{"id":12989,"date":"2024-01-17T17:02:28","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T01:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=12989"},"modified":"2024-01-17T17:04:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T01:04:51","slug":"revolutionizing-our-arm-template-deployment-at-microsoft-with-shift-from-json-to-bicep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/revolutionizing-our-arm-template-deployment-at-microsoft-with-shift-from-json-to-bicep\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolutionizing our ARM template deployment at Microsoft with shift from JSON to BICEP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MicrosoftWith a new solution for Microsoft Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates, engineers on our Microsoft Cloud Engineering Services team have successfully reduced engineering hours spent on developing ARM templates by 50 percent. Simultaneously, they have improved security compliance and implemented an infrastructure as code (IaC) solution that enables continuous integration\/continuous improvement (CI\/CD).<\/p>\n

For years before this new solution, Microsoft Azure customers have relied on JSON-developed virtual machine (VM) ARM templates for deploying resources to Azure. Initially, VM ARM templates served as an excellent solution, simplifying the VM creation process and facilitating a smooth transition to the cloud.<\/p>\n

However, these templates haven\u2019t always aligned with the security requirements required for both internal and external stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Additionally, from a developmental perspective, JSON-based ARM templates couldn\u2019t be shared seamlessly across an organization. Updates had to be done manually by Microsoft engineers, and often, external customers needed their engineers to spend time customizing fixes for security controls.<\/p>\n

There was also an absence of role-based access control (RBAC) that hindered collaboration and led to security concerns.<\/p>\n

With BICEP, we’ve been able to transform Azure resource creation and deployment. It\u2019s a seamless IaC solution that not only retains the strengths of JSON-based ARM templates but surpasses them. BICEP isn\u2019t just a tool, it\u2019s a catalyst for efficiency, security, and innovation in Azure development.<\/p>\n

\u2014Angus Lin, senior software engineer, Cloud Engineering Services team<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

To create a better solution, our Cloud Engineering Services team in Microsoft Digital (MSD), the company\u2019s IT organization, embarked on a transformative journey, shifting from using JSON-based ARM templates to implementing BICEP and IaC.<\/p>\n

BICEP, as a domain-specific language designed for IaC solutions, is a domain-specific language (DSL) that uses a declarative syntax for deploying Azure resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith BICEP, we’ve been able to transform Azure resource creation and deployment,\u201d says Angus Lin, a senior software engineer on the Cloud Engineering Services team. \u201cIt\u2019s a seamless IaC solution that not only retains the strengths of JSON-based ARM templates but surpasses them. BICEP isn\u2019t just a tool, it\u2019s a catalyst for efficiency, security, and innovation in Azure development.”<\/p>\n

Benefits of switching to BICEP-based ARM templates<\/h2>\n

Our engineers found that BICEP retained all the benefits of JSON-based ARM templates while addressing its shortcomings.<\/p>\n

The templates being created in a secure by default fashion means that customers have much less to worry about. When we build these templates, we design configurations that align with security requirements. Customers no longer need to customize their own configurations for templates.<\/p>\n

\u2014John Dellenbaugh, senior software engineering manager, Microsoft Digital<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Transitioning to BICEP has provided the following advantages:<\/p>\n