Building Solutions in Azure Using the Bicep Language

As organizations increasingly move toward cloud-based infrastructure, the need for efficient and reliable deployment workflows has become critical. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a key approach to managing cloud resources, allowing teams to define their IaC and manage it through version control and automation tools. IaC is a paradigm shift that can enable organizations to improve their deployment workflows, reduce errors, and increase agility. In this chapter, we will explore the use of Bicep, a new Domain-Specific Language (DSL) for deploying Azure resources, as a tool for implementing IaC.

Bicep is a declarative language that enables developers and DevOps teams to define their IaC, making it easy to manage, automate, and deploy cloud resources. Bicep is an open source project that is optimized for use with Azure resources, providing a simple syntax for defining complex infrastructure topologies. In this chapter, we will provide...

Unlocking the benefits of IaC with Azure Resource Manager

IaC is a state-of-the-art approach to managing and configuring IT infrastructure that uses a descriptive model. This method allows for the creation and management of infrastructure in a way that is automated, repeatable, and version-controlled. IaC has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its benefits, including improved efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration.

This technique has become essential for DevOps teams to automate their infrastructure deployment, management, and maintenance process. IaC provides consistency across multiple deployments and helps organizations increase efficiency, reduce operational costs, and improve time to market.

With cloud computing becoming more prevalent, cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure offer solutions such as Azure Resource Manager (ARM), which provides a consistent management layer to manage the life cycle of your environment through IaC.

IaC has become essential...

Authoring Bicep files

Instead of using JSON schemas with ARM templates, Bicep can be utilized to create Azure resources. The JSON syntax for ARM templates can be lengthy and involve complex expressions, but Bicep simplifies this process and enhances the development experience.

Bicep is a transparent layer over the ARM template that retains all JSON templates’ capabilities. When it comes to deployment, the Bicep command-line interface (CLI) transforms a Bicep file into an ARM JSON-based template.

The following figure highlights how Bicep transpiles into ARM templates for resource deployments in Azure:

Figure 11.1 – Bicep files overview

Before we start authoring our Bicep files, you must have the following tooling to help you build a solution in Azure more efficiently:

• An active Azure account. You can create an account for free at the following URL: https://azure.microsoft.com/free/.
• Azure Bicep installed on your local machine...

Bicep file structure

Bicep has its own syntax and structure for defining Azure resources in a simple and readable manner. The basic structure of an Azure Bicep file consists of the following:

• Metadata: A JSON object that defines the version of the Bicep language and any other metadata
• Variables: A section where you can declare variables to be used in the deployment
• Parameters: A section where you can define the input parameters required to deploy the resources
• Resources: A section where you can define the Azure resources you want to deploy
• Outputs: A section where you can define outputs that can be used to refer to the values of resources created during deployment

Figure 11.2 – A Bicep file that creates a storage account

Similar to ARM templates, you can define parameters, variables, resources, child resources, extensions, and even dependencies in your Bicep file. More advanced functionality, such as loops, conditions...

Summary

Organizations using cloud services in Azure should consider Azure Bicep as it provides several benefits that can enhance their cloud infrastructure deployment and management processes.

Bicep simplifies the provisioning of Azure resources by allowing for the creation of templates that define the desired IaC. This results in consistent and repeatable deployments, reduces human error, and enables easier version control.

Bicep also integrates seamlessly with Azure DevOps and other Azure services, as will see in the following chapter, providing a unified experience for the entire application life cycle.

Additionally, Bicep provides a simplified syntax, making it easier for developers to write and understand templates, reducing the learning curve for new users. All these advantages make Azure Bicep an attractive option for organizations looking to streamline their cloud infrastructure deployment and management processes.

In the next chapter, we will review how you can...