How is Azure Blue Prints different from Resource Manager Templates

Question

Can any one explain how Azure Blue Prints are different from Resource Manager Templates

[Note: As we migrate from MSDN, this question has been posted by an Azure Cloud Engineer as a frequently asked question] Source: Azure Docs FAQ

Answer 1

Hi Bharath,

Azure Blueprints service is designed to help with environment setup. This setup often consists of a set of resource groups, policies, role assignments, and Resource Manager (ARM) template deployments. A blueprint is a package to bring each of these artifact types together and allow you to compose and version that package -- including through a CI/CD pipeline. Ultimately, each is assigned to a subscription in a single operation that can be audited and tracked.

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.

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.

There's no need to choose between a Resource Manager template and a blueprint. Each blueprint can consist of zero or more Resource Manager template artifacts. This support means that previous efforts to develop and maintain a library of Resource Manager templates are reusable in Azure Blueprints.

Source: Azure Docs FAQ