Deploy Azure Landing Zone Azure CAF with Terraform

What is the Azure landing zone?

An Azure Landing Zone is a set of best practices, guidelines, and tools that help organizations define and implement a standardized approach to building and managing Azure environments. It’s essentially a framework that provides a solid foundation for deploying Azure resources. Deploying an Azure Landing Zone using Terraform is a simple and effective way to create and manage Azure resources. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use Terraform to deploy an Azure Landing Zone.

Prerequisites

Before you start deploying an Azure Landing Zone using Terraform, you’ll need to set up your environment. This involves installing Terraform and the Azure CLI. Terraform is a tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure and the Azure CLI is a command-line tool for interacting with Azure resources. You’ll also need to create an Azure account if you haven’t already done so.

Before deploying an Azure Landing Zone using Terraform, ensure that you have the necessary prerequisites in place. This includes installing Terraform and the Azure CLI, as well as setting up an Azure account. To guide you through the installation process of Terraform on a Linux Ubuntu system, refer to this blog post: How to install Terraform on Linux Ubuntu. Once your environment is ready, you can proceed to use Terraform for deploying an Azure Landing Zone.

Creating a Terraform Configuration File

Next, you’ll need to create a Terraform configuration file. This file will define the resources that you want to deploy as part of your Azure Landing Zone. The configuration file is written in HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL). You can have a look at details about the Azurerm provider on the official website.

Here’s an example of what your configuration file might look like:

Configure the Azure provider


provider "azurerm" {
  subscription_id = "your-subscription-id"
  client_id       = "your-client-id"
  client_secret   = "your-client-secret"
  tenant_id       = "your-tenant-id"
}

Create a resource group for your Azure Landing Zone

resource "azurerm_resource_group" "landing_zone_rg" {
  name     = "landing-zone-rg"
  location = "eastus"
}

Create a virtual network for your Azure Landing Zone

resource "azurerm_virtual_network" "landing_zone_vnet" {
  name                = "landing-zone-vnet"
  address_space       = ["10.0.0.0/16"]
  location            = "eastus"
  resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.landing_zone_rg.name
}

Create a subnet for your Azure Landing Zone

resource "azurerm_subnet" "landing_zone_subnet" {
  name                 = "landing-zone-subnet"
  resource_group_name  = azurerm_resource_group.landing_zone_rg.name
  virtual_network_name = azurerm_virtual_network.landing_zone_vnet.name
  address_prefixes     = ["10.0.1.0/24"]
}

This configuration file creates a resource group, virtual network, and subnet for your Azure Landing Zone. However, depending on your organization’s specific needs, you may need to modify or add to this configuration file. For instance, you may want to create additional resources such as storage accounts, virtual machines, or load balancers.

Initializing Terraform

Once you’ve created your configuration file, you’ll need to initialize Terraform. This involves running the following command:

> terraform init

This command initializes Terraform and downloads any necessary plugins. Terraform will automatically download and install the Azure provider and any other required providers specified in the configuration file.

Deploying Your Azure Landing Zone

> terraform apply

This will deploy the resources defined in your configuration file. Terraform will prompt you to confirm the deployment before proceeding.

Verifying Your Azure Landing Zone

Once your Azure Landing Zone has been deployed, you can verify that everything is working correctly by logging into the Azure portal and checking that your resources have been created. You can also view the resources in the Azure CLI by running the following command:

> az resource list --resource-group landing-zone-rg

Conclusion

Deploying an Azure Landing Zone using Terraform is a powerful and flexible way to create and manage Azure resources. By following the steps outlined in this blog post and customizing the configuration file to meet your organization’s specific needs, you’ll be able to quickly and easily deploy your own Azure Landing Zone. Azure Landing Zones provide a standardized approach to building and managing Azure environments, which makes it easier to maintain consistency across your organization. Terraform’s infrastructure as code approach provides a simple and effective way to create and manage these environments. In addition to providing a solid foundation for deploying Azure resources, Azure Landing Zones can also help organizations meet regulatory and compliance requirements. By following the guidelines and best practices outlined in the Azure Landing Zone framework, organizations can ensure that their Azure environments are secure, compliant, and well-managed. Overall, deploying an Azure Landing Zone using Terraform is a valuable tool for organizations looking to build, manage, and scale their Azure environments. By leveraging the power of Terraform and the best practices of the Azure Landing Zone framework, organizations can create a solid foundation for their Azure infrastructure that is both flexible and scalable.