Last Updated on August 17, 2024 by Arnav Sharma
The Azure Deployment Stack, currently in public preview, is revolutionizing how we manage collections of Azure resources. This innovative feature in Azure Resource Manager, accessible through Bicep, Azure CLI, and Azure PowerShell, simplifies the life cycle management of Azure resources, making it an indispensable tool for developers and IT professionals.
What is an Azure Deployment Stack?
An Azure Deployment Stack is a type of Azure resource that allows for the management of a group of Azure resources as a single unit. When a Bicep file or an ARM JSON template is submitted to a deployment stack, it defines the resources managed by the stack. This feature is particularly useful for creating, updating, and deleting resources in a coordinated manner.
Creating and Managing Deployment Stacks
To create a deployment stack, you can use Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, or the Azure portal, along with Bicep files. These files are transpiled into ARM JSON templates, which are then deployed as a deployment object by the stack. The deployment stack offers capabilities beyond traditional deployment resources, serving as a superset of those capabilities.
Creating a Deployment Stack
Suppose you need to provision test VMs for various application teams across different resource group scopes. A deployment stack can be used to create these test environments and update the test VM configurations through subsequent updates to the stack. After the project, the managed resources can be easily removed by specifying the appropriate delete flag, streamlining the environment cleanup process.
Benefits of Using Deployment Stacks
- Simplified Resource Management: Deployment stacks simplify the provisioning and management of resources across different scopes.
- Preventing Undesired Modifications: They help in preventing undesired modifications to managed resources through deny settings.
- Efficient Cleanup: Deployment stacks enable efficient environment cleanup by employing delete flags during updates.
Key Features and Operations
- Resource Type: The resource type for deployment stacks is
Microsoft.Resources/deploymentStacks. - Scope: Deployment stacks can be created at resource group, subscription, or management group scope.
- Deny Settings: These settings prevent unauthorized deletion or modification of managed resources.
- Update and Deletion: Deployment stacks allow for easy updating and deletion of resources, managed by specifying the appropriate flags.
Detaching and Deleting Resources
A key feature of deployment stacks is the ability to detach or delete resources. If a resource previously included in the template is removed, it will either be detached or deleted based on the specified actionOnUnmanage behavior.
Bicep and Deployment Stack
Example: Creating a Deployment Stack with Bicep for an Azure Storage Account
Step 1: Create a Bicep File
First, we need to create a Bicep file that defines the Azure resources we want to manage with our deployment stack. Let’s call this file storage.bicep.
resource storageAccount 'Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts@2021-04-01' = {
name: 'mystorageaccount${uniqueString(resourceGroup().id)}'
location: resourceGroup().location
kind: 'StorageV2'
sku: {
name: 'Standard_LRS'
}
properties: {
supportsHttpsTrafficOnly: true
}
}This Bicep file defines a storage account with a unique name, located in the same region as the resource group, and using the Standard_LRS SKU.
Step 2: Deploy the Bicep File to Create a Deployment Stack
To deploy this Bicep file and create a deployment stack, you can use Azure CLI or Azure PowerShell. Here’s how you can do it with Azure PowerShell:
New-AzResourceGroupDeploymentStack `
-Name "MyDeploymentStack" `
-ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" `
-TemplateFile "./storage.bicep" `
-DenySettingsMode "none"This command creates a new deployment stack named “MyDeploymentStack” in the specified resource group “MyResourceGroup” using the storage.bicep file.
Step 3: Verify the Deployment
After creating the deployment stack, you can verify that the storage account has been deployed successfully:
Get-AzStorageAccount -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup"This command lists the storage accounts in “MyResourceGroup”, and you should see the newly created storage account as part of the output.
Step 4: Update the Deployment Stack
If you need to update the deployment stack, for instance, to change the SKU of the storage account, you would modify the Bicep file and then update the stack:
Set-AzResourceGroupDeploymentStack `
-Name "MyDeploymentStack" `
-ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" `
-TemplateFile "./storage.bicep" `
-DenySettingsMode "none"Step 5: Delete the Deployment Stack
To delete the deployment stack and its associated resources, you can use the following command:
Remove-AzResourceGroupDeploymentStack `
-Name "MyDeploymentStack" `
-ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" `
[-DeleteAll/-DeleteResourceGroups/-DeleteResources]This command will remove the deployment stack and, depending on the flags used, can also delete the resources managed by the stack.
FAQ:
Q: How can you create and deploy a deployment stack using a Bicep file in 2024?
To create and deploy a deployment stack, you can use Bicep to create the necessary resources. The deployment stack is a native Azure resource type that enables managing a collection of Azure resources as an atomic resource collection. To do this, you might start with a Bicep file, such as main.bicep, and use commands like az stack group create \ --name and az stack sub create to create and manage the deployment stack. Additional resources can be included, and you can also verify the deployment using Azure tools like az. More information can be found through Microsoft documentation.
Q: How can you update a deployment stack or the underlying Bicep file?
To update a deployment stack or its underlying Bicep file, you can rerun the deployment using updated parameters or templates. The deployment stack, which is a native Azure resource type, allows you to manage and perform operations on a resource collection. This might involve using the az stack commands to update or delete resources within the stack at the resource group level. Throughout 2024, updates to security and technical support will be provided, ensuring that deployment stacks remain up-to-date and secure. For detailed instructions, refer to Microsoft documentation.
Q: What are some key features of deployment stacks and managed resources in Azure?
Deployment stacks in Azure are native resource types that enable managing a collection of resources as an atomic unit. These stacks are managed by the deployment stack resource, and you can perform operations such as creation, update, and deletion. The stacks can also include unmanaged resources, and you can use the denydelete setting mode to protect certain resources within the stack. Additionally, deployment stacks are integrated with new Azure features, including the ability to create and deploy using Bicep files, and manage resources throughout 2024. More information on these features can be found through Microsoft resources.
Q: How can you manage resources and security settings in a deployment stack?
In a deployment stack, you can manage resources and security settings using the deny settings capability, which allows you to exclude specific resources from deletion or modification. The deployment stack resource in Azure can also include additional resources that are either managed or unmanaged, providing flexibility in resource management. You can also use Bicep to define these settings and deploy the stack. For instance, you can use the detachall command to detach resources from a deployment stack. Information on best practices for security updates and technical support throughout 2024 can be found through official Azure resources.
Q: How can you use Microsoft Bicep to create and deploy new resources in Azure?
Bicep is a powerful tool for creating and deploying new resources in Azure. To use Bicep, you can write a template file, such as main.bicep, which defines the resources and their configurations. After creating the Bicep file, you can deploy it using Azure CLI commands like az stack group create \ --name. The deployment stack will then manage the resources as a native Azure resource type, allowing for operations on the resource collection as a whole. Additional resources can be included in the deployment, and the underlying Bicep file can be updated as needed. More detailed information can be found in Microsoft Learn documentation.