, or user group.
3. Network and Security Blueprints:
   • Azure Virtual Network (VNet): Deploys a predefined VNet configuration with subnets, NSGs, and route tables for network isolation and security.
   • Azure Firewall: Sets up a managed firewall service to control outbound and inbound traffic to Azure resources.
   • Virtual Private Network (VPN): Establishes a secure connection between on-premises networks and Azure using VPN gateways.
4. Infrastructure Blueprints:
   • Azure Virtual Machines (VMs): Deploys VM instances with predefined configurations, such as size, OS, and storage options.
   • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Creates a managed Kubernetes cluster with automatic scaling and monitoring capabilities.
   • Azure Web App: Sets up a scalable and managed web application hosting environment.
   • Azure Functions: Creates serverless functions to run code in response to events or triggers.
5. Data and Analytics Blueprints:
   • Azure Storage: Deploys Azure storage accounts with predefined configurations for blob, file, table, or queue storage.
   • Azure SQL Database: Sets up a managed SQL database service with options for performance tiers, replication, and backups.
   • Azure Data Factory: Creates data integration pipelines for orchestrating data movement and transformation.
   • Azure Databricks: Deploys an Apache Spark-based analytics platform for big data processing.
6. DevOps Blueprints:
   • Azure DevOps Project: Sets up a complete DevOps pipeline with source control, build and release automation, and application insights.
   • Azure Container Registry (ACR): Deploys a private container registry for storing and managing container images.
   • Azure Functions CI/CD: Automates the deployment of Azure Functions using continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines.
7. Management and Monitoring Blueprints:
   • Azure Monitor: Configures monitoring and alerting for Azure resources and applications.
   • Log Analytics: Deploys a workspace and connects data sources for log collection, analysis, and visualization.
   • Azure Policy: Enforces policy compliance by applying rules and controls to Azure resources.

These are just a few examples of built-in Azure blueprints and artifacts available. Azure continually adds new blueprints and artifacts to meet evolving customer needs.

To create a custom Azure Blueprint, follow the steps below.

Step group 1: Prepare Your Blueprint

• Define your requirements and configurations: Determine the set of Azure resources and their desired configurations that you want to include in your blueprint.
• Identify dependencies: Take note of any dependencies between resources and ensure that they are correctly specified in your blueprint.
• Plan your blueprint structure: Decide how you want to organize your blueprint, including its artifacts, parameters, and policy definitions.

Step group 2: Create the Blueprint Definition

• Sign in to the Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com).
• Navigate to the Azure Blueprints service: Use the search bar at the top or browse through the Azure services to find "Azure Blueprints."
• Click on "Blueprint Definitions" in the left-hand menu.

• Click on the "Create blueprint" button to create a new blueprint definition. You can start with a blank blueprint or pick one of our pre-defined samples to help you get started quickly.

• To create a custom Blueprint, choose "Start with blank blueprint".
• Provide a name and description for your blueprint definition.
• Choose a versioning strategy for your blueprint.
• Click "Next" to proceed to the next step.

Step group 3: Define Artifacts

• In the "Artifacts" section, click on "+ Add Artifact."
• Select the type of artifact you want to add (e.g., Policy Assignment, Resource Group, Virtual Machine).
• Configure the artifact by providing the required details, such as resource names, properties, and dependencies.
• Repeat steps 1-3 to add all the necessary artifacts to your blueprint.

Step group 4: Define Parameters (optional)

• In the "Parameters" section, click on "+ Add Parameter."
• Provide a name, display name, description, and data type for each parameter.
• Specify any additional settings, such as default values, allowed values, and constraints.
• Repeat steps 1-3 to add all the necessary parameters to your blueprint.

Step group 5: Define Policy Assignments (optional)

• In the "Policy Assignments" section, click on "+ Add Policy Assignment."
• Select the policy definition you want to include in your blueprint.
• Configure the policy assignment by providing the required details, such as assignment name, display name, and parameters.
• Repeat steps 1-3 to add all the necessary policy assignments to your blueprint.

Step group 6: Review and Publish the Blueprint Definition

• Review all the details of your blueprint definition to ensure everything is correctly configured.
• Click on the "Review + create" button.
• Review the validation results for any errors or warnings and make the necessary adjustments.
• Once the validation is successful, click on the "Create" button to create the blueprint definition.
• After the blueprint definition is created, click on the "Publish blueprint" button.
• Provide a version number and any release notes for the blueprint.
• Click on the "Publish" button to make the blueprint available for assignment.

Step group 7: Assign the Blueprint to a Subscription

• Navigate to the "Blueprint Assignments" section in the Azure Blueprints service.
• Click on the "+ Assign blueprint" button.
• Select the subscription where you want to assign the blueprint.
• Choose the version of the blueprint you want to assign.
• Configure any assignment-specific settings, such as parameter values or artifact overrides.
• Review the summary and click on the "Assign" button to assign the blueprint to the subscription.
• Monitor the assignment progress and verify that all the resources and configurations defined in the blueprint are successfully provisioned.

At this point, you should have successfully created a custom Azure Blueprint and assigned it to a subscription. Your custom blueprint will enforce the desired configurations and deploy the specified resources whenever it is assigned to a subscription. The scope for an Azure Blueprint can be either a management group or a subscription.