Forum Discussion
Copying template.json from Export Template and deploy in bicep
- I am also generally in favour of building things up from the base. The template.json file can help you with this and simplify the start.
Hi akin_k,
first to your actual question and then to your comment.
It's not as simple as you imagine. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that you should familiarise yourself with the topic of bicep if you want to provide your resources about it.
For examample: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/fundamentals-bicep/
Here’s a high-level overview of the process:
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/templates/export-template-portal: Use the Azure portal to export the ARM template (template.json) of your existing resources.
- Convert to Bicep: Use the Bicep CLI or Visual Studio Code to decompile the ARM template JSON to a Bicep file. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/templates/export-template-portal.
- Modify the Bicep File: Make the necessary changes to the Bicep file to suit your deployment needs.
- Deploy with Azure DevOps: Set up a CI/CD pipeline in Azure DevOps to deploy the Bicep file. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/bicep/add-template-to-azure-pipelines.
Remember, while the export process attempts to create a usable template, most exported templates require some modifications before they can be used for deployment.
I hope this helps.
Now to your comment, which I don't think is polite.
Sometimes it takes a few days for someone to answer a question. Not everyone has the dedicated know-how or the time to answer. This is a community and we all have enough other things to do...
Best,
Matthias
But what things should be modified? Is it not better than to start from scratch especially for things like azure functions? It would be not so much time-consuming?
- Even though it's late, I hope this comment is still useful for you or anyone else who comes across this post.
The ARM to Bicep conversion process is quite effective, but it isn’t flawless. Some complex constructs or specific resource configurations in ARM JSON may not convert smoothly into Bicep. You might encounter:
Syntax errors or warnings that require addressing after conversion.
Certain features, such as complex nested deployments, may not decompile correctly and might need manual intervention to fix.
Exported ARM templates may also contain hidden dependencies that aren’t immediately obvious, and these can be carried over directly into the Bicep code. This makes it more challenging to refactor and reorganize the template effectively, particularly when extracting reusable modules.
Hope this helps. - I am also generally in favour of building things up from the base. The template.json file can help you with this and simplify the start.
