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Version: 2411

Automation Interoperability

Canonical reference: Scripting Framework (full)
Applies to: All AzureLocal repositories
Last Updated: 2026-03-17

Overview​

This standard defines how multiple automation tools (Terraform, Bicep, ARM, PowerShell, Ansible) interoperate across AzureLocal solutions. All tools share a single configuration source and must produce identical infrastructure.

Config Flow​

flowchart TB
    A["config/variables/variables.yml<br/>(single source of truth)"] --> B[Terraform .tfvars]
    A --> C[Bicep .bicepparam]
    A --> D[ARM parameters.json]
    A --> E[PowerShell ConvertFrom-Yaml]
    A --> F[Ansible group_vars]
    B --> G[Identical Infrastructure]
    C --> G
    D --> G
    E --> G
    F --> G

Deployment Path Matrix​

ToolAzure ResourcesConfigurationMonitoringScaling
Terraform✅Delegates✅✅
Bicep✅Delegates✅✅
ARM✅Delegates✅—
PowerShell✅✅✅✅
Ansible✅✅✅✅
Delegates

"Delegates" means the IaC tool provisions Azure resources but does not configure the guest OS or application layer. A separate tool (PowerShell or Ansible) handles guest configuration.

Interoperability Rules​

  1. Single source of truth — config/variables/variables.yml is the only config file. All tool-specific parameter files are derived.
  2. Identical output — Given the same config, every tool must produce the same infrastructure.
  3. Idempotency — All scripts and templates must be safe to re-run.
  4. Error handling — Every tool must validate config before executing changes.
  5. Logging — All operations logged to ./logs/ with consistent format.

Variable Path Contract​

Scripts must use variable paths that exist in the schema. See the Variable Standards for naming rules and the Variable Reference for the complete catalog.