Understanding the Difference Between Azure Blueprints and Resource Manager Templates

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With Azure Blueprints, the relationship between the blueprint definition (what should be deployed) and the blueprint assignment (what was deployed) is preserved.

This connection supports improved tracking and auditing of deployments. Azure Blueprints can also upgrade several subscriptions at once that are governed by the same blueprint.

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Not A: Nearly everything that you want to include for deployment in Azure Blueprints can be accomplished with a Resource Manager template. However, a

Resource Manager template is a document that doesn't exist natively in Azure " each is stored either locally or in source control. The template gets used for deployments of one or more Azure resources, but once those resources deploy there's no active connection or relationship to the template.

Azure Resource Manager templates and Azure Blueprints are two Azure services that can be used to automate the deployment of resources to Azure subscriptions. While they share some similarities, there are some key differences between them.

Azure Resource Manager templates are JSON files that define the infrastructure and configuration of Azure resources to be deployed. The templates can be stored in Azure Storage, GitHub, or any other accessible location, and can be deployed using various tools such as the Azure Portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell. Resource Manager templates can be parameterized and modularized, which makes them flexible and reusable across different environments. Once deployed, the Resource Manager template remains connected to the deployed resources, which means that any changes made to the resources will be reflected in the template.

On the other hand, Azure Blueprints are a higher-level service that allows users to define a set of policies, role assignments, and Resource Manager templates as a single package. Blueprints can be versioned, published, and shared across different Azure subscriptions and tenants, which makes them useful for enterprise-level governance and compliance. Blueprints can contain one or more Resource Manager templates, along with other artifacts such as policy definitions, RBAC role assignments, and Azure Policy initiatives. Unlike Resource Manager templates, Blueprints remain connected to the deployed resources, which means that they can be used to manage and enforce compliance on an ongoing basis.

To summarize, the main differences between Azure Resource Manager templates and Azure Blueprints are:

• Resource Manager templates define the infrastructure and configuration of Azure resources, while Blueprints define a set of policies, role assignments, and Resource Manager templates as a single package.
• Resource Manager templates can be deployed using various tools, while Blueprints are deployed through the Azure Portal or Azure PowerShell.
• Resource Manager templates remain connected to the deployed resources, while Blueprints remain connected to the deployed resources and can be used for ongoing management and compliance enforcement.
• Resource Manager templates can be parameterized and modularized for flexibility and reusability, while Blueprints can be versioned, published, and shared across different Azure subscriptions and tenants for enterprise-level governance and compliance.