Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is an Azure service you can use to manage and deploy resources using an infrastructure as code paradigm. It enables you to provision, modify, and delete resources using a variety of features including access controls, tags, and locks.
When using Azure Resource Manager, there is some specific terminology you should be aware of. The most common terms include:
- resource—an asset that can be managed. Assets include virtual machines (VMs), virtual networks, databases, web apps, and storage accounts. Resources may also refer to tags, subscriptions, resource groups, or management groups.
- resource group—a container that groups together related resources. An Azure resource group enables you to manage multiple resources as a whole.
- resource provider—an individual service in Azure that you can create resources in. For example, Microsoft Storage or Microsoft Compute.
- Resource Manager template—a file that defines how resources should be deployed to groups, subscriptions or tenants. This file is defined in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).
- declarative syntax—the syntax used for Resource Manager templates. It enables you to define how resources should be handled without having to know programming commands.
