Quickstart: Create a mesh network topology with Azure Virtual Network Manager using Terraform
Get started with Azure Virtual Network Manager by using Terraform to provision connectivity for all your virtual networks.
In this quickstart, you deploy three virtual networks and use Azure Virtual Network Manager to create a mesh network topology. Then, you verify that the connectivity configuration was applied. You can choose from a deployment with a Subscription scope or a management group scope. Learn more about network manager scopes.
Terraform enables the definition, preview, and deployment of cloud infrastructure. Using Terraform, you create configuration files using HCL syntax. The HCL syntax allows you to specify the cloud provider - such as Azure - and the elements that make up your cloud infrastructure. After you create your configuration files, you create an execution plan that allows you to preview your infrastructure changes before they're deployed. Once you verify the changes, you apply the execution plan to deploy the infrastructure.
In this article, you learn how to:
- Create a random value for the Azure resource group name using random_pet.
- Create an Azure resource group using azurerm_resource_group.
- Create an array of virtual networks using azurerm_virtual_network.
- Create an array of subnets using azurerm_subnet.
- Create a virtual network manager using azurerm_virtual_network_manager.
- Create a network manager network group using azurerm_network_manager_network_group.
- Create a network manager static member using azurerm_network_manager_static_member.
- Create a network manager connectivity configuration using azurerm_network_manager_connectivity_configuration.
- Create a network manager deployment using azurerm_network_manager_deployment.
Prerequisites
- Install and configure Terraform
- To modify dynamic network groups, you must be granted access via Azure RBAC role assignment only. Classic Admin/legacy authorization is not supported
Implement the Terraform code
This code sample will implement Azure Virtual Network Manager at the subscription scope.
Note
The sample code for this article is located in the Azure Terraform GitHub repo. You can view the log file containing the test results from current and previous versions of Terraform.
See more articles and sample code showing how to use Terraform to manage Azure resources
Create a directory in which to test and run the sample Terraform code and make it the current directory.
Create a file named
providers.tf
and insert the following code:terraform { required_version = ">=1.0" required_providers { azurerm = { source = "hashicorp/azurerm" version = ">= 3.56.0" } random = { source = "hashicorp/random" version = "~>3.0" } } } provider "azurerm" { features {} }
Create a file named
main.tf
and insert the following code:# Create the Resource Group resource "random_pet" "rg_name" { prefix = var.resource_group_name_prefix } resource "azurerm_resource_group" "rg" { location = var.resource_group_location name = random_pet.rg_name.id } # Create three virtual networks resource "random_string" "prefix" { length = 4 special = false upper = false } resource "random_pet" "virtual_network_name" { prefix = "vnet-${random_string.prefix.result}" } resource "azurerm_virtual_network" "vnet" { count = 3 name = "${random_pet.virtual_network_name.id}-0${count.index}" resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name location = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location address_space = ["10.${count.index}.0.0/16"] } # Add a subnet to each virtual network resource "azurerm_subnet" "subnet_vnet" { count = 3 name = "default" virtual_network_name = azurerm_virtual_network.vnet[count.index].name resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name address_prefixes = ["10.${count.index}.0.0/24"] } # Create a Virtual Network Manager instance data "azurerm_subscription" "current" { } resource "azurerm_network_manager" "network_manager_instance" { name = "network-manager" location = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name scope_accesses = ["Connectivity"] description = "example network manager" scope { subscription_ids = [data.azurerm_subscription.current.id] } } # Create a network group resource "azurerm_network_manager_network_group" "network_group" { name = "network-group" network_manager_id = azurerm_network_manager.network_manager_instance.id } # Add three virtual networks to a network group as dynamic members with Azure Policy resource "random_pet" "network_group_policy_name" { prefix = "network-group-policy" } resource "azurerm_policy_definition" "network_group_policy" { name = "${random_pet.network_group_policy_name.id}" policy_type = "Custom" mode = "Microsoft.Network.Data" display_name = "Policy Definition for Network Group" metadata = <<METADATA { "category": "Azure Virtual Network Manager" } METADATA policy_rule = <<POLICY_RULE { "if": { "allOf": [ { "field": "type", "equals": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks" }, { "allOf": [ { "field": "Name", "contains": "${random_pet.virtual_network_name.id}" } ] } ] }, "then": { "effect": "addToNetworkGroup", "details": { "networkGroupId": "${azurerm_network_manager_network_group.network_group.id}" } } } POLICY_RULE } resource "azurerm_subscription_policy_assignment" "azure_policy_assignment" { name = "${random_pet.network_group_policy_name.id}-policy-assignment" policy_definition_id = azurerm_policy_definition.network_group_policy.id subscription_id = data.azurerm_subscription.current.id } # Create a connectivity configuration resource "azurerm_network_manager_connectivity_configuration" "connectivity_config" { name = "connectivity-config" network_manager_id = azurerm_network_manager.network_manager_instance.id connectivity_topology = "Mesh" applies_to_group { group_connectivity = "None" network_group_id = azurerm_network_manager_network_group.network_group.id } } # Commit deployment resource "azurerm_network_manager_deployment" "commit_deployment" { network_manager_id = azurerm_network_manager.network_manager_instance.id location = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location scope_access = "Connectivity" configuration_ids = [azurerm_network_manager_connectivity_configuration.connectivity_config.id] }
Create a file named
variables.tf
and insert the following code:variable "resource_group_location" { type = string default = "eastus" description = "Location of the resource group." } variable "resource_group_name_prefix" { type = string description = "Prefix of the resource group name that's combined with a random ID so name is unique in your Azure subscription." default = "rg" }
Create a file named
outputs.tf
and insert the following code:output "resource_group_name" { value = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name } output "virtual_network_names" { value = azurerm_virtual_network.vnet[*].name }
Implement the Terraform code
This code sample will implement Azure Virtual Network Manager at the management group scope.
Note
The sample code for this article is located in the Azure Terraform GitHub repo. You can view the log file containing the test results from current and previous versions of Terraform.
See more articles and sample code showing how to use Terraform to manage Azure resources
Create a directory in which to test and run the sample Terraform code and make it the current directory.
Create a file named
providers.tf
and insert the following code:terraform { required_version = ">=1.0" required_providers { azurerm = { source = "hashicorp/azurerm" version = "~> 3.56.0, < 4.0" } random = { source = "hashicorp/random" version = "~>3.0" } } } provider "azurerm" { features {} }
Create a file named
main.tf
and insert the following code:# Create the Resource Group resource "random_pet" "rg_name" { prefix = var.resource_group_name_prefix } resource "azurerm_resource_group" "rg" { location = var.resource_group_location name = random_pet.rg_name.id } # Create three virtual networks resource "random_string" "prefix" { length = 4 special = false upper = false } resource "random_pet" "virtual_network_name" { prefix = "vnet-${random_string.prefix.result}" } resource "azurerm_virtual_network" "vnet" { count = 3 name = "${random_pet.virtual_network_name.id}-0${count.index}" resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name location = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location address_space = ["10.${count.index}.0.0/16"] } # Add a subnet to each virtual network resource "azurerm_subnet" "subnet_vnet" { count = 3 name = "default" virtual_network_name = azurerm_virtual_network.vnet[count.index].name resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name address_prefixes = ["10.${count.index}.0.0/24"] } data "azurerm_subscription" "current" { } # Create a Management Group resource "random_pet" "management_group_name" { prefix = "AVNM-management-group" } resource "azurerm_management_group" "mg" { display_name = random_pet.management_group_name.id subscription_ids = [ data.azurerm_subscription.current.subscription_id, ] } data "azurerm_client_config" "this" {} resource "azurerm_role_assignment" "management_group_owner" { principal_id = coalesce(var.msi_id, data.azurerm_client_config.this.object_id) scope = azurerm_management_group.mg.id role_definition_name = "Contributor" } # register Microsoft.Network to the Management Group resource "null_resource" "register_rp_to_mg" { provisioner "local-exec" { command = "az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Network -m ${azurerm_management_group.mg.name}" } depends_on = [azurerm_role_assignment.management_group_owner] } resource "time_sleep" "wait_5_seconds" { create_duration = "5s" depends_on = [null_resource.register_rp_to_mg] } # Create a Virtual Network Manager instance resource "azurerm_network_manager" "network_manager_instance" { name = "network-manager" location = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name scope_accesses = ["Connectivity"] description = "example network manager" scope { management_group_ids = [azurerm_management_group.mg.id] } depends_on = [time_sleep.wait_5_seconds] } # Create a network group resource "azurerm_network_manager_network_group" "network_group" { name = "network-group" network_manager_id = azurerm_network_manager.network_manager_instance.id } # Add three virtual networks to a network group as dynamic members with Azure Policy resource "random_pet" "network_group_policy_name" { prefix = "network-group-policy" } resource "azurerm_policy_definition" "network_group_policy" { name = random_pet.network_group_policy_name.id policy_type = "Custom" mode = "Microsoft.Network.Data" display_name = "Policy Definition for Network Group" metadata = <<METADATA { "category": "Azure Virtual Network Manager" } METADATA policy_rule = <<POLICY_RULE { "if": { "allOf": [ { "field": "type", "equals": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks" }, { "allOf": [ { "field": "Name", "contains": "${random_pet.virtual_network_name.id}" } ] } ] }, "then": { "effect": "addToNetworkGroup", "details": { "networkGroupId": "${azurerm_network_manager_network_group.network_group.id}" } } } POLICY_RULE } resource "azurerm_subscription_policy_assignment" "azure_policy_assignment" { name = "${random_pet.network_group_policy_name.id}-policy-assignment" policy_definition_id = azurerm_policy_definition.network_group_policy.id subscription_id = data.azurerm_subscription.current.id } # Create a connectivity configuration resource "azurerm_network_manager_connectivity_configuration" "connectivity_config" { name = "connectivity-config" network_manager_id = azurerm_network_manager.network_manager_instance.id connectivity_topology = "Mesh" applies_to_group { group_connectivity = "None" network_group_id = azurerm_network_manager_network_group.network_group.id } } # Commit deployment resource "azurerm_network_manager_deployment" "commit_deployment" { network_manager_id = azurerm_network_manager.network_manager_instance.id location = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location scope_access = "Connectivity" configuration_ids = [azurerm_network_manager_connectivity_configuration.connectivity_config.id] }
Create a file named
variables.tf
and insert the following code:variable "resource_group_location" { type = string default = "eastus" description = "Location of the resource group." } variable "resource_group_name_prefix" { type = string description = "Prefix of the resource group name that's combined with a random ID so name is unique in your Azure subscription." default = "rg" } variable "msi_id" { type = string description = "(Optional) Manage identity id that be used as authentication method. Defaults to `null`." default = null }
Create a file named
outputs.tf
and insert the following code:output "resource_group_name" { value = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name } output "virtual_network_names" { value = azurerm_virtual_network.vnet[*].name }
Initialize Terraform
Run terraform init to initialize the Terraform deployment. This command downloads the Azure provider required to manage your Azure resources.
terraform init -upgrade
Key points:
- The
-upgrade
parameter upgrades the necessary provider plugins to the newest version that complies with the configuration's version constraints.
Create a Terraform execution plan
Run terraform plan to create an execution plan.
terraform plan -out main.tfplan
Key points:
- The
terraform plan
command creates an execution plan, but doesn't execute it. Instead, it determines what actions are necessary to create the configuration specified in your configuration files. This pattern allows you to verify whether the execution plan matches your expectations before making any changes to actual resources. - The optional
-out
parameter allows you to specify an output file for the plan. Using the-out
parameter ensures that the plan you reviewed is exactly what is applied.
Apply a Terraform execution plan
Run terraform apply to apply the execution plan to your cloud infrastructure.
terraform apply main.tfplan
Key points:
- The example
terraform apply
command assumes you previously ranterraform plan -out main.tfplan
. - If you specified a different filename for the
-out
parameter, use that same filename in the call toterraform apply
. - If you didn't use the
-out
parameter, callterraform apply
without any parameters.
Verify the results
Get the Azure resource group name.
resource_group_name=$(terraform output -raw resource_group_name)
Get the virtual network names.
terraform output virtual_network_names
For each virtual network name printed in the previous step, run az network manager list-effective-connectivity-config to print the effective (applied) configurations. Replace the
<virtual_network_name>
placeholder with the vnet name.az network manager list-effective-connectivity-config \ --resource-group $resource_group_name \ --vnet-name <virtual_network_name>
Clean up resources
When you no longer need the resources created via Terraform, do the following steps:
Run terraform plan and specify the
destroy
flag.terraform plan -destroy -out main.destroy.tfplan
Key points:
- The
terraform plan
command creates an execution plan, but doesn't execute it. Instead, it determines what actions are necessary to create the configuration specified in your configuration files. This pattern allows you to verify whether the execution plan matches your expectations before making any changes to actual resources. - The optional
-out
parameter allows you to specify an output file for the plan. Using the-out
parameter ensures that the plan you reviewed is exactly what is applied.
- The
Run terraform apply to apply the execution plan.
terraform apply main.destroy.tfplan
Troubleshoot Terraform on Azure
Troubleshoot common problems when using Terraform on Azure